Baseball

So long as no one asks any current or former Cincinnati Reds about anything related to hitting philosophy, the time is ripe to realign our focus back to the game. It's almost time for real baseball, and there are a few observations we can make on what will soon be the 2015 roster.

Without dissecting everyone's performance in faux baseball, let's discuss some of the universal takeaways from camp. The following is a short list of five things we learned about the Reds in Goodyear:

At the start of spring training, the possibility existed that the Detroit Tigers' top two hitters might miss the start of the 2015 Major League Baseball season. With only a little more than a week left before Opening Day, however, Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez look ready to rock.

Spring training declarations are a difficult beast to tackle. Putting too much weight in March statistics would be misguided, as Jake Fox and his 10 Grapefruit League home runs in 2011 remind us. "Jake Who?" you ask? Precisely. 

At the same time, this is the first extended look at the 30 MLB clubs, and in some cases managers are determining roster spots based on performance. So these games aren't entirely meaningless; they just have to be viewed through the proper lens. 

This winter, the Washington Nationals set themselves up to mow down any team that stands in the way of a World Series title, but now it's time for the Nats to put their $156 million where their mouth is. 

That number is Washington's total payroll obligation in 2015, according to Baseball Prospectus.

Most people wouldn't identify the San Diego Padres as a rival of the Los Angeles Dodgers, despite their proximity in Southern California.  

The Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly reached an agreement to sign Cuban second baseman Hector Olivera to a six-year, $62.5 million deal with a $28 million signing bonus.

Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com first reported Tuesday morning that a deal was in place:

With the 2015 regular season on the horizon, the Minnesota Twins locked up one of their key pieces by signing second baseman Brian Dozier to a contract extension.

According to the Twins' official Twitter account, the 27-year-old middle infielder inked a four-year deal:

Not long ago, second base for the New York Yankees was as stable, consistent and productive as any position on any team in Major League Baseball. These days, it's anything but.

Anthony Rendon's knee injury isn't serious, they said. He's only being held out of spring training action as a precaution, they said.

Well, now they're singing a different tune. And for a Washington Nationals club that has eyes on being perhaps the elite team in Major League Baseball in 2015, that's a bummer.

Every team has needs.

From World Series favorites like the Washington Nationals to clubs favored to land in the cellar like the Philadelphia Phillies, all 30 clubs have at least one bullet point remaining unchecked on the organizational to-do list.

The New York Yankees need Masahiro Tanaka's elbow to remain healthy. The Boston Red Sox are still on the lookout for a front-line starter. Plus, playoff hopefuls like the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants are already searching for extra bodies thanks to untimely spring injuries to key contributors.