For nearly a month now, baseball's offseason has operated at a relative standstill. That soon will change. Because the hard reality of every winter in baseball will win out, regardless of the pace at which transactions occur: Teams need players, and players need teams.
Yes, some will take their time, happy to exert leverage. Others, though -- fearful of a market moving unexpectedly and leaving a player without a job or a team with no decent options to fill holes -- will end the posturing and parrying and get deals done.
There are plenty of teams whose offseasons hinge on the right addition. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays are chasing the biggest star in the sport, free agent two-way player Shohei Ohtani. The San Diego Padres are entertaining the notion of trading star outfielder Juan Soto. The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies are vying for National League East supremacy. The St. Louis Cardinals are trying to avoid mediocrity and the irrelevance that accompanies it.
And yet there are 10 teams whose winters could be even more fascinating than any of the aforementioned. Here they are, in alphabetical order, along with a transaction that makes sense for where they intend to go.