Opinion

“Pitchers and catchers report” may be the most magical words in sports, but there are still some trade rumors to work out before MLB spring training officially gets underway. 

The Philadelphia Phillies are prominent in many of those, but their division rivals, the New York Mets, are as well. Read on for the latest speculation surrounding these National League East teams before spring training begins.

Kris Bryant’s time is now.

There is nothing left for him to prove in the minor leagues, and the Chicago Cubs have made a clear and definitive turn toward competitiveness. Both those reasons ought to point to the 23-year-old uber-prospect being on the team’s Opening Day roster.

Spring training will be starting in a matter of days, which means that the baseball offseason is nearing its end. The New York Mets made a few moves to improve the team, with the most notable signing occurring in November with Michael Cuddyer becoming a new member of the outfield.

Look alive, people, look alive! The Boston Red Sox have pitchers and catchers reporting on February 20, a mere week away. 

The MLB season is right around the corner.

Most, if not all, of the questions we entered this offseason with have been answered. With James Shields signing with the San Diego Padres, all of the biggest free agents have now signed with new teams. Players have already started reporting to spring training and, with the first games just over two weeks away, most rosters are set.

However, the excitement of the rumor mill is far from over. 

The CEO of an adjoining Little League to beleaguered Jackie Robinson West has turned the tables to charge youth baseball’s governing body with erratic handling of the JRW controversy.

Ralph Peterson, who has run the Rosemoor Little League on Chicago’s South Side since 2012, said Little League International chief Stephen Keener needs to review the process of vetting players and league boundaries before he throws his version of the death penalty at programs like JRW.

What makes an MLB team exciting to watch?

Winning is certainly nice, as well as the ultimate goal every time a team takes the field, but that's not necessarily what we'll be focusing on here.

In my mind, the following five categories are what put fans in the stands and give them a reason to cheer, and they are what will be focused on in the following article:

The Detroit Tigers are once again favorites to triumph in the American League Central this season.

However, the four-time reigning division champions are no certainty to prevail in arguably baseball’s tightest division.

Every baseball season has its breakout stars. And while it's happening, it's good fun. We get to geek out at the unexpected surprise and turn every which way for answers about how it's happening.

Sadly, not every breakout season leads to lasting stardom. And this time of year being, well, this time of year, we might as well ignore the whole "time will tell" thing and try to spot the likely one-year wonders.

There are 10 breakout stars from 2014 that I'm just not sure about. Some of them have the potential to be good, solid players going forward. But stars? Eh, maybe not.

Jonathan Papelbon, it seems, has officially attained "toxic asset" status. That's too bad, because the polarizing Philadelphia Phillies closer could legitimately help a contender in need of late-inning relief.

Like, say, the Milwaukee Brewers, who are hoping to crash the party in the hyper-competitive National League Central.