5 Surprising 2015-16 MLB Offseason Rumors That Will Actually Come True

The 2015-16 MLB offseason is just starting to pick up steam here midway through the month of November, though there have been some significant moves already made.

Free agents A.J. Pierzynski and Franklin Gutierrez both opted to re-sign, the Yankees and Twins pulled off a swap of Aaron Hicks-for-John Ryan Murphy and the Mariners acquired Joaquin Benoit from the Padres for a pair of prospects.

There is still obviously a ton to be sorted out between now and the start of spring training, though, and the rumor mill is in full swing as a result.

With that in mind, here is a look at five somewhat surprising rumors from early this offseason that actually have a good chance of coming to fruition in the days and weeks to come.

Seung-Hwan Oh Joins the Yankees

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While some fans will argue a front-line starting pitcher or a power-hitting corner outfield is the biggest need for the New York Yankees this offseason, another bullpen arm may wind up being their top priority.

Assuming they don't trade closer Andrew Miller, who is rumored to be available according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Yankees bullpen should once again be formidable.

The key returning pieces will be:

• LHP Chasen Shreve: 59 G, 10 HLD, 3.09 ERA, 1.406 WHIP, 9.9 K/9
• LHP Justin Wilson: 74 G, 29 HLD, 3.10 ERA, 1.131 WHIP, 9.7 K/9
• RHP Dellin Betances: 74 G, 28 HLD, 1.50 ERA, 1.012 WHIP, 14.0 K/9
• LHP Andrew Miller: 60 G, 36 SV, 2.04 ERA, 0.859 WHIP, 14.6 K/9

However, notably missing from that group is a second reliable right-handed reliever, and that has led to a heavy workload for Betances.

In fact, his 174 innings of work over the past two years are the most by any pitcher who did not start at least one game.

The obvious answer would be to sign someone like Darren O'Day or Joakim Soria. But there's another option the team could explore in the form of Korean closer Seung-Hwan Oh.

After nine standout seasons for the Samsung Lions of the Korean Baseball Organization, Oh joined the Hanshin Tigers prior to the 2014 season and he's racked up 80 saves in his two seasons in the Japanese League.

The Yankees reportedly showed interest in the right-hander two years ago when he wound up signing with Hanshin, according to George A. King III of the New York Post.

Now that he's proven himself against a slightly higher level of competition, it stands to reason that interest level might be even higher.

His amount of pro experience means he won't need to go through the posting system, so Oh will be free to sign wherever he pleases.

That just might wind up being with the Yankees, and he could be a surprise answer to their need for another solid righty bullpen arm.

The Royals Prioritize Re-Signing Ben Zobrist over Alex Gordon

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The Kansas City Royals have a big decision to make this offseason surrounding left fielder Alex Gordon, who is a free agent for the first time and almost certainly in position for a nine-figure deal.

The 31-year-old has spent his entire career with the Royals, and his 27.2 WAR over the past five seasons speaks for itself. But re-signing him would likely shatter the previous club record for largest contract.

As it currently stands, the largest contracts in team history are a pair of five-year, $55 million deals in the form of an extension for Mike Sweeney and a free-agent deal for Gil Meche.

A five-year, $100 million pact looks like the floor for Gordon at this point.

Outside of having other needs to fill this offseason—most notably in the starting rotation and right field—the Royals also have Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Mike Moustakas, Alcides Escobar and Wade Davis all set to hit free agency after the 2017 season and Salvador Perez also deserving of a raise.

That could make committing $20 million per year to Gordon a tough move to work around, and as a result, it appears the front office may be turning its attention to re-signing Ben Zobrist instead.

"Royals officials privately more optimistic about keeping Ben Zobrist than teams' other big free agents -- Gordon or Cueto," tweeted Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.

Zobrist joined the Royals at the trade deadline and hit .284/.364/.453 with 16 doubles, seven home runs, 23 RBI and 37 runs scored in 59 games with the team.

He followed that up with a .303/.365/.515 line in the postseason, and he undoubtedly played a key role in the Royals winning the World Series.

One thing that makes Zobrist a more realistic target is the fact that at 34 years old, he can likely be had on a shorter deal.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports predicted a four-year, $60 million deal for Zobrist, and that may be a bit more palatable for the small-market Royals than the money Gordon is set to receive.

There will be no shortage of teams vying for the versatile Zobrist's services this winter. But if the Royals make him priority No. 1, he could very well return to the team that got him his first World Series ring.

The Phillies Get an Offer They Can't Refuse for Ken Giles

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Here in the early stages of their rebuilding efforts, the Philadelphia Phillies don't have many clear-cut pieces to build around.

Third baseman Maikel Franco looks like a future star, and Aaron Nola flashed ace potential in his debut last season. But beyond those two, there are really no obvious cornerstone pieces currently on the big league roster.

One player who could be around through the rebuild is reliever Ken Giles, who enjoyed a standout rookie season as a setup man in 2014 and then stepped into the closer's role this past season after Jonathan Papelbon was traded.

In 113 career appearances, he has a 1.56 ERA, 1.037 WHIP and 151 strikeouts in 115.2 innings of work, as there is no question he has dominant stuff.

However, that has not stopped the Phillies from saying they'll at least listen on the 25-year-old this offseason.

