Fan News

Imagine a team consisting exclusively of MLB's rising stars. It would be the kind of lineup that nobody would ever want to face.

To land a spot on this squad, players have to meet a couple of crucial requirements. All the players who made the cut for the MLB emerging stars team have actually appeared in the big leagues. At the same time, the standouts can't be too established, either. As a result, players are only eligible if they have yet to earn an All-Star nod.

Hey, Boston Red Sox fans: To borrow from The Hollies, he ain't heavy, he's your Panda.

You've seen the picture by now, as well as the accompanying tweet by Boston.com's Steve Silva. Or, in case you haven't:

After another long, cold winter, baseball season is finally upon us. 

As usual, spring training will be our first opportunity to catch a glimpse of MLB's hottest stories. While the games may not matter in the standings, each contest should provide baseball fans with important evidence to a handful of the hottest questions around the league. 

As we progress toward Opening Day, we will see instances where players have used the spring as a jumping-off point for their respective seasons.

March has arrived!

For the first time since Madison Bumgarner's October heroics, we're going to have some live baseball games this week. The majority of teams have playoff aspirations, but for those to come true, key players will need to have bounce-back seasons.

Whether it's a player such as CC Sabathia coming off injury, or a former top prospect looking for a bounce-back season, a hot start in spring training would be a great sign to alleviate the stress in the front office and for the fans.

After being released by the Chicago White Sox during the offseason, outfielder Dayan Viciedo has reportedly found a home with the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports broke the news and indicated it's a minor league deal for Viciedo:

This offseason, the Washington Nationals turned a nice roster into a World Series favorite with a handful of key acquisitions, but that's not such good news for some borderline big leaguers, who will now have to fight tooth and nail in spring training just to avoid cuts or demotions. 

From one through 24, Washington's Opening Day 25-man roster looks set in stone, save for a setback in Jayson Werth's recovery from shoulder surgery that would open up another spot. 

Turn back the calendar only two years, and Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun was one of the premier hitters in all of baseball—if not the best.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris Sale has consistently been one of Major League Baseball's best hurlers since 2012, but the unorthodox lefty is once again dealing with injury concerns.

The White Sox announced the 25-year-old star suffered a fractured right foot and is expected to miss three weeks:

The team also provided comments from general manager Rick Hahn:

Most spring training storylines you hear of will be about baseball. The whole idea is to mark the return of baseball, after all, so that makes sense.

But then there are the other storylines. The ones that are looming over everything and taking the attention away from what's happening on the field.

You know, the distractions.

Winter is a long, soggy slog for everyone, but it's especially brutal for Major League Baseball fans.

Not only do we endure the ice and chill, but we also do it without a flicker of MLB action. And the suffering really sets in once the hot stove goes cold.

So huzzah for spring training and the return of actual honest-to-goodness baseball. Gloves, bats and fresh-cut grass are back—the whole nine.