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Most teams have full 40-man rosters at this point in the year, but one third of MLB clubs have at least one open spot. These teams could offer free agents Major League deals without having to cut another player (if they have enough money and projected 25-man roster space) or make a waiver claim at some point before Opening Day. Here’s the team-by-team breakdown:

• Braves – 36
• White Sox – 37
• Nationals – 38
• Yankees – 39
• Angels – 39
• Phillies – 39
• Cubs – 39
• Cardinals – 39
• Rockies – 39 

Keep in mind that the 21 teams with full 40-man rosters could create roster space by moving a player to the 60-day disabled list or by releasing, outrighting or designating for assignment a rostered player.

Source: MLB.com and MLBDepthCharts.com.

Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo, and Carlos Silva suffered the indignity a year ago of being paid to go away, as the three were released with $31.5MM remaining on their contracts in total.  Here are some big money players who stand a chance of being cut at some point in 2012.

• Vernon Wells, Angels: three years, $63MM.  The contract gives Wells first crack as the Angels' starting left fielder.  With Mike Trout waiting in the wings, Wells needs to produce in the first half.  Bobby Abreu, owed $9MM this year, seems more likely to be traded than released.
  
• Alfonso Soriano, Cubs: three years, $54MM.  There is plenty of positive talk about Soriano this spring, but the Cubs' new management team might not let him finish the season if his on-base percentage remains around .290.
• Barry Zito, Giants: two years, $46MM.  Zito is penciled in as the Giants' fifth starter, but he's probably on a short leash.  
• Alex Rios, White Sox: three years, $38MM.  Adam Dunn, White Sox: three years, $44MM.  The Sox might as well see if Rios and/or Dunn can bounce back to some extent, but if either has an awful first half, the team could move on.
• Jason Bay, Mets: two years, $35MM.  Those looking for signs of life from Bay can point to his final month last year.  But if his performance matches the other five months (.234/.318/.342) the Mets could pull the plug.
• Carlos Zambrano, Marlins: one year, $18MM.  The Cubs picked up most of the tab on Zambrano, so if he becomes a disruption despite the chance of scenery, the Marlins could let him go.
• Chone Figgins, Mariners: two years, $17MM.  The Mariners aim to rejuvenate Figgins by giving him a shot to bat leadoff in 2012.  If that fails, he could be released.
• Juan Uribe, Dodgers: two years, $16MM.  Uribe is hoping to wipe the slate clean and stick as the team's starting third baseman.
• Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Twins: two years, $6.25MM.  Nishioka is competing for a utility infielder job, and if he doesn't make the cut the next step would be Triple-A.
• Brandon Inge, Tigers: one year, $6MM. Inge is currently in the mix for second base and will probably be needed to back up Miguel Cabrera at third.  The Tigers removed Inge from the 40-man roster last July, but re-added him a few weeks later.
• Kevin Gregg, Orioles: one year, $5.8MM.  Though the Orioles don't seem to project Gregg for a key role in 2012, releasing him now would be harsh.
• Brandon Lyon, Astros: one year, $5.5MM.  There's plenty of room in Houston's bullpen for Lyon to reclaim a late-inning role.  That's the best case scenario.

1:05pm: Our testing group is full, thanks for the emails.  Testers will receive an email this week.

11:37am: We have fixed a couple of issues in our Baseball Trade Rumors iPhone app, including the commenting one.  If you currently own the app and would like to help us test the latest version before we make it publicly available, please email mlbtriphoneapp@gmail.com with your UDID.  Instructions on how to find your phone's UDID in iTunes can be found here. 

