Opinion

Thanks to an additional wild-card spot and the availability of lots and lots of spending money, it's really never been easier for Major League Baseball clubs to flip a switch and try to build a winner overnight.

And yet, there's still a place in the game for rebuilding. And yes, it's still a complicated process that's hard to get right. Determining when rebuilds should be completed isn't an exact science.

As soon as the world learned the Washington Nationals were adding Max Scherzer to an already awesome rotation, the word started to circulate:

"Historic."

Spring training is underway for the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers, Florida.  The Red Sox have 40 players on their official roster in camp, as well as an additional 17 non-roster invitees.

Ah, the dark horse, that mythical beast of spring.

You know the profile: A player on the fringes—maybe a rookie, maybe a veteran—who winds up winning not merely a roster spot but a starting gig on the strength of his March performance. Between the stretching and bullpen sessions, it's what makes this time of year exciting.

So who will emerge as 2015's MLB dark horses? By definition, it's difficult to predict. 

Multiple international baseball players have made enormous impacts over the last few seasons. As the talent keeps coming, international bonus money pools continue to rise from year to year. 

It was one game, two at-bats. Also, it's spring training. So take this with a boulder-sized grain of salt. Still, when it comes to Ryan Howard and the Philadelphia Phillies, any good news is welcome.

On Tuesday, Howard delivered some good news.

The Seattle Mariners will take the field for the first time since September tomorrow when they play the San Diego Padres in their opening spring training game.

The Yankees will take the field March 3 for the first spring game of their 2015 season. 

The team is hoping to rebound from a disappointing 2014 season which saw it finish second in the AL East by a whopping 12 games. To do that, the Yankees will have to deal with a new crop of players, injury concerns and the departure of longtime shortstop and surefire Hall of Famer Derek Jeter, as well as the big dark cloud hanging over Alex Rodriguez.

There's generally not much in the way of trade or free-agent buzz during the early stages of MLB spring training, but sometimes there are a few rumors that warrant a serious look.

TAMPA, Fla. — Routinely in the early days this spring, the Yankees haven't started workouts until late morning. Nobody begins their workdays this late in the spring, ever. Not in Florida. Not in Arizona.

Why did manager Joe Girardi do it? Was it because: