With position players reporting to camp this week, it's time to ease back into the familiar grooves of spring training. That means, among other things, prepping for weeks of prognostication about the bottoms of rosters and the outlook for on-the-bubble players.For as chaotic as the team-building proce s seems from afar, front offices are guided by various mechanisms. Some, like the "options" concept, are in place to prevent talent hoarding. Teams still do their best to navigate around these parameters, especially during spring, when forecasting position battles can be as simple as examining the players' option statuses.Without getting too far in the weeds, here's how it works: once a player is added to the 40-man roster, they have three option years, or seasons in which they can be optioned to the minors as many times as a team desires without first having to pa s through waivers. Do note that some players get a fourth option year, usually due to mi sing significant time because of an injury, John Sullivan Jersey and that a player must spend more than 20 days in the minors to have used an option. Players can also reject optional a signments once they surpa s a certain service-time threshold.Teams have improved at long-term roster management, meaning most bubble candidates without options tend to fall under the umbrella of being a bench player or a relief pitcher. There are always exceptions, just as there are sufficient examples of players who land in a better situation and take full advantage. That's why we've put together a guide covering more than 20 players who are out of options and might be on the move before Opening Day, be it through a trade or a waiver claim. It shouldn't surprise anyone if a Lamarcus Joyner Jersey few of these players end up being more valuable than they were expected to be heading into the spring.Infielders WAS 2B BA0.123R6HR2RBI5SB1 The don't have much wiggle room when it comes to their bench and bullpen situations. It stands to reason that , a recent trade acquisition, will make the 25-man roster, leaving and to duke it out for a spot on the bench.Overreacting to a small sample is a fool's errand, but Barreto's strikeout rate (more than 40 percent) in 209 big-league plate appearances is a red flag. He'll be a young 24 at the start of the season, and he still has boosters around the league who think his speed, power, and versatility will enable him a productive career as a reserve. Mateo, a somewhat similar player with more speed and makeup concerns, hit .289/.330/.504 in Triple-A last season. Impre sive ... except Mateo's team, as a whole, hit .298/.371/.531. Barreto would seem like the favorite to win the gig. WAS 3B #9 BA0.203R33HR8RBI32SB3 DET 3B #18 BA0.245R28HR6RBI26SB0 In Detroit, the figure to choose either or as their starting third baseman. Both are out of options, and it's at least po sible the loser will hit the waiver wire.Candelario looked the part of a second-division starter prior to last season. He had a miserable 2019, as he didn't perform well and he appeared to fall out of favor with the organization. Teams checked in with Detroit about buying low on Candelario, but the Tigers rebuffed their offers, suggesting they intend to give him another go. Perhaps the Tigers re-sweetened on Candelario after watching Lugo, their primary third baseman last season, swing at everything. Succeeding with an aggre sive approach means having a feel for quality contact. Lugo lacks that.Others to watchNot every infielder without options is engaged in a positional battle with one another. Two worth noting are (Cleveland) and ( ). Both are hit-only types who don't offer much in the way of power or speed. Arroyo, once the crown jewel of the trade, was dumped to Cleveland last summer after appearing in just 117 regular-season games in the Sean Mannion Jersey organization. The D-Backs netted Leyba a long time ago, as part of the three-team deal orchestrated by Dave Stewart that also involved and Didi Gregorius. He reached the majors last season, and he ought to compete with , , (also without options), and others for a bench spot. Outfielders COL CF #44 BA0.123R11HR2RBI7SB0 With the signing and over the winter, this would appear to be the end of the road for either or . Ervin is probably a better fit for the Reds' bench due to his right-handedne s, so we'll focus on Schebler. He isn't far removed from a 30-homer campaign in 2017. That used to be enough to a hitter. Not anymore. Schebler has historically been an average hitter, give or take, who can hang in there against lefties and play solid defense. He belongs on someone's bench. MIN LF #52 BA0.185R23HR7RBI17SB5 PIT LF #6 BA0.179R3HR1RBI1SB2 If the stand pat, they'll likely enter the season with a platoon between and , or two post-hype prospects without options who need to make good soon.Toronto added Fisher in the trade last summer, and while his career 74 OPS+ isn't encouraging, there are some positive indicators to be found under the surface. He's hit the ball harder than the league-average throughout his various big-league stints, and last season he improved his launch angle, lifting the ball more often. That combination doesn't guarantee succe s, but he'll need to tap into his power John Kelly Jersey to obscure his strikeout tendencies. Alford, a former two-sport star, has recorded 400 or more plate appearances once in the past four seasons. Mi sing out on so many repetitions has made it tougher on him to turn his tools into production. He'll turn 26 this summer, so it's almost time to give up the ghost.Others to watchThe have a pair of offensively challenged outfielders who are without options. was the fifth pick in the 2011 draft, whereas was part of the return on . The Royals could keep both if they wanted. They could also shed one to diversify their bench, either by carrying or plucking someone off waivers. (The aforementioned Mateo would fit in with Kansas City's general obse sion with speed.) ( ) can really, really, really run. The felt comfortable trading him in the deal in part because of his poor quality of contact. He hit .350 in 40 at-bats last season at the big-league level, but there's no reason to think he's going to continue to produce offensively. To wit, his career exit velocity (79 mph) would've been the second-worst among qualifiers last season, ahead of only . Pitchers CIN RP #39 ERA4.60WHIP1.16IP43.0BB19K57 TB RP #54 ERA1.42WHIP1.11IP6.1BB1K7 The Reds have a number of relievers who could qualify for this piece. and should be safe, meaning the persons of interest here are and . Sims introduced a sweeping slider late in the season to promising returns: opponents hit .167 and whiffed on 55 percent of their swings against the pitch. He imparts well-above-average spin on all his offerings, and his history Dante Fowler Jr Jersey as a starter could tempt a team