When asked during the GM meetings if he would consider trading Giles, new Phillies general manager Matt Klentak stopped well short of saying he was untouchable, according to Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly.

"

It’s not a goal. We’re trying as much as possible to collect as many good, young, controllable, quality players as we can. 
 
But as I said last week and probably the week before that, we’re trying to be opportunistic at every turn and trying not to operate in absolutes. I think Ken is terrific. He’s great in his role. We want to hold the leads we can hold, but I don’t want to categorically say we will or we won’t do anything.

"

This year's market is flooded with high-end relief options, as Aroldis Chapman, Craig Kimbrel, Mark Melancon, Andrew Miller, Drew Storen, Shawn Tolleson and Jonathan Papelbon are all said to be varying levels of available.

However, what Giles brings to the table that those pitchers don't is cost-effectiveness and team control.

Giles won't be arbitration-eligible for the first time until after the 2017 season, and he's under team control through 2020. So for teams that don't want to break the bank financially on a closer, he could be the answer.

It will take a significant return for the Phillies to move him. But here's guessing someone ponies up the prospects needed to secure five years of club control over an already-elite bullpen arm.

The Marlins and Indians Both Fill Needs with Marcell Ozuna-for-Trevor Bauer Swap

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

The Marcell Ozuna-for-Trevor Bauer rumor is by no means a new one, but it's one that still makes a lot of sense for both sides.

Ozuna looked like a long-term piece of the puzzle for the Miami Marlins when he hit .269/.317/.455 with 23 home runs and 85 RBI in his age-23 season in 2014.

That was enough for the Marlins to open talks on a potential extension last offseason, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. But the two sides did not come to terms on a new deal and a lot has changed in the past year.

When Ozuna was hitting just .249/.301/.337 in early July, the Marlins opted to demote him to Triple-A in an effort to kick-start his season, and he did not take the move well. In fact, he would say his time in the minors was "like a jail," according to Adam Zuvanich of the Miami Herald.

His name then popped up in trade rumors at the deadline and on into August as a result, and agent Scott Boras accused the Marlins of keeping him in the minors to delay his arbitration eligibility.

He didn't wind up traded, but the Indians were one team that showed interest in him at the deadline, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.

That led Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to first suggest a potential swap with Cleveland for starter Trevor Bauer.

Bauer, 24, was the No. 3 pick in the 2011 draft, and while he has yet to establish himself as a front-line starter, he has shown flashes and still has plenty of upside.

He was 11-12 with a 4.55 ERA, 1.313 WHIP and 170 strikeouts in 176 innings of work, but walks remain an issue as he led the AL with 79 free passes at a 4.0 BB/9 rate.

The Marlins are looking for a controllable arm to pair with Jose Fernandez at the top of the rotation after Jarred Cosart and Henderson Alvarez both disappointed last season.

The Indians are looking for a right-handed bat with some power after hitting just 58 home runs as a team from the right side of the plate last season.

Seems like a win-win and something the teams should discuss at length this winter.

Aroldis Chapman Is Traded to the Red Sox

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

There is little doubt the Boston Red Sox would benefit from finding a front-line starter to improve their starting rotation this offseason. But overhauling the bullpen may actually be a more pressing need.

The relief corps wrapped up this past season ranked 26th in the majors with a 4.24 ERA, going 19-24 and converting 40-of-61 save chances.

Here's a look at the projected bullpen as the roster currently stands, courtesy of Roster Resource:

• Steven Wright: 16 G, 9 GS, 5-4, 4.09 ERA, 1.294 WHIP, 72.2 IP
• Tommy Layne: 64 G, 2-1, 3.97 ERA, 1.427 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 47.2 IP
• Matt Barnes: 32 G, 3-4, 5.44 ERA, 1.651 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 43.0 IP
• Noe Ramirez: 17 G, 0-1, 4.15 ERA, 1.538 WHIP, 9.0 K/9, 13.0 IP
• Robbie Ross: 54 G, 0-2, 3.86 ERA, 1.302 WHIP, 7.9 K/9, 60.2 IP
• Junichi Tazawa: 61 G, 2-7, 4.14 ERA, 1.330 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 58.2 IP
• Koji Uehara: 43 G, 2-4, 25 SV, 2.23 ERA, 0.917 WHIP, 10.5 K/9, 40.1 IP

The only real standout in that group is Uehara, and he's entering his age-41 season after his 2015 campaign ended on Aug. 7 when he suffered a fractured right wrist.

"My biggest concern is—and I’m not sure where everything will fall—is being in a spot where if something happens to him, having a safeguard we can rely upon, somebody else who can close games and feels comfortable doing that,” team president Dave Dombrowski told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.

Someone like free agent Joakim Soria would certainly fit that description, but the team appears to be aiming higher with a run at Reds' flamethrower Aroldis Chapman reportedly in the works.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweeted that the Red Sox are being "aggressive on multiple fronts" and that "Chapman is believed to be one" earlier this week.

In another tweet, he noted that the team is "doing background work" on Chapman, which "indicates sincerity of interest" if nothing else.

Many of the early offseason rumblings had the Red Sox lining up well for a blockbuster trade for an ace-caliber starter. But don't be surprised if their biggest trade winds up being for Chapman.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.