12 stories that rocked the baseball world in 2015

With only days until the calendar turns to 2016, the New York Yankees capped off a highly entertaining year by landing Aroldis Chapman from the Cincinnati Reds.

The trade of Chapman, arguably the best closer in baseball, bookends a year that saw unprecedented activity. From an onslaught of blockbuster deals, and record-breaking free-agent signings, to shocking firings and heroic feats performed on the diamond, 2015 provided no shortage of captivating storylines.

Here are the top 12 moments that rocked MLB:

Never too early

April 5 - Just hours after the regular season opened, San Diego Padres rookie general manager A.J. Preller was still adding to his roster following a highly active winter. Having already landed Justin Upton, Matt Kemp, Wil Myers, and James Shields, the Padres acquired All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel and Melvin Upton from the Atlanta Braves for Cameron Maybin, Carlos Quentin, two prospects, and a draft pick.

Locked out

April 28 - Amid rioting over the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray on the tense streets of Baltimore, the Orioles and Chicago White Sox played baseball inside an eerie, empty Camden Yards. The Orioles would win the game 8-2, with a record paid attendance of zero.

Miami malfunction

May 18 - Following a 16-22 start to the season Miami Marlins general manager Dan Jennings fired manager Mike Redmond and appointed himself as the team's new skipper despite no previous experience. Miami would go 55-69 to finish the year under Jennings. Don Mattingly would replace Jennings in November, becoming the team's seventh manager since 2010. Jennings would leave the club.

Mr. 3,000

June 19 - Everything about Alex Rodriguez's season was remarkable. The 14-time All-Star turned vitriol to cheers during a bounce-back year in which he crossed off a major milestone. The 40-year-old became the 29th player in MLB history to collect 3,000 hits with a solo home run off Justin Verlander at Yankee Stadium.

Almost perfect

June 20 - Max Scherzer was inches away from perfection when his 86-mph slider caught the leaned-in left-elbow of Jose Tabata with two strikes, and two outs in the ninth inning. The Washington Nationals right-hander would rebound to pick up the no-hitter - one of two Scherzer would throw on the season.

Twice the Price

July 28, 30 - Despite sitting one-game under .500, then-Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos pulled the trigger on a pair of shocking moves. In the span of 48 hours, the Blue Jays acquired David Price, Troy Tulowitzki, and LaTroy Hawkins in exchange for Jose Reyes and six prospects. The Blue Jays would go 41-18 following the acquisition of the trio, winning their first division title since 1993.

Loss of a legend

Sept. 23 - Yankees legend and Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra died in his home of natural causes at age 90. Berra was an 18-time All-Star, 13-time World Series champion and played all but four of his 2,120 career games with the Yankees.

Hands-on approach

Sept. 28 - Frustrations over a disappointing season boiled over in Washington in the final weeks when recently acquired closer Jonathan Papelbon called out Bryce Harper, the eventual NL MVP, for not running out a fly ball. The two were involved in a heated exchange in the dugout resulting in Papelbon choking Harper and slamming him against the wall. Papelbon would be suspended for the remainder of the season.

Walking away

Oct. 29 - Despite constructing the team that lost in six games to the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS, Anthopoulos announced his shocking departure from the Blue Jays after turning down a five-year extension, claiming the organization was no longer the right fit for him. The team went 489-483 with one postseason appearance under Anthopoulos. New team president Mark Shapiro named Ross Atkins as Anthopoulos' successor in December.

Crown the Kings

Nov. 1 - After stranding the tying run 90-feet away in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series, the resilient Royals left nothing in doubt a second time around. Kansas City knocked off the New York Mets in five games to win its second World Series in franchise history, and first since 1985.

Shocking allegations

Dec. 7 - Chapman appeared to be on his way to the Los Angeles Dodgers before details emerged about an alleged domestic violence incident involving the Reds closer and his girlfriend. The Dodgers eventually moved on from the four-time All-Star, whom is currently under investigation by the league for firing his gun in his garage and allegedly choking his girlfriend.

Show me the money

Dec. 8 - Price's reign as the highest-paid pitcher in major league history was short lived once the Arizona Diamondbacks swooped in and handed Zack Greinke a record-breaking six-year, $206.5-million deal. Greinke's deal topped the average annual value of Price's seven-year, $217-million deal the week before.