MLB Free Agents 2012: CC Sabathia and Best Pitchers Who Could Be Available

There is no other sport with a yearly free agency process that is more exciting than that of Major League Baseball.

Occasionally in football you get one or two stars that are willing to test the market. Most of the time players stick to their original teams.

In basketball, it's more of the same. Excluding the crazy free agent frenzy with Lebron James, you typically don't see stars moving from team to team via free agency.

In baseball, you see multiple stars travel across the nation to different teams each and every year.

This upcoming free agent class will be no different. There are loads of talent that could possibly be on the move.

Here are three of the top pitchers in the league who could be on the move.

CC Sabathia

Sabathia signed a contract with the New York Yankees that keeps him with the club through the 2015 season.

He is set to make a generous $23 million this upcoming year.

Despite this, there is a clause in his contract that would allow Sabathia to opt out of the last few years of his deal to test free agency if he chooses.

If he does opt out, there could be a huge bidding war over Sabathia between the top teams in the league.

Roy Oswalt

Oswalt is currently swinging back and forth between the number three and number four pitcher in Philadelphia. It appears Hamels is back as the number three guy in the rotation.

That said, Oswalt could still be a number one pitcher on most teams.

The Phillies and Oswalt have a mutual option to keep him on the team following this season for another $16 million.

Oswalt could probably find the same money elsewhere, but he could throw away the opportunity at making a run at a title.

That is, if the Phillies decide to offer him the option.

Jonathan Papelbon

After a rough 2010 campaign, Papelbon really rebounded well in 2011.

He hasn't quite reached his level from the first five years of his career, but it was a step in the right direction.

There is no question that Papelbon will have offers from other teams, and after the recent developments in Boston it's very possible he takes a look.

In fact, Papelbon has already hinted at the idea of looking elsewhere.