Baseball

It has been a long winter so far for Cubs fans in the Windy City. Two polar vortices and a failed attempt to land prized Japanese hurler Masahiro Tanaka have kept Cubs fans spirits in the proverbial icebox. There is hope, though, on the horizon, as pitchers and catchers officially report to Mesa in less than a month.

Let’s take a look at the pitchers and catchers that project to play key roles for the Cubs in 2014.

After winning 92 games and a Wild Card berth in 2013, the last thing the Cleveland Indians would want to do is trade away staff ace Justin Masterson, who is currently the lone projected starter with at least one full big league season under his belt. If anything, they need to add another reliable starter to the mix.

At last, the question of whether A.J. Burnett will retire or return to pitch in 2014 has been answered.

There are a number of dark-horse prospects who could make the New York Mets' roster on Opening Day, and with pitchers and catchers arriving to Port St. Lucie, Fla., in the next few weeks, it’s easy to get excited about them already.

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. 

The New York Yankees are known across baseball as having one of the lesser-ranked farm systems in the sport. Now we have an exact number to put on that belief.

The report date for Los Angeles Dodger pitchers and catchers is just a few short weeks away, so it’s time to take a look at what we expect from each of them. Keep in mind that the team’s massive payroll means that many of the major league roster spots are all but guaranteed, so there probably won’t be many surprises.

With that being said, though, there are always excellent and unexpected stories, so here’s a primer on each player who will report to Camelback Ranch in the middle of February.

The February 15 spring training report date for the New York Mets is right around the corner, which will officially kick off their mission of becoming a winning baseball team in 2014.

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.