With free agency underway, the offseason is about to pick up steam. What are the big questions facing all 30 teams? Were moving on to the American League Central.Will the Indians re-sign Napoli or Davis?2016 record: 94-67Clevelands immediate offseason objective is to re-sign two free agents, first baseman Mike Napoli and outfielder Rajai Davis. The Indians ranked second in the American League to Boston with 777 runs scored this year, but theyll have to figure out a Plan B if theyre unable to retain Napoli (34 homers and 101 RBIs) or Davis (43 stolen bases).Well always look to be adding pitching depth, but our focus will be mostly on the position player side, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said from the general managers meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona.One big plus regardless of what happens: Outfielder Michael Brantley, who logged a .319/.382/.494 slash line during the 2014-2015 seasons, should help upgrade the lineup if hes able to return from shoulder surgery and play a full season in 2017. The Indians also picked up Brandon Guyer in a non-waiver trade deadline deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, and he showed he can be a very productive bat in a corner outfield platoon arrangement. -- Jerry CrasnickWill the Tigers trade Justin Verlander?2016 record: 86-75Could the Tigers possibly trade their ace? As the offseason rumor mill starts its engines, it seems unlikely. But other teams say the Tigers are so committed to getting younger and cutting payroll that theyre open to almost anything, including trading Verlander at a time when his value remains high.Still, they have major hurdles to jump. Verlander turns 34 in February. He can veto any deal. He is owed $28 million in each of the next three seasons (plus a vesting $22 million option for 2020). And the Tigers have been clear, with every club theyve spoken with, that they still want to contend next season.So in order to deal their best starter and one of the faces of their franchise, they have to get a huge package in return, one that works not just as a payroll trimmer but as a baseball trade. They would need a young, future-ace type starter in return, plus other pieces. So can they make all of that happen? Its a serious long shot. -- Jayson StarkCan the Royals upgrade their offense?2106 record: 81-81The perception on the outside is that the Royals need to upgrade their rotation. But clubs and agents theyve spoken with say they actually have seemed more focused, early in this offseason, on improving their offense. With good reason. This team finished 13th in the AL in runs scored (with 102 fewer than Cleveland), 14th in OPS and last in extra-base hits. The guy who led the team in OPS, DH Kendrys Morales, is a free agent.The two positions they clearly would love to focus on are second base and right field, where they finished next to last in the AL in OPS at both spots. The free-agent market is exceptionally thin at second. So if they sign a bat, right field makes the most sense if the dollars work.One potential feel-good story to watch: Could a homecoming of ex-Royal Carlos Beltran be a possibility? Beltran cant play the outfield full time anymore, at least not at the level the defense-first Royals prioritize, but could he fit as a part-time outfielder/part-time DH? The guess here is that both sides would be happy to talk about it.-- Jayson StarkWill they trade Chris Sale?2016 record: 78-84Sure, we can bring up that the Sox have guys like Jose Quintana under club control for four years or Todd Frazier for one more, but its what they do with their ace that defines their offseason and their target the next several seasons. If they trade Chris Sale, theyre rebuilding. If they keep him, theyre not.Sale is under contract for the next three seasons for just $38 million, and just $13 million of that is guaranteed because of the serial club options for 2018 and 2019. (If Sale wins or places well in the upcoming Cy Young voting, his 2019 option gets a $1.5 million-2.5 million boost.) A contract that team-friendly for an ace is a valuable thing.For Sox GM Rick Hahn, the challenge is whether or not he can build a 90-plus-win team around Sale within those three years. Despite a stack of transactions to shore up their roster, the 2016 Sox couldnt pull that off, inviting questions of whether or not they can ever do it within that three-year window they have left with Sale. Going for it within that time is still plausible, but thats the hamster wheel the Sox have been on -- going for it, sort of, and coming up short.If the Sox are tired of that and dont think they can win in the next three years, theyre better off using Sale to rebuild the franchise. Trading Sale would be the biggest move among many others, with veterans like David Robertson, Melky Cabrera, Quintana and Frazier also getting shopped. Trading Sale is the move most likely to yield the kind of prospects that would change the future of the franchise.Already overshadowed by their neighbors to the north in Chicago, is this the winter the White Sox embrace a rebuild? If so, they should look at contenders who need an ace and are stacked with prospects -- hello, Boston -- and sell high on Sale. -- Christina KahrlWhats the agenda for the new front office?2016 record: 59-103After a disastrous 59-103 season and an average of 94 losses over the past six seasons, the Twins dumped longtime executive Terry Ryan and hired Derek Falvey from the Indians as chief baseball officer and Thad Levine from the Rangers as general manager. The new regime will certainly be more committed to analytics, but Falvey emphasized at his introductory news conference that we want to be evidence based. It doesnt just come from analytics or numbers ... also scouting information, medical information ... its a marriage of all that information.That sounds great, but what are the first steps? Theyll have to analyze the talent on hand and decide where the Twins are in the rebuilding cycle: Is the talent closer to the 103-loss team of 2016 or the 83-win team of 2015? If youngsters like Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler and Jose Berrios are likely better than they showed in 2016, maybe the Twins arent that far off.If theyre not going to contend in the next couple of years, however, they may have to consider trading Brian Dozier, coming off a 42-homer season, or Ervin Santana, their best starting pitcher. Dozier is signed for two more seasons at $6 million and $9 million, making him an extremely attractive trade commodity. 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The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Len Chappell Jersey . LUCIE, Fla. Kenta Maeda will start for the Dodgers in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday against the Cubs Jon Lester, Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts?confirmed.Roberts reiterated after Wednesdays?10-2 Dodgers loss that he wont start ace Clayton Kershaw on short rest, putting the three-time Cy Young Award winner in line for Game 6 on Saturday at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Kershaw threw a bullpen session earlier Wednesday.[Thursday] is not an elimination game or a deciding game, Roberts said after the Cubs evened the series at two games apiece.The first-year skipper had previously said it was not out of the question that Kershaw could be asked to pitch in Game 5, on three days of rest, under certain circumstances.Maeda, 28, said he hasnt been happy with the way he has pitched in two games this postseason -- the rookie right-hander has allowed seven earned runs in a combined seven innings -- but believes that will change on Thursday.ddddddddddddRoberts said he has all the confidence in the world in Maeda.There will be a familiar face in the crowd when Maeda and the Dodgers attempt to retake the lead in the best-of-seven series. Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully is set to attend Thursdays game, his first time back at Dodger Stadium since calling his last home game on Sept. 25. The 88-year-old ended his 67-year career this month with the Dodgers regular-season finale at San Francisco.The Associated Press contributed to this report.? ' ' '
