The season is still a few months away, but fantasy baseball is a year-long mistress that requires constant attention. Here, for the upcoming week, are the five storylines you should be following:

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are pondering trading prospects after a very quiet off-season, highlighted by the acquisition of Japanese import infielder Akinori Iwamura. The Rays are valuing stability with their young core of players. However, sensing an uncertainty with their rotation and a gaping hole in their bullpen, the St. Petersburg Times is reporting, "Though major moves are unlikely over the next month, the Rays are looking to improve the bullpen through small deals." Tampa Bay is deep in young, talented outfielders as they have Rocco Baldelli, Carl Crawford, Delmon Young, Johnny Gomes and Elijah Dukes. All of these players seem capable of playing the full season as a starter, but because Crawford and Baldelli are established stars and Young, Gomes and Dukes have very high ceilings, Tampa Bay would likely have to do more than a minor deal to part ways with one of their gifted athletes. The Rays seem content to sit-and-wait for the time being, but keep updated on any discussions they may have with other teams. A trade involving any of their skilled outfielders would likely give the traded players a boost in fantasy value depending on where they land.

The centerfield position for the Chicago Cubs has some question marks surrounding it. Currently, Jacques Jones holds the job and he did admirably last year when he hit .285, with 27 home runs, 81 RBIs and 73 runs. Yet the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that the Cubs have 'lots of love for free-agent outfielder Cliff Floyd, but they are reluctant to swing a deal until Jones is unloaded.' Floyd, 34, is coming of a four-year stint with the New York Mets, and while he missed considerable time last year, he would provide a power left-handed bat for Chicago. Whoever starts the year at center, they could be keeping the seat warm for top prospect Felix Pie, who get a mid-season audition. To make things even more confusing, newly acquired outfielder Alfonso Soriano expressed an interest in playing center and MLB.com reports that new manager Lou Piniella stated, "Now that he's mentioned it, it would make a lot of sense." The Cubs could be a surprise team going into the 2007 season after making several notable acquisitions during the off-season, including Soriano, relief pitcher Neal Cotts, starting pitchers Jason Marquis and Ted Lilly and utility-man Mark DeRosa. They seem committed to winning, and if everything clicks, whoever plays center could be a great fantasy commodity (except of course Soriano, who was already a top fantasy player). Be aware of any developments.

Starting pitcher Jeff Weaver went from meltdown king to World Series champion last year with the St. Louis Cardinals. Weaver, now a free agent, has teams interested in him after his clutch play in the post-season. But according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Negotiations have intensified to return Weaver to the stage of his up-and-down career's most compelling success." Weaver has only had one regular season in his career where he posted an ERA lower than 4.00. He has played for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and St. Louis Cardinals since 1999. Weaver wants stability. For his fantasy value, St. Louis is the most desirable place since he has had the most success there and seemed comfortable pitching for the Cardinals (at least in the post-season). Weaver's inconsistency issues warn that he should not be drafted as a top pitcher simply because of his postseason run. However, if Weaver buckled down and continued to pitch that way, he would be a great fantasy contributor. He'll be available late in drafts. Stay with this story to see if Weaver and Cards hammer out a deal.

It seems as if relief pitcher Armando Benitez's days as a San Francisco Giant may be numbered as talks about the 34-year old have occurred with the Florida Marlins. According to a report by the Miami Herald, "Benitez, 34, has been the Marlins' No. 1 bullpen target, and a trade remains possible." As a member of the Florida Marlins in the 2004 season, Benitez put up elite closer numbers when he recorded 47 saves, a 1.29 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP. Since joining the Giants in 2005, Benitez has failed to play a full season. The report reