MLB

How fitting that most Major League Baseball teams have opened or will open spring training on Valentine's Day, when we celebrate all that we love. 

Of course, there is no greater gift than the game of baseball, which is what makes this year's holiday better than ever. 

As of Friday, 20 teams have reported to camp. The Arizona Diamondbacks started first, with pitchers and catchers reporting on February 6, since their regular season will begin on March 22 against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Australia. 

The New York Mets outfield situation is a wide open competition heading into their official spring training full-squad workouts on February 22. At this point, the one player that seems to have locked up an everyday role is Curtis Granderson. 

Teams that have patiently waited out the free-agent market in hopes that prices would fall are in luck. Even those teams that may not have been strategically planning for a last-minute acquisition could have a bargain fall into their laps in the near future. 

Late last offseason, the Cleveland Indians landed Michael Bourn at a discounted rate in mid-February, while the Milwaukee Brewers didn't sign Kyle Lohse until late March at a team-friendly rate of $11 million per season over three years.

When you are a 21-year-old baseball player with 18 games of professional experience under your belt and a team trusts you to take over as the starting third baseman in the middle of the American League Championship Series, odds are good that you have special abilities. 

The New York Yankees roster consists of a flurry of stars and a vast collection of bubble players who will need to fight during spring training to crack the final 25-man squad.

With depth in the middle infield, manager Joe Girardi will have to make some tough decisions throughout the spring. Each middle infielder offers similar versatility and skills at the plate, though it might come down to who performs best as camp closes and the regular season begins.

The Atlanta Braves have gotten extension-crazy all of a sudden, but that doesn't mean they're handing out crazy extensions. The first one they handed out this month was a good one, and now they've handed out another good one.

This second extension is going to young right-hander Julio Teheran, as the Braves gladly announced on Twitter:

Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp is poised for a major comeback next season following two injury-marred campaigns. Less than two years ago Kemp had emerged as one of MLB’s top five players. Now some may argue that he’s merely the fifth best player playing for the Dodgers.

The Cincinnati Reds farm system isn't quite what it used to be. Over the past five seasons, what was once a deep system—from top to bottom—has dropped into the middle of the pack.

The system suffered from numerous prospect graduations, including players like Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Zack Cozart, Todd Frazier, Devin Mesoraco, Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey and Tony Cingrani.

The Atlanta Braves intend to keep their young studs for many, many years to come.