5 reasons baseball's winter meetings lived up to the hype

Baseball's winter meetings always offer up something exciting, whether it's a blockbuster trade or an unexpected free-agent signing. That proved to be true once again in 2016, as big money was handed out, top prospects were dealt, and stars - including one of the league's best pitchers - found new homes.

Here are five reasons why the winter meetings lived up to the hype:

Surprise bidders

The Cleveland Indians and Miami Marlins aren't usually known for spending big. In fact, they ranked 24th and 26th last season in payroll, respectively, and 26th and 30th the year before. That's why the Indians showing considerable interest in Edwin Encarnacion and the Marlins huge contract offer to Kenley Jansen caught many off guard.

The Indians are coming off a World Series appearance for the first time since 1997, and with an already strong pitching staff complimented by the midseason addition of star reliever Andrew Miller - their time to win is now. After letting Mike Napoli hit free agency, the typically small-budget Indians have emerged as a possible finalist for Encarnacion - an elite hitter that would be a great fit for the team.

The Marlins, meanwhile, seem hell-bent on spending truckloads of money on a closer. The team reportedly offered Aroldis Chapman a contract worth $87 million, slightly more than what he got from New York, and made a formal five-year offer to Jansen that exceeds $80 million. These small-payroll teams seem ready to splurge.

Out of nowhere signings

Ian Desmond, coming off a productive season with the Rangers, was expected to sign with a team in need of a center fielder. Instead he joined the Colorado Rockies on a five-year, $70-million deal - the most money handed out to a position player in Rockies history. For the deal to make the most sense, one of their outfielders (Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, Gerardo Parra) will likely need to be moved, allowing Desmond to be used in center.

The Tampa Bay Rays signing Wilson Ramos was less curious, but surprising nonetheless. Ramos is currently rehabbing his injured knee after tearing his ACL, and likely won't be ready to play until July at the earliest. The Rays signed Ramos to a two-year deal, guaranteed $12.5 million, but that can reach $18.25 million with incentives. The small-market team likely won't be in contention next season - or the year after - so with Ramos out for a while, the move is a little unexpected.

Quality trades

Trades are often the most exciting part of the offseason, especially when they benefit both sides. We saw an example of this when the Boston Red Sox caught the baseball world by surprise with the acquisition of Chris Sale from the White Sox for top prospects Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech. Sale makes the Red Sox a World Series threat, giving them one of baseball's premier left-handed starters. The White Sox, meanwhile, got their rebuild off to a terrific start with the trade.

Another win-win swap came from the defending World Series champions, as the Chicago Cubs acquired reliever Wade Davis from the Kansas City Royals for outfielder Jorge Soler. The right-hander gives the Cubs a quality closer to replace Chapman for significantly less money (Davis will earn $10 million in 2017), while the Royals got good value in Soler - a young, controllable outfielder that will get more playing time in KC.

Record-breaking money for relievers

No position received more love than closers at the winter meetings, as there was no shortage of money handed out to big-name, ninth-inning guys.

Of the big three (Chapman, Jansen, and Mark Melancon), the latter was the first to sign, joining the San Francisco Giants on a (momentarily) record-breaking four-year, $62-million contract. Chapman soon exceeded that by setting the record for a reliever with an $86-million deal with the Yankees.

Jansen is expected to sign soon, and considering he'll likely receive more than $80 million, it's a good time to be a closer. Once the dust settles, the big three will be earning anywhere from $238 to $248 million, combined.

Prospect pillage

White Sox general manager Rich Hahn dominated the acquisitions of top prospects during the winter meetings. In two separate trades involving Adam Eaton (to the Washington Nationals) and Sale (to the Red Sox), Hahn completely revitalized his prospect pool in a matter of days.

Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Dane Dunning highlighted the enormous return in the Eaton trade. The Sale blockbuster, meanwhile, netted Chicago Moncada and Kopech, leaving the team with four prospects in MLB Prospect Pipeline's top 100. The White Sox front office deserve a ton of credit so far, and if the winter meetings are any indication, expect Hahn to be a busy man moving forward.