Opinion

The heavy lifting of the MLB offseason is done with spring training less than a month away. By mid-February, pitchers and catchers around the league will be in Arizona and Florida, respectively, getting tuned up with position players not far behind.

Allow me to tell you about one thing I'm not sure of and two things I am sure of.

The thing I'm not sure of: whether Bryce Harper will be my pick for the 2014 National League MVP. It's still early for such things.

As for the two things I am sure of:

You don't come across perfect free-agent fits that often. A lot of players fill needs, but not budgets. Some players fill needs and budgets, but not long-term plans. And so on. You know how it is.

I guess that makes today a special day, for today we have an excuse to talk about a rare perfect free-agent fit: A.J. Burnett and the Orioles.

It's that magical time of year where websites and prospect writers have gathered all their information to provide readers with the list of top 100 minor leaguers who will impact Major League Baseball in the near future. 

With these lists comes a lot of praise—especially for the work that goes into it—but also a lot of backlash. Fans want to see their favorite prospects appearing on a top 100 list because it provides hope and optimism. 

Everyone has their own opinions and methods for determining why a player does or doesn't make a top 100 list.

Mankind has invented the wheel. Split the atom. Explored space. It stands to reason that, one day, a legitimately unhittable pitch shall be discovered.

Until then, well, at least there's one pitch that's pretty close.

This being the super-slow, please-make-it-stop portion of the offseason, allow me to tell you about a quest I went on. Its mission was simple: Find out which of the seven core pitches thrown in Major League Baseball is the most devastating.

When the Phillies and Yankees arrive for full-squad workouts in Clearwater and Tampa, Fla., respectively, a fountain of youth will be as necessary as cleats, gloves and bats.

According to William Weinbaum of "Outside the Lines" on ESPN.com, Major League Baseball approved pitchers of all 30 teams to use new pad-protected caps on Tuesday morning.

This approval comes on the heels of five separate incidents of pitchers being hit in the head with a baseball between September of 2012 and June of 2013.

One of the great dangers Major League Baseball teams face when bidding on a player in free agency is what I like to call "The Contract-Year Star."

It takes talent to succeed at the highest level of baseball, sure, but sometimes a player will put in more focus and attention when he knows that a big contract is waiting on the open market. Teams are then forced to decide how much of this increased production is going to stick. 

And we're here at what seems to be the final stop on the train ride exploring all the available free-agent pitching options for the Texas Rangers. Johan Santana was Tuesday morning's first attraction, and he'll be followed by Scott Baker. 

In the aftermath of significant, life-threatening head injuries suffered by pitchers, MLB has informed its 30 clubs that padded caps have been approved to provide some head protection against line drives flying back at the mound.