MLB

Spring training games are set to kick off around the league this week, which means we will soon get our first chance to see all 30 MLB teams compete in 2014.

There's reason for optimism for every fanbase at this point, even if it does not look like every team has a legitimate shot at winning it all in 2014.

The 2012 season featured the Baltimore Orioles and Oakland Athletics make surprise runs to the postseason, while it was the Cleveland Indians who exceeded expectations to reach the playoffs last year.

It's been an odd offseason in Major League Baseball for sure, one that saw the New York Yankees spend nearly half a billion dollars, yet get outbid by the Seattle Mariners for Robinson Cano.

After watching the saga of Kyle Lohse last winter, when he didn't sign with the Milwaukee Brewers until a week before the regular season began, we can no longer say that it's surprising to see a high-profile free agent remain unsigned as Opening Day draws near.

If pitchers and catchers reporting is the first official sign of spring, then the initial rumblings about fantasy baseball drafts is the first sign that hardball is right around the corner.

The Boston Red Sox are back to defend their World Series title on the field, but the race for the crown in your fantasy league is far more important. With that in mind, here is a mock first round (assuming a 10-team league) and then some details on a few players who you should consider with your opening pick.

Fortune favors the bold fantasy baseball players looking to seize control of their league.

Drafters can play it safe and fill their squad with dependable veterans, but where’s the fun in that? By taking average players, you’ll finish in the middle of the league’s standings. And when some “sure things” inevitably crumble, you’ll feel all the more crushed.

Tim Lincecum may no longer be “The Freak” he once was. His days of being the Giants frontline starter are long gone as Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner have become the top two pitchers of the staff.

On Monday morning, New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis was agitated when an injury he failed to disclose to the team last season was uncovered. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweeted the series of events that followed:

The New York Mets’ search for an external solution at shortstop has been centered on free agent Stephen Drew. Now that the Seattle Mariners are dangling middle infielder Nick Franklin in the trade market, there is plenty of reason to shift their focus.

Finding sleepers in the late rounds of fantasy baseball drafts can be one of the most rewarding parts about being a fantasy baseball owner.

It's always nice to snag a guy in the 20th round and watch him blossom into a legit everyday player. Now that the 2014 spring training season is about to get started with games this week, it's a good time to get studied up on some sleepers for the upcoming year.

Now that teams have reported to spring training and taken part in full workouts, the games can begin, which means we get a chance to see what the best minor leaguers in baseball will do against proven stars. 

Sometimes prospects will parlay a strong spring into a surprise MLB job right out of camp, like Jackie Bradley did with Boston or Aaron Hicks did with Minnesota last year. It's often dangerous to put stock in spring numbers because of sample-size issues and shifts in competition. 

With starting pitcher Homer Bailey officially off the 2014-2015 free-agent board after agreeing to a long-term contract extension with the Cincinnati Reds, the pressure could be rising for the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers to get deals done with their own free agent-to-be front-line starters.