Going into the 2014 Winter Meetings, which begin December 8th, in San Diego, California, many general managers have their sights set on major moves, and some are just trying to quietly improve their team. With most of the top hitters off the costless agent board, some trades featuring big-name players may be in play, and the three best pitchers on the market are still out there. There are plenty of moves to be made, in what could be an extremely eventful week in Southern California.

Here are the top five storylines going into the 2014 Winter Meetings:

5. What will the Mets shortstop situation look like?

The shortstop position has been a huge problem for the Mets ever since Jose Reyes left to the Marlins in the winter of 2011. The Mets have used Ruben Tejada, Wilmer Flores and even Omar Quintanilla in extended roles, and watched them all fail. General Manager Sandy Alderson seems to content with Wilmer Flores starting at shortstop for New York in 2015, but the Mets should look for a more proven commodity. As much as the Mets may have or have not been interested, the Cubs and Rockies seem reluctant to trade their stars at shortstop, so New York will have to look elsewhere. Whether they look to the costless agent market (Asdrubal Cabrera, Everth Cabrera, Stephen Drew, Jed Lowrie) or gauge trade interest (Alexei Ramirez, Brad Miller, Elvis Andrus), remains to be seen. An improvement must be made for the Mets at shortstop, and that could be fixed this week.

4. Will the Reds keep or trade their pitchers who are on the verge of costless agency in 2015?

Four of the five projected starting pitchers for the Cincinnati Reds are entering their final year of their contracts in 2015 (Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, Mike Leake, Alfredo Simon). After a disappointing 2014, the Reds may look to swing a deal with a team looking for front-line starting pitching. Teams such as the Red Sox, Blue Jays or Mariners, who may not want to have the long-term commitment that would come with signing Jon Lester, Max Scherzer or James Shields, should be intrigued with the options Cincinnati has. Johnny Cueto is coming off his best season of his career; Latos and Leake are both solid middle of the rotation arms; and Simon came out of nowhere in 2014 for a breakout season. General Manager Walt Jocketty will have plenty of opportunities this week to see what kind of return he could get from his right handers.

3. Who's the odd man out in the Dodgers' outfield?

The Los Angeles Dodgers now have seven major league, capable starting outfielders. They must make a move. It seems like former All Star Matt Kemp is the most sought after by other teams. Los Angeles would like to keep Yasiel Puig and top prospect Joc Pederson. Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford, and Scott Van Slyke should be expandable too. Ethier and Crawford are owed massive amounts of money over the next few years, and with their decreased production, teams are reluctant to give the Dodgers worthwhile compensation for taking on their contracts. At 30 years old and putting up impressive statistics, Matt Kemp is the most valuable out of the Ethier, Crawford, and Kemp trio. Multiple teams have expressed interest including the San Diego Padres, who are poised to make something happen this week.

2. Is it finally time for the Padres to make a splash?

Yes, it is finally time for San Diego to make a splash, and it should happen this week. With the Winter Meetings being held just minutes away from Petco Park, the home of the Padres, General Manager A.J. Preller would love to impress his fan base that has endured losing seasons in six of the last seven years. The Padres engaged in serious talks with the representatives for Pablo Sandoval and Yasmany Tomas, only to be turned down a few weeks ago. The Padres are still seeking a middle-of-the-order type of hitter, which could be Matt Kemp. The Padres have likeable trade pieces, including young catcher Yasmani Grandal, that the Dodgers would surely consider. Yoenis Cespedes (via trade), or Melky Cabrera, Michael Morse, Corey Rasmus, and Alex Rios (costless agents) could also interest the Padres. Do not be surprised if the Padres are in the news a lot this week.

1. Who wins the Jon Lester sweepstakes, and how does that affect all of baseball?

Jon Lester is one of the most coveted costless agents this winter, being the only front-line, left handed starter. Lester possesses postseason experience, and a veteran arm that is going to cost a fortune. The Cubs, Red Sox, Giants, and Dodgers have publicly been the most interested teams, though there may be a few mystery teams in on him (don't sleep on the Yankees or Cardinals), as there always are on big name costless agents. Once Lester signs, it will help to define the market, and find Max Scherzer and James Shields new homes. If one of those teams miss out on Lester, they will, no doubt, look to Scherzer or Shields, who are both Cy Young-caliber pitchers in their own right. Also, a trade market will develop for expandable pitchers from, most notably, the Mets and Reds.

Lester should be the first of the many dominos to fall, in what should be a very exciting week in San Diego.

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About the author
Bryan Schwartz
Covering MLB, NFL, NBA