The Giants’ Spring Training preview series, which covered bounce-back candidates on Wednesday, continues as Part 2 takes a look at the new faces in camp, like Nori Aoki and Casey McGehee.

As it stands today, the Padres could — and likely should — have as many as 11 new players as part of the 25-man roster on Opening Day. That’s nearly half the roster and remarkable turnover. Grab some popcorn as we take a look at the most notable additions from the offseason

There were indeed signs of an early spring on Thursday inside the clubhouse and tunnels of Busch Stadium, as the Cardinals’ equipment staff was busy loading two trailers that will soon be bound for the club’s Spring Training home in Jupiter, Fla.

Outside, it was a blistery minus-25 degrees Celsius with the wind chill on Thursday morning. But inside Rogers Centre, there was the first sign of spring, as the Blue Jays began packing for Spring Training.

Rays personnel loaded the equipment trucks early Thursday morning. They then headed south toward Port Charlotte, Fla., to stock the shelves for the beginning of Spring Training.

Max Scherzer was the biggest offseason addition, but fellow newcomers Yunel Escobar and Casey Janssen should also be key contributors.

“Pitchers and catchers report” are four of the most beautiful words in the English language. As another Spring Training gets underway on Wednesday in Florida and Arizona, we are asking people around Major League Baseball what those four words mean to them.

Jon Lester is the new ace of the Cubs’ pitching staff, and on Wednesday, he scored his first ace. Lester was playing golf with Cubs pitcher Travis Wood, coach Eric Hinske and the Rays’ Evan Longoria, and according to Longoria, the new Cubs lefty had a hole in one at the seventh hole at Estancia Golf Club.

Just a week before the start of Spring Training, the Mariners are close to adding another veteran to their roster, as a source told MLB.com that the club has an agreement in place on a one-year deal with free-agent infielder Rickie Weeks.

Friday is Opening Day for Division I college programs and the quest for the national championship begins anew.

There were teams who might have been as busy this offseason as the White Sox. But nobody was busier than GM Rick Hahn, whose plethora of impact moves took the White Sox from reshaping to contending on paper.

The Tigers have spent the last couple of offseasons bringing in new faces as part of their effort to not only better their chances to win, but extend their window of contention. This offseason had a little bit of both.

One of the more active offseason squads, the Marlins completed six trades, signed a couple of key free agents, and brought in a few other promising parts. In all, from those moves, 13 new faces have joined the club’s 40-man roster.

While teams around the American League Central stole headlines this winter, the Indians remained in the background, acquiring Brandon Moss, signing Gavin Floyd and stockpiling roster depth.

After all the moving and shaking, the National League still has three clear-cut division favorites: Nationals, Cardinals, Dodgers. Yep, three repeat champions. Here’s where it gets interesting: The Cardinals and Dodgers are not without significant questions. Also, the gap has closed in all three divisions, and at least eight other teams look good enough to make the playoffs.

The Royals didn’t make a ton of moves this offseason, but they did add some potentially crucial pieces to the 40-man roster.

This isn’t a Major League mound, but the sight of Matt Cain swinging clubs, walking down fairways and stoking his competitive fire again has to send a warm feeling through the entire Giants organization.