For most players, spring training is a chance to get in shape, shake the rust off, tinker with a new pitch or a new stance and otherwise get ready for the six-month grind ahead without worrying too much about batting average or ERA. But for some players, real jobs are at stake—even key ones in the starting lineups of contenders. Their teams will use the next five weeks to figure out Plan A at those positions, with an eye toward other options if things go south after they head north.
What follows here is a look at five of the most interesting decisions ahead, ones where who will emerge with even a slice of the job is something of a mystery.