MLB

The Cincinnati Reds are prepping their Goodyear, Ariz. practice facility for another season of spring training, and five non-roster invitees are looking to carve out their path to the team's 25-man roster.

The flurry of moves that many predicted was quick to follow Masahiro Tanaka's signing hasn't materialized as of yet, with the rumor mill eerily silent as it pertains to potential trades that could do down between now and Opening Day.

But the rumor mill has picked up steam when it comes to free agency, with the future homes for a number of high-profile players yet to be determined.

Here are some of the latest rumors from around the league and my take on whether they are closer to being fact or fiction.

Some 25 years after he retired from the game, I saw the Great One enter a baseball locker room and like an apparition, dissolve and disappear behind a shuttered door. When he reemerged—looking nearly the same as he did when he threw his last pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1966—Sandy Koufax glided resplendently onto a baseball field, his iconic number 32 majestically emblazoned on his back, like righteous wings.

Arbitration hearings between MLB teams and players can lead to some awkward interactions at the negotiating table.

After the two sides exchange their figures, they often can come to agreements without the help of arbiter. If not, you have players trying to tout their worth and squeeze every dollar out of their team's ownership, while the club offers reasons why the player isn't worth so much money.

It's been proven time and again that pitching wins championships, and while the Boston Red Sox got to the postseason last year on the strength of the league's No. 1 offense, their pitching staff stepped up big in the playoffs and helped them claim the title.

This offseason has seen the pitching market develop relatively slowly, due in large part to teams waiting on Masahiro Tanaka to pick a team, and there are still a number of unsigned arms that will likely break camp as part of someone's rotation.

In November 2012, we witnessed the Atlanta Braves do something they have shied away from for a while. They signed outfielder B.J. Upton to a five-year deal worth $75.25 million. The sum of the deal put Upton in special company.

The Atlanta Braves begin spring training games three weeks from Wednesday.

At this time last year, Evan Gattis was a non-roster invitee in spring training who made his way onto the 25-man roster on Opening Day.

Other non-roster invitees who made it to Atlanta at some point during the season included Todd Cunningham, Joey Terdoslavich and Alex Wood.

A little more than a year has passed since the Toronto Blue Jays shocked the baseball world and captured the hearts of Canadians nationwide, following two huge trades and the free-agency signing of outfielder Melky Cabrera.

The moves made by general manager Alex Anthopoulos made the Blue Jays fan base forget all about the departure of manager John Farrell to the Boston Red Sox.

With MLB spring training set to start in a couple of weeks, it also signals the beginning of a new fantasy baseball season. Drafting is always one of best parts about fantasy (besides winning your championship, of course) and there's plenty of research to be done before you get ready to dominate your fellow owners.

Major League Baseball has decided to be safe rather than sorry when it comes to protecting pitchers from dangerous comebackers, and that's a good thing. The time is right.

...Possibly in more ways than one.