MLB Winter Meetings: The Top 10 Free Agents and Their UFC Counterparts

As the MLB winter meetings begin to kick into gear, many free agents are expected to be plucked off the market like a Sunday afternoon trip to the grocery store.

The big name free agents are likely to take a while before signing their deals, as guys want to see how much teams are willing to spend. Guys like Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder are likely to wait each other out to see who can get the best deal from prospective teams.

Each of the top 10 free agents, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, have a unique skill set that they can offer a team. Whether it's good fielding or a thunderous bat, all of them have a uniqueness about them that we can relate to fighters in the UFC and their skill sets.

10. Aramis Ramirez

Aramis Ramirez has had a steady decline in play the past few years. Yet he's still likely to get a decent deal as the depth at third base this year isn't the strongest.

According to Passan, the next highest rated third baseman after Ramirez is Wilson Betemit at No. 57.

Like Ramirez, Shane Carwin is benefiting from a lack of depth in the heavyweight division. Despite getting embarrassed by Junior dos Santos and being sidelined for quite some time with injuries and surgeries, many fans still consider him a top five heavyweight.

Depending on when Carwin returns, we are likely to see some more drop-off in talent as he isn't getting any younger and his one-trick pony style of fighting likely won't give him success for long.

9. Grady Sizemore

Just like Cain Velasquez, Grady Sizemore came into the MLB spotlight with a ton of promise. Not only could Sizemore chase down any ball in the park (or jump over the wall to catch some outside of it), but he could bat pretty well too.

Injuries  have derailed Sizemore's rise to stardom but he has a ton of upside if he can remain healthy and the Indians get guys to protect him in the lineup or move him around the bases should he bat near the top of the line up.

Velasquez saw an injury put him on the shelf for some time and didn't look like the same fighter when he returned.

I'm expecting the Velasquez bandwagon to be a little lighter coming into his next bout but fans shouldn't forget that he has a ton of potential moving forward.

8. Jimmy Rollins

When Phillies stalwart Jimmy Rollins called out the Philadelphia fans for being front runners on "The Best Damn Sports Show", he knew what he said would get a negative response from the fans.

Never the less, Rollins has continued to produce and be a mainstay in the strong Phillies lineup that is one of better offensive teams in the league.

 Just like Rollins, Miguel Angel Torres caused some negativity from fans when he told Fighters.com that "he doesn't fight for the fans anymore."

Even though his style hasn't been as exciting as fans would like, Torres continues to succeed and look better and better each time he steps into the Octagon.

7. Roy Oswalt

Roy Oswalt isn't the Cy Young candidate he once was. But he still has some very good stuff and should be considered a top of the rotation kind of guy for any team he goes to.

As Oswalt as looked more vulnerable lately, so has Jose Aldo. They're both still good and can be lights out at times but they haven't been as dominant as they were in the past.

While age and injuries are the likely cause for Oswalt's decline, many fans look to a large weight cut and fighting better competition for reasons why Aldo hasn't demolished his past two challengers.

6. Carlos Beltran

Carlos Beltran had a very nice turnaround once he arrived in San Francisco. Most people didn't notice, as the Giants were out of the playoff race early, but Beltran showed he can still contribute.

Frank Mir has also had an impressive career turnaround since his disastrous losses to Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. He's racked up wins against Mirco "Cro Cop" and an impressive decision victory over Roy Nelson.

Neither Beltran or Mir are likely to be at the top of their game given their current situations, but both are smart enough players to work around their faults and still find success in their respective sports.

5. C.J. Wilson

C.J. Wilson had an outstanding regular season. Unfortunately, he couldn't carry that into the postseason and had a very pedestrian playoff run.

Kenny Florian knows about crumbling when the pressure is on. He can look like a world-beater against lesser competition but when push comes to shove, Florian sits down.

Dana White has been on "KenFlo's" case since after the Maynard fight, and his loss against Jose Aldo in their title matchup only reaffirms our thoughts that Florian simply can't get the job done when it counts.

Still, Wilson is likely to get a pretty hefty pay increase given his regular season, and Florian never has to worry about losing his job in the UFC.

4. Jose Reyes

Jose Reyes was once a terror on the basepaths. The man was a human blur when he rounded the bases and even had some decent pop in his bat, for a speedster.

But injuries have reduced Reyes to shortened seasons the past few years, and he hasn't been able to build on the potential we saw earlier in his career.

Like Reyes, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua was a blur between the ropes of Pride. He produced some of the flashiest attacks we've ever seen, and truly embodied the term "muay thai wrecking machine."

As with Reyes, injuries have reduced "Shogun" to a fraction of what he used to be, and what he should be. Rua's knees have seen more surgeries than a botox clinic the past few years, and it has clearly taken its toll on Rua's career.

The Miami Marlins seem to believe Reyes still has it, maybe Rua can make us believe again too.

3. Yu Darvish

Yu Darvish looks to be "the next big thing" from the land of the rising sun. Teams may be more hesitant with Darvish due to the failed Daisuke Matsuzaka experiment, but most people are regarding Darvish as being way better than Dice-K.

Renan Barao made quite an impact in his first time in the UFC limelight. He walked into the Octagon against Brad Pickett in England and made short work of the Brit.

Both men look to have all the tools to be stars in their sports, but we will need to see if their talents are true when they take on better competition.

2. Prince Fielder

Prince Fielder isn't a threat to steal 30 bases or bunt for a single. He brings a monstrous bat to the plate and is one swing away from hitting it out of the ballpark.

There are concerns about how his weight will affect his play in the future, but it hasn't looked to be an issue so far in his career.

Like Fielder, Dan "Hendo" Henderson brings one thing to the cage: His "H-Bomb" is one punch away from ending the fight in an instant.

He won't put together technical combinations or actually use his wrestling credentials like he should, but when you're one punch away from victory, I suppose I understand the reasoning.

1. Albert Pujols

Albert Pujols is a player without any glaring weaknesses. He plays golden glove caliber defense, he can hit for average and hit for power. He's arguably the games most complete player.

Jon Jones has risen to stardom without showing any weaknesses as well. He's shown the ability to end the fight in quick fashion (Ryan Bader fight) like a home run and can plod along slowly to end a fight, like hitting a routine single or double (Quinton Jackson fight).

Jones seems unstoppable, and each fight brings us a new method of questioning whether or not we will see Jones in trouble.

Like a pitcher who knows no matter what they throw Pujols will hit it, fighters who step into the Octagon against Jones know they're in for a very long night.

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