The World Series is over, the baseball power rankings are done and Manny is done jogging out ground balls. With the season over, an equally intriguing time begins: the offseason. It’s that time of year, full of free agents, trades and baseless rumors.

This year in particular is an interesting one. There are Cy Young winners, future Hall of Famers and Gold Glovers up for grabs. The New York teams are looking to make significant changes after missing the playoffs — especially the Yankees, who have about $80 million freeing up and a new stadium opening next year. Plus, teams from the Red Sox to the Dodgers are looking to improve in order to take the next step.

So which free agents are the focus of this year’s extravaganza? So far, it’s been all about C.C. Sabathia. The 28-year-old left-handed pitcher, who like so many others before him had a career year in the final year of his contract, is viewed as an ace for any staff. Sabathia is clearly a major talent and capable of pitching as an ace.

However, there are many questions surrounding him. First, players of his, shall we say, girth tend not to have long, successful careers. Add in an extremely high number of innings late in the year, thanks to the Brewers keeping him late in games when it wasn’t necessary, and he appears to be an injury waiting to happen, even if he’s been durable so far. People also like to forget that he started last season 1-5 with a 7.51 ERA and has a horrendous 7.92 postseason ERA. Those don’t sound like the numbers of an ace that a team can count on.

At the very least, it puts into question the bids of well over $100 million for the pitcher.

As far as position players go, 1B Mark Teixeira is the major prize. He plays Gold Glove caliber defense and perennially hits at about .300 with over 30 home runs and 110 RBI while learning to draw more walks. At age 28 (29 once the season begins), he is the rare, young superstar on the open market. He won’t necessarily be the focal point of an offense or a clubhouse leader, but on the teams interested in him, he would not have to be. He has hit .352 in his career in situations defined as “close and late,” so he’s qualified in terms of the mystical concept of “clutch.” With Teixeira being represented by universally despised agent Scott Boras, the only question will be just how high the bidding will go.

After the two superstars, several intriguing free agents remain on the table. Outfielder Manny Ramirez is easily the most interesting of these. He forced his way out of Boston and for the most part, played extremely well for the Dodgers, carrying them to the postseason. Now at age 36, questions abound about whether he can keep it up. He and his agent believe he can get four to five years at over $20 million per year, but many teams would balk at such a commitment. However, Ramirez has put up stellar numbers for years and has shown few signs of slowing down. If properly motivated and well behaved, he could be worth an investment for a team in need of outfield help, such as the Dodgers.

Pitcher A.J. Burnett had a solid season before opting out of his contract. While highly coveted after a solid year, Burnett’s ability to stay healthy is in question. Only three times in his 10-year career has he thrown 200+ innings. At age 32, he is near the peak of his ability, and signing him to a long-term contract likely would not be wise. Plus, the last former Marlin with injury issues coming off a career year was Carl Pavano, and the Yankees are still shaking their heads over that deal. Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster is yet another pitcher who had a stellar final year. After converting back to a starter from a reliever, Dempster posted a career best in ERA. At age 31, this is definitely a buyer beware situation, as this season could certainly prove to be a fluke. Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez set the record for saves in a season, but there is a debate over whether his other stats regressed due to him learning how to use other pitches, or because he is losing some of his ability. Regardless, he will be well-paid this winter.

Finally, don’t count out Brad Penny, who just two years ago was a Cy Young candidate and could come cheap after a poor year. All of this fails to mention superstars on the trading block, such as pitcher Jake Peavy (potential bust for a new team) and outfielder Matt Holliday (franchise player). There are also lesser free agents, ranging from 2B Orlando Hudson to SS Rafael Furcal. Then there’s OF Bobby Abreu and pitchers Derek Lowe, Brian Fuentes and Kerry Wood. The only guarantee for this offseason is that baseball certainly won’t be showing any effects from an economic crisis.