Playing Fact or Fiction with All of MLB's Hottest Spring Training Buzz

Spring training often sets the agenda in terms of headlines we will follow over the course of a MLB season. While some of those topics can stray a bit from the truth, many of them are very real headlines that will affect the landscape of MLB. 

This spring should be no different, as the league has never seen a better example of parity. The majority of teams enter the season with playoff aspirations, which only increases the amount of relevant material being talked about in the season's early stages. 

One of those topics is the sum paid for the services of Cuban sensation Yoan Moncada. But is the mysterious 19-year-old worth his gaudy price tag?

Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Dodgers are dealing with a bullpen crisis after the injury to closer Kenley Jansen. Is it that wise for the Dodgers to try to fill that void with in-house options with multiple late-inning options still available? 

We will sift through these convoluted stories and a few others to decide where the truth actually lies.

Let's get going! 

CC Sabathia Weighing over 300 Pounds Is a Good Thing

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

CC Sabathia's weight has always been a hot topic. 

But the southpaw has seemingly decided to put back on the extra mass that provided him with so much success in the early days of his career this offseason. George A. King of the New York Post has reported that Sabathia arrived at spring training weighing 305 pounds, after playing the last two seasons at 295. 

In the article, Sabathia states that he originally lost the weight after his cousin died from heart disease. He goes on to say that he feels better about his weight now, and that his legs are under him. 

There may be something into Sabathia's thinking, as he's struggled mightily at a lower playing weight during the past two seasons. Sabathia posted a 4.78 ERA in 2013, after a seven-year stretch with an ERA no higher than a 3.38 mark. Last year, the lefty made only eight starts before undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. 

A key reason for those numbers is Sabathia's intense dip in velocity. After consistently clocking in the mid-90s, his offerings were only crossing the plate in the upper-80s last season. 

So does a heftier CC equate to a happier one? 

The Verdict: Fact

While most athletes cringe at the thought of being overweight, it's something that has worked for Sabathia. He's obviously more comfortable with the extra mass, which should lead to increased confidence on the bump. 

Back in 2013, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe wrote an article that touched on Sabathia's weight loss and its effect on his performance. Here's what a talent evaluator told him: 

"

The weight loss has created a balance problem for him. He's all over the place. He's learning how to pitch in that body, a body he's never had. I don't think there's anything wrong with him other than that. Sometimes you pitch at a certain weight all your life and then someone has the brilliant idea that you should lose weight because it's putting stress on your knees, you do it, and then you're dealing with something else. 

"

While there's no guarantee Sabathia's velocity, and ultimately production, will increase with a heftier body, it should still provide the former ace with a sense of confidence to return to his best prior form. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers Bullpen Can Replace Kenley Jansen with In-House Options

Alex Gallardo/Associated Press

The Los Angeles Dodgers will be without their star closer Jansen for possibly the entire first month of the season, after the right-hander underwent surgery to remove a growth from a bone in his left foot earlier this month.

Jansen has been nothing short of magnificent in his big league career, posting a 2.25 ERA (2.00 FIP) in 284 appearances since 2010. He's fanned over 14 hitters per nine innings during that time.

The 27-year-old ranks fifth in reliever WAR since 2011, while sporting the third-best K/9 mark during that period, as well. 

While his ERA "ballooned" to a 2.76 mark last year, Jansen remained as dominant as ever. He struck out close to 14 batters per nine, while walking fewer than three per nine. He decreased his home runs per nine inning mark, and recorded a 1.91 FIP. 

The Dodgers won the NL West last season and seem poised to compete for the title again in 2015. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com that the club is unlikely to make a reactionary move, but do the Dodgers really have the in-house assets to replace Jansen's production?

The Verdict: Fiction 

With Jansen gone, the Dodgers have lost their lone reliable bullpen piece. The L.A. pen ranked 22nd in ERA and 26th in WAR last season. Aside from Jansen's 2.0 WAR, no other Dodgers reliever had a WAR higher than 0.3.

As for replacing Jansen in the ninth inning, it seems that L.A. will go with a closer-by-committee approach. 

Chris Hatcher had a breakout season for the Miami Marlins last season, posting a 3.38 ERA and fanning over 25 percent of the batters he faced. Joel Peralta is a veteran who struck out over 10 per nine last year, but his 4.41 ERA was much higher than normal. Brandon League has experience closing games, and J.P. Howell could be used as a match-up guy against left-handed hitters. 

The problem is that the Dodgers needed another arm even with a healthy Jansen. Hatcher, Peralta and a returning Paco Rodriguez should help matters at the end of games, but the entire pen will need to pick up the slack with Jansen slated to miss the beginning of the season. 

MLB's Latest Rule Changes Will Help with Pace of Play

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

MLB has been flirting with rule changes to increase the pace of play, but most of those ideas remain in the preliminary stages. 

But commissioner Rob Manfred has implemented a series of minor rules to attempt to get the ball rolling on creating a faster and more enjoyable product.

MLB Public Relations tweeted out that list of changes, which include the following: 

• Batters must keep at least one foot in the batter's box at all times
• A timer will be used to speed up the action in between innings 
• That timer will be 2:25 for locally televised games and 2:45 for nationally televised games
• Pitchers may throw as many warm-up pitches as they wish, but can throw no more starting with 30 seconds remaining
• Batters will start to be ushered into the box with 20 seconds left on the timer 

David Ortiz, for one, was not happy about these rule changes. Big Papi ranted to ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes in a recent article about the effect these rules will have on the game. 

Is Ortiz right? Will these rulings hinder or help the overall product on the field? 

The Verdict: Fact

While Ortiz has every right to gripe about these proposed changes, the fact remains that any rule that helps accelerate the game is much needed.

Baseball has fallen behind other sports in recent times due to its extensive down periods between plays. By making minor tweaks to the actions in between innings and batters, MLB will greatly shorten its games and therefore, satisfy the casual fan. 

The Yankees Did the Right Thing Passing on Cuban Sensation Yoan Moncada

uncredited/Associated Press

After months of speculation, the Boston Red Sox won the services of the Cuban teenage sensation Moncada. 

While the New York Yankees had long been considered favorites in the Moncada sweepstakes, their bitter rivals eventually won the bidding with a $31.5 million signing bonus. Boston will pay double that total, around $63 million, after a 100 percent overage tax for exceeding its allotment in international funds. 

In the end, the normally spend-happy Yankees balked at Moncada's asking price. According to Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com, it was other executives in the organization who decided the discussed sum had become too expensive. 

Matthews has reported that the Yankees' offer of around $25 million was not going to get Moncada in pinstripes, and that the club was reluctant to raise that offer any further. 

While the Yankees undoubtedly desired Moncada, they chose to let the coveted youngster sign with their fierce rivals. But did the Bronx Bombers do the right thing by passing on the Cuban phenom?

The Verdict: Fiction

While $32 million is a rather large investment for a teenager who has never played a game outside of Cuba, so is the reported $25 million that the Yankees were supposedly offering. It seems rather silly that the loaded Yankees would pass on a potential once-in-a-generation talent over a trivial sum of money to their pockets.

Especially when losing out on Moncada means he will be signing with Boston.

As for Moncada, there is no guarantee the 19-year-old turns into baseball's next star. But he's considered to be one of the more talented players to ever come from Cuba. Ben Badler of Baseball America will rank Moncada as the No. 1 prospect in the Red Sox organization and the No. 10 prospect in baseball after the deal becomes official.

All advanced statistics are courtesy of FanGraphs.