Spring training buzz: Position battles, trade candidates, more - ESPN

Spring training games begin Thursday, and our MLB insiders are ready to break down the biggest questions, latest news and notable early buzz across the industry.

Which player has the most on the line in 2025? Which position battles will shape the season? Which rookies should be on your fantasy baseball radar? And which team is most likely to rock baseball with a spring blockbuster trade? Here's the latest intel our experts are hearing as Jeff Passan, Buster Olney, Jorge Castillo, Alden Gonzalez, Kiley McDaniel and Jesse Rogers empty their notebooks on the topics that have baseball insiders talking.

Passan: When Vladimir Guerrero Jr. rejected the Toronto Blue Jays' final attempt at locking him up to a long-term contract extension, he cemented himself atop the list of players with plenty to gain (or lose) not just this spring but the entire forthcoming year. The recent history of players turning down nine-figure deals includes smashing successes and face-palming failures.

Juan Soto rejected a $440 million contract and wound up with $819 million ($54 million over what would have been the first two years of the extension and $765 million on top of that from the Mets). Aaron Judge said no thanks to $217 million and wound up with $379 million. On the other hand, Pete Alonso saying no to $158 million only to get a deal for about one-third of that illustrates that betting on oneself still constitutes a gamble.

While the specifics of the Guerrero offer remain a mystery, Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins said it would've made Guerrero one of the highest-paid players in MLB. So whether it's this spring or this September or any day in between, Guerrero is playing to ensure he ends up more like Soto and Judge than like his fellow first