Opinion

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.

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.

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. 

The 2013 St. Louis Cardinals scored 18 more runs than in 2012 despite hitting 34 fewer home runs. A season after being ranked No. 7 in homers in the National League, they plummeted to No. 13.

Five Cardinals blasted 20 or more long balls in 2012 compared to two last season. And one of them—Carlos Beltran—left via free agency.

From the beginning of the MLB offseason, Nelson Cruz seemed like a very good fit for the Baltimore Orioles, with their interest in Cruz reported early on. They weren't alone, however.

For every team, spring training marks the start of a new beginning, as a fresh slate is presented to them. For the teams that struggled in 2013, they look to put last season behind them.  For a team such as the Boston Red Sox, who won the World Series, they look to build on their foundation of success.  

Maybe the New York Yankees' search for Derek Jeter's successor isn't on just yet. But when Jeter announced his pending retirement on Facebook last week, he surely moved that search higher up on the organization's list of priorities.