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Are the Yankees done adding pieces? Plus 4 more burning MLB questions in 2018

Alex Trautwig / Major League Baseball / Getty

Goodbye, 2017. Hello, 2018.

The calendar has flipped to the new year, and with the change, the baseball world can only hope that one of the slowest offseasons in recent memory begins to pick up steam.

With Opening Day still more than three months away, there are a number of intriguing and unanswered questions that need to be figured out before the games can truly get underway.

With 2018 officially upon us, here are five burning questions to begin the new year:

Will the Marlins continue to purge?

Since taking over the Marlins in October, CEO Derek Jeter and his front office have been adamant about cutting payroll to $90 million, and so far, they've taken no prisoners in attempting to reach their goal. Miami traded reigning NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton, 2015 batting champ Dee Gordon, and 124-RBI man Marcell Ozuna. Including projected arbitration numbers, the Marlins already appear set to begin next season under their goal, but will they continue their purge now that Christian Yelich and J.T. Realmuto are unhappy with the club? Miami appears willing to deal the pair, but only for a "huge overpay."

Is Baltimore actually done shopping Machado?

When it was reported that the Orioles were shopping Machado in early December, Dan Duquette's phone was surely ringing off its hook. And why wouldn't it? A player with Machado's talent doesn't hit the trade block every day. But, with Machado in his walk year and no one offering up a tasty enough trade for Duquette to pull the trigger, the 25-year-old remains with the team. Although it appears Machado was taken off the market amid lackluster offers, the Orioles are reportedly still fielding calls about the three-time All-Star. Will Machado begin next season in Baltimore? Or will a suitor such as the Cardinals or Red Sox be able to pry him away?

Will the Red Sox sign J.D. Martinez?

Speaking of the Red Sox, no team has been linked to a particular free agent as much as they have been to Martinez. Boston has been after the slugger for most of the offseason and it appears to be a stare down between Dave Dombrowski and Martinez's agent, Scott Boras who reportedly wants more than $200 million for his client over seven years. The Red Sox have been burned by recent long-term contracts (Carl Crawford, Pablo Sandoval, et al), but Martinez appears to be the perfect fit for a Boston offense that sorely missed a major run-producer last season.

Are the Yankees finished adding pieces?

The Evil Empire is back, but just how diabolical will they be? They've already acquired Giancarlo Stanton and re-signed CC Sabathia, but interest in Gerrit Cole, Josh Harrison, and Yu Darvish has surfaced recently. Adding any of the three would only bolster the Yankees' already strong chances of reaching the World Series for the first time since 2009, but MLB's luxury tax could be a hurdle in them turning into a complete money-spending monster like Yankee teams of the past.

Where will Darvish land?

The market for Darvish, arguably the biggest free agent available, hasn't been booming, but he's still garnered interest from a number of clubs, including the Yankees, Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Houston Astros, and Chicago Cubs. Darvish had a "very good meeting" with the Cubs where he opted not to use a translator to show how hard he's trying to improve his English and how he handles challenges. The 31-year-old is one of MLB's most electric pitchers when he's on (11 SO/9 and 3.42 ERA during his five-year career), but also has some bad moments on his resume, including his past World Series performances for the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he allowed eight earned runs in 3 1/3 innings.

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