Most clubs have addressed their significant roster questions by the time players report to Spring Training, but there are always minor tweaks to be made. We've already seen one extension today, now let's look back at notable transactions made last March with some help from our Transaction Tracker…

• Trades: Aaron Laffey for Matt Lawson (MLBTR post), Brett Carroll for cash (MLBTR post), Sergio Mitre for Chris Dickerson (MLBTR post), Nyjer Morgan for Cutter Dykstra (MLBTR post), Alberto Gonzalez for Erik Davis and cash (MLBTR post), Scott Diamond for Billy Bullock (MLBTR post), Matt Treanor for cash (MLBTR post), Jayson Nix for cash (MLBTR post)
• Contract Extensions: Matt Thornton (two years, $12MM), Ryan Hanigan (three years, $4MM), Chad Billingsley (three years, $35MM)
• Waiver Claims: Cesar Cabral (Blue Jays from Rays), Robert Fish (Royals from Yankees), Garrett Olson (Pirates from Mariners), Cabral (re-claimed by Rays), Pat Neshek (Padres from Twins)
• Minor League Contracts: Edgar Gonzalez (Rays), Nick Johnson (Indians), Kip Wells (D'Backs), Kevin Millwood (Yankees)
• Released: Cla Meredith (Nationals), Chad Moeller (Rockies), Luis Castillo (Mets), Garrett Atkins (Pirates), Oliver Perez (Mets), Gabe Gross (Mariners), Ron Mahay (Dodgers), Carlos Silva (Cubs), Josh Wilson (Mariners), Randy Winn (Orioles), Jeff Suppan (Giants)

FRIDAY, 1:15pm: MLB has officially announced the expanded format. For 2012 only the Division Series will open with two home games for lower ranked teams, and continue with three home games for top ranked teams. This will cut down on travel time and make the Wild Card play-in game possible.

THURSDAY, 6:19 pm: The new playoff system will not be announced today, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark (on Twitter). MLB.com's Barry M. Bloom says talks are still ongoing, with the biggest logistical problem being the time between the end of the regular season and the start of the LDS round. At the moment they only have two days for potential tie-breakers, travel, weather delays, and the Wild Card play-in games. 

WEDNESDAY, 3:32pm: MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner told Bob Nightengale of USA Today that "we'll have an answer in the next couple of days." Nightengale confirms that players and owners have agreed to expand the postseason for 2012.

1:26pm: The agreement isn't final but will happen, adds Rosenthal.  He says the announcement for tomorrow isn't certain, but is possible.  Rosenthal's full story is here.

1:13pm: The MLB playoffs will expand from eight to ten teams for 2012, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, with an announcement coming tomorrow.

The non-division winners in each league with the two best records will be the wild card teams, meaning it is now possible for a third-place team to reach the postseason.  Each's league's wild card pair will face off in a one-game playoff.

Looking to show off your fantasy basketball genius this week?  Try DraftStreet, where you can put together a new fantasy team each week and compete against other users for real money.

Right now DraftStreet has an NBA freeroll for MLB Trade Rumors readers, meaning you can take a shot at a chunk of the $400 prize pool for free, with no strings attached.  Here's how it works.

The NBA freeroll begins Friday at 7:00pm eastern time, so you have until then to create your team.  You're given a $100K salary cap, and each player is assigned a price by DraftStreet.  For example, I took Kobe Bryant for $16K, as I think he'll come up big even after Dwyane Wade broke his nose during the All-Star game.  Your roster will cover these positions: 2 forwards, 2 guards, 2 centers, and 2 utility players.  You get points based on how your team performs through Friday night's games.  The teams with the most points get the prize money.  Below is a screenshot of a sample roster: 

If you're interested, sign up and create a roster prior to Friday's games (7:00pm eastern time).  It's quick, easy, fun, and the MLBTR league gives you a free chance to win some of the $400 prize pool.  If you enjoy the competition you can try other leagues for free and earn credits, or deposit real money.

Timing the debuts of top prospects is essential for MLB teams. No club wants to expose a player to top competition before he's ready, but keeping a player in the minors when he could be contributing at the big league level is hardly appealing either. It's a balancing act.

Though a player's development generally determines his timeline to the Major Leagues, service time is undeniably a consideration. MLB teams can obtain an extra year of control from a player by delaying his debut and they can decrease his chances of qualifying for an additional year of arbitration with enough patience.

Heavily-hyped prospects often have carefully-timed debuts, and Baseball America's list of the game's top 100 prospects features those currently generating the most buzz. Of the 100 players on the list, 31 project to arrive in the Major Leagues in 2012. The chart below presents two key dates for each prospect who might make an impact this coming season.

