With the NFL season officially over, baseball is finally back. Less than four months after the Chicago Cubs won the 2016 World Series, players are getting ready for the 2017 MLB season.

Pitchers and catchers for nearly every team will report to spring training before Valentine’s Day. The Cleveland Indians kick things off by having pitchers and catchers report Sunday. Players for 16 other teams are scheduled to be at spring training Monday.

The Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers are among the 10 teams that will report Tuesday. The Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals will be the last to report Wednesday.

Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs celebrated their World Series title on Nov. 2, 2016 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, and they are favored to win the World Series again in 2017. Reuters/Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Players have to get back into the swing of things before they are ready to play in actual games, but it won’t be long before competition begins. The first day of games is set for Feb. 22 when the Arizona Diamondbacks face Grand Canyon University in an exhibition. The Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies are all scheduled to play college baseball teams on Feb. 23.

The first spring training games between two MLB teams are set for Feb. 24. The San Francisco Giants will face the Cincinnati Reds at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the Red Sox will play the New York Mets at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Florida.

Just a few weeks after pitchers and catchers arrive at spring training, some will be playing in the World Baseball Classic. The Tournament features teams representing 16 countries, and it will last from March 6 to March 22.

The 2017 regular season begins a little more than a month after the start of spring training. Six MLB teams will start the season on Sunday, April 2. The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays will face off in the first contest, followed by Giants vs. Diamondbacks and Cubs vs. Cardinals.

Click here for the complete list of 2017 spring training report dates, and here for the entire spring training exhibition game schedule.

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