Shopping, Shopping, Shopping

Happy Black Friday, all! I trust that everyone had a great Thanksgiving and that the coming Christmas season will be one to remember.

As we storm department stores across the nation on this popular shopping day, teams across Major League Baseball are doing some shopping of their own. Robinson Cano, Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo, Matt Garza and a plethora of other notable names still remain on the market, and most are likely to find homes before the new year. A few big fish have already been reeled in: the St. Louis Cardinals have inked Jhonny Peralta to a hefty four-year contract, Brian McCann will don the famous Yankee pinstripes, and Ricky Nolasco has found a new home in the Twin Cities.

Meanwhile, the Yankees are said to be the frontrunners in vying for Beltran's services, the Rangers have the supposed edge on ace lefty David Price, and Mike Napoli of the World Series champion Red Sox could be headed back to his native Florida to play for the Marlins.

But let's not forget the less-heralded, but still very much important, names like Grant Balfour, Hiroki Kuroda and Ervin Santana. The Indians, Tigers and Mariners are all in need of bullpen help, and the Mariners also join the Mets and Braves as clubs searching for a dependable veteran arm for the starting rotation. So who fits best where?

That question, as well as many others, will be answered in front of the Hot Stove as the weather turns colder. Keep your eyes and ears open for more big moves in the coming weeks. You never know what sort of gift your team's GM might reel in this holiday season.

More to come from Walks and Balks in 2014. Have a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!