Read more

The Astros named Brett Myers their closer, manager Brad Mills told reporters this morning.  According to Alyson Footer, GM Jeff Luhnow brought the idea to Mills, who liked it and approached Myers.  Myers' $10MM vesting option for 2013 was reworked to reflect the role change, tweets Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.

Luhnow traded incumbent closer Mark Melancon to the Red Sox in December, and Myers makes for a viable replacement.  Myers spent time in the role with the '07 Phillies, but he told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, "I wouldn't accept it if I didn't think I could do it, but it's going to be a challenge for me because it's something different.  It's like a position change for me. It's like taking a first baseman and moving him to third. I'm going to have to work a little harder to get my arm in shape to throw 20 or 25 pitches a night. Hopefully, it will be good for the team and good for the organization."  

Luhnow explained the move, saying, "We feel like we’re in pretty good shape [in the rotation] and have some choices. We felt like were a little exposed in the bullpen, and having a guy who’s been successful in that role and who’s got the mentality and stuff to do well takes pressure of Brandon Lyon coming off an injury and doesn’t put pressure on young kids like David Carpenter and Wilton Lopez."  I feel that while the Astros have a number of options for their last two rotation spots, this move still weakens the team overall.

The decision probably isn't all that great for Myers' trade value, as he'd been able to toss 439 2/3 innings over the past two seasons.  He's owed $11MM this year, and if the '13 option doesn't vest it will come with a $3MM buyout. 

As we gear up for fantasy baseball season, be sure to follow our @closernews account on Twitter.  Over 9,200 followers are already on board, getting instant news on the 30 closer situations to ensure dominance in the saves category.  You can also check out our closer depth chart at RotoAuthority.

A slew of interesting players are entering their contract years for the first time, as they'll reach six years of Major League service at some point during the season.  Josh Hamilton, Miguel Montero, Mike Napoli, Erick Aybar, B.J. Upton, Andre Ethier, Shaun Marcum, Brandon McCarthy, and Anibal Sanchez are examples of such players. However, if arbitration-year extensions were not so common, the following players would also be headed for free agency after 2012 by virtue of accruing six years of service.

Starting Pitchers

• Scott Baker's extension three years ago with the Twins included a $9.25MM club option on the 2013 season, which has a good chance of being exercised if he can maintain decent health.
• Chad Billingsley inked an extension with the Dodgers one year ago, paying $26MM for his first two free agent years or $37MM for his first three.
• Jon Lester signed a deal with the Red Sox three years ago that became a standard for his service class.  That contract bought out Lester's first free agent year with a club option on another, although the option is voided if he is traded and has finished first or second in the Cy Young voting in 2012 or '13.
• The Marlins' Ricky Nolasco is notorious for having an ERA unworthy of his peripheral stats, and the team owes him $20.5MM over his first two free agent years.
• The Rays bet on James Shields four years ago, getting three club options on a pitcher with less than two years of service.  They've got a potential ace at reasonable option prices for '13 and '14.
• As a Scott Boras client, Jered Weaver seemed unlikely to sign an extension, especially after taking a tough stance in arbitration.  However, Weaver took a hometown discount last summer and is signed through 2016.

Position Players

• Imagine the added drama for the Red Sox if Lester and Dustin Pedroia were both heading into walk years.  That could've been the case, but Pedroia signed four years ago, giving the team control for up to three free agent seasons.
• If you think Troy Tulowitzki's November extension was massive, picture what he'd be looking at as a 28-year-old free agent after 2012.
• Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick was pretty close to free agency, signing a deal last month buying out three free agent years.
• The D'Backs' Chris Young signed four years ago, giving up one free agent year and an option on a second.

Relievers

• The Reds made Sean Marshall an offer he couldn't refuse this month, as he didn't expect much more than three years and $16.5MM in free agency.
• Royals closer Joakim Soria signed four years ago, and still has a pair of club options on his first two free agent years.
• The Blue Jays' Casey Janssen and the Cubs' Carlos Marmol would also be entering contract years had they not signed extensions.