Baseball

The Los Angeles Dodgers kicked off their first spring training games this week as it's become abundantly clear that baseball is officially back.

Over the next month, management will be closely evaluating the roster in order to determine which 25 players will make the cut for Opening Day on April 6 against the San Diego Padres.

It was one game, two at-bats. Also, it's spring training. So take this with a boulder-sized grain of salt. Still, when it comes to Ryan Howard and the Philadelphia Phillies, any good news is welcome.

On Tuesday, Howard delivered some good news.

The Seattle Mariners will take the field for the first time since September tomorrow when they play the San Diego Padres in their opening spring training game.

The Yankees will take the field March 3 for the first spring game of their 2015 season. 

The team is hoping to rebound from a disappointing 2014 season which saw it finish second in the AL East by a whopping 12 games. To do that, the Yankees will have to deal with a new crop of players, injury concerns and the departure of longtime shortstop and surefire Hall of Famer Derek Jeter, as well as the big dark cloud hanging over Alex Rodriguez.

TAMPA, Fla. — Routinely in the early days this spring, the Yankees haven't started workouts until late morning. Nobody begins their workdays this late in the spring, ever. Not in Florida. Not in Arizona.

Why did manager Joe Girardi do it? Was it because:

After Derek Jeter’s retirement, one of the biggest questions heading into Major League Baseball’s offseason was how the New York Yankees would replace The Captain at shortstop.

It's an exciting time for baseball fans.

Spring training games around MLB have begun, as fans now have the privilege of witnessing somewhat meaningful baseball for the first time since the World Series.

The Baltimore Orioles are hoping that the spring exhibition schedule provides some answers for the team's roster construction. As much of the roster is already set and most players tend to know their roles, there are still a few openings and some questions to be solved.

There weren't many reasons to be optimistic about Justin Verlander in 2014. He spent the season producing like a below-average pitcher and all too often looked the part.

Take a listen to what's being said about Verlander now, however, and you'll pick up quite a bit of optimistic talk. And given the state of the Detroit Tigers, it sounds like just what the doctor ordered.

As spring training games are about to begin, Cincinnati Reds fans are curious as to what the team's Opening Day roster will look like.

Fans can probably guess the majority of the roster. This team is loaded with veteran players, so most of the roster positions are filled. However, there are a few position battles that will be played out this spring. 

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Steve Delabar is heading into spring training looking to bounce back from what was a difficult season last year.

After breaking out in 2013 and getting selected to the American League All-Star team, Delabar’s 2014 numbers significantly fell off. He posted a 4.91 ERA in 25.1 innings pitched before being demoted to Triple-A Buffalo for most of the season.