2014 MLB Free Agents: Rumors and Predictions for Top Offseason Targets

For some teams' fans, it's playoff time. For many others, it's time to look forward to the offseason and start fantasizing about what premier free agent your team may sign before you're snapped back to reality.

Despite the fact that the postseason is underway, the rumor mill never stops.

With names like Max Scherzer, Jon Lester and James Shields all available to bolster starting rotations, the pocketbooks are sure to come out in a big way this offseason.

Question is, who stays put and who leaves for a new environment?

Jon Lester

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Arguably this offseason's top free-agent target, Jon Lester has drawn a lot of buzz since moving from Boston to Oakland at the trade deadline.

Viewed as a rental player thanks to the salary he'll command and Oakland's reputation as a small-budget organization, the discussion about where he'll land has centered around some bigger markets. Another added bonus is that Lester isn't eligible for a qualifying offer, allowing teams to avoid forfeiting a compensation pick.

Whoever does land him will be adding a guy who has been remarkably consistent over the past five years—not an easy task when you consider how impressive his numbers are.

Year	Games Started	ERA	WHIP	IP	K/9	FIP
2008	33	3.21	1.27	210.1	6.5	3.64
2009	32	3.41	1.23	203.1	10.0	3.15
2010	32	3.25	1.20	208	9.7	3.13
2011	31	3.47	1.26	191.2	8.5	3.83
2012	33	4.82	1.38	205.1	7.3	4.11
2013	33	3.75	1.29	213.1	7.5	3.59
2014	32	2.46	1.10	219.2	9.0	2.80

With the exception of the 2012 season, Lester has been a top-of-the-rotation-type arm.

Two of the teams that seemed to be mentioned frequently when it comes to Lester are the Chicago Cubs and the Red Sox.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Cubs are the favorites right now to land the southpaw.

For any Red Sox fans hoping for Lester to return to Beantown, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe has some bad news:

Naturally, that doesn't mean he won't be returning to Boston.

For all we know, he's just upgrading to a much nicer place in anticipation of a big payday, but it's still a fairly ominous sign.

Prediction: With Lester putting his Boston house up for sale and a respected insider like Rosenthal willing to proclaim the Cubs the favorites, the lovable losers have to be the early favorites.

Keep in mind that their young core is starting to reach the major leagues and that they've built up some payroll flexibility during their rebuild as well.

Max Scherzer

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

The other candidate for this year's top free agent is 2013 Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer.

Not as established as most big-name free agents, Scherzer turned some heads in 2012 when he struck out opposing hitters at a rate of 11.1 per nine innings, which led the American League.

From there, he only got better, bursting onto the scene as one of baseball's premier rotation arms.

Year	Games Started	ERA	WHIP	IP	K/9	FIP
2012	32	3.74	1.27	187.2	11.1	3.27
2013	32	2.90	0.97	214.1	10.1	2.74
2014	33	3.15	1.18	220.1	10.3	2.85

Those kinds of numbers—regardless of the fact that he's only posted them for two years—are likely to earn him a bundle of cash come winter—having Scott Boras as an agent won't hurt either.

In the Rosenthal video linked above, he mentions that Scherzer may end up being the wild card of the three big pitchers on the market.

If Boras decides to wait the market out and drive up the price to sign the 30-year-old righty, it could bode trouble for Detroit's chances at keeping him though.

With the team still needing to re-sign Victor Martinez and having an eye on next offseason when David Price is also set to hit free agency, Detroit may choose to part ways with the Missouri native.

Prediction: With the Tigers' focus likely to be elsewhere, and the Red Sox focusing on James Shields, I'd look to a free-spending team that needs starting pitching like the New York Yankees to step in and woo Scherzer with a big-money offer.

James Shields

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

The third of the top-tier arms on the market this winter is James Shields, who was acquired by the Kansas City Royals from Tampa Bay in 2013.

Shields—who's also known by the moniker "Big Game James"—had a breakout campaign in 2011 and has been one of the AL's best starters and biggest innings-eaters since.

Year	Games Started	ERA	WHIP	IP	K/9	FIP
2011	33	2.82	1.04	249.1	8.1	3.42
2012	33	3.52	1.17	227.2	8.8	3.47
2013	34	3.15	1.24	228.2	7.7	3.47
2014	34	3.21	1.18	227	7.1	3.59

With the Royals being another club that is usually confined by budgetary restrictions, Shields will probably move on this offseason.

Rosenthal believes that the Red Sox have interest in bringing the 32-year-old back to the AL East:

With Boston already having made a few moves to boost their lineup—acquiring Yoenis Cespedes and Allen Craig, as well as signing Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo—if they could pick up a front-of-the-rotation starter, it's not inconceivable that they could turn things around in one offseason.

After all, they did it after a poor 2012 season and won the 2013 World Series.

With previous negotiations not getting far with Lester, Shields may be the club's best bet.

Prediction: The Red Sox won't take kindly to missing the postseason in three of four years since 2012—even if they won the World Series in the fourth year—so expect them to open their pocketbook.

Signing Shields would be a cheaper alternative to Lester or Scherzer and would allow them to contend again as early as 2015. If they set their sights on "Big Game James," they'll be tough to stop.

Jon Reid is a correspondent for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @JonReidCSM.