Opinion

Despite still being in the recovery process from his second shoulder surgery in 31 months, left-handed starter and former ace Johan Santana is drawing some interest on the free-agent market. 

With less than a month to go before spring training starts in Arizona and Florida, we have a good idea of how MLB's top lineups will shake out for 2014.

Looking at the free-agent market, there are only three available players left who figure to have a shot at being in the heart of a 2014 batting order: first baseman Kendrys Morales, outfielder Nelson Cruz and shortstop Stephen Drew.

So when looking at baseball's most deadly 3-4-5 combos heading into the spring, the rosters around the league are all but set.

Major League Baseball and its Players Association have reached an agreement on a protective game cap for pitchers, which is designed to provide far greater protection against line drives. Use of the new hat will be optional. 

Step by step, the MLB offseason riddle is beginning to come together as the game's top remaining players pick landing spots.

Any team still looking for a starting second baseman is out of options on the free-agent market. Guys like Robinson Cano, Omar Infante and Mark Ellis are long gone.

There’s still the trade market, though. And on that market is one intriguing option: Brandon Phillips.

According to this tweet by Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish, five major league teams are reportedly interested in free-agent starting pitcher Jason Hammel:

Based on the $155 million paycheck and intense hype surrounding his arrival in the United States, Masahiro Tanaka has the aura of a Major League Baseball superstar. 

Unfortunately, the Japanese ace still has to throw his first meaningful pitch at the highest level of professional baseball. That means that, when trying to evaluate his talents, there is still a wide gulf between what might be and what is. 

Behold an image: The bosses of the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers sitting at a poker table and upping the ante with each new hand, egotistical rivals constantly raising the stakes just for the sake of proving who's boss.

So...just a daydream?

In all likelihood, yeah. Probably. For as fun as it is to picture the Yankees and Dodgers as two financial titans fueled by their contempt for one another, reality says it's a stretch. 

Saying the Boston Red Sox have had a quiet offseason thus far into 2014 is an understatement.

To be frank, the Red Sox have not exactly been active in targeting some of the high-profile free agents who have been available during the offseason.

It was a fairly quiet winter in Atlanta. The biggest news were the few fan favorites who left for other cities, and the future home of the Braves—Cobb County. There were a couple acquisitions that will help the Braves, but none that change the look of the club.

This calm offseason taught us a few things about the Atlanta Braves. From the financial issues to the bullpen, here is what we learned.