Opinion

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.

The deterrents are not working.

They hardly make anyone think twice about being penalized. The possibility of signing a superstar easily trumps the tax and draft-pick penalties to sign elite foreign talent.

This is the current Major League Baseball entry system for players born outside of the United States, Canada or other U.S. territories. Have citizenship anywhere besides those locations, and the market opens up for a player as wide as his talent dictates.

With the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues set to get underway, is there a better time for us to play general manager, formulating deals based on the latest chatter from the rumor mill? I don't think so.

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.

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.

The New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez is expected to make his 2015 Grapefruit League debut in spring training Wednesday.

What are realistic 2015 expectations for A-Rod? How has Rodriguez looked thus far in spring training? How has he been received by his Yankees teammates?

The calendar has turned to March, meaning we're inching ever closer to the onset of the 2015 MLB regular season.

Spring training is now in full swing for all 30 teams. Pitchers are throwing bullpens, and hitters are taking their hacks in the cage in preparation for the upcoming grind of a 162-game season. As if that weren't enough, there's a slate of roughly 30 spring games to be played as well.

It seems every year there is at least one prospect who, despite not being regarded by the industry as a whole, blows past expectations in spring training and earns a spot on an Opening Day roster.

Most of the time, they are guys who do one or two things well: They have enough of one tool that their projected floor performance in the major leagues at least should be tolerable.

This is not how things are supposed to go for the New York Yankees.

When it comes to desiring a commodity and having a willingness to spend for it, the Yankees are not supposed to swing and miss. And while the occasional whiff has happened under the Steinbrenner family reign, missing out on the prize they covet, for a myriad of reasons, is becoming more common.

With MLB spring training in full swing, some players are battling with each other to get a spot in the starting lineup or pitching rotation. Others are fighting just to have a spot on the roster.

Those roster-spot battles can be the difference between a mediocre minor league salary and a much larger major league salary. It can even make or break a baseball career for some.

Here are a few New York Mets who could be on the bubble for making a roster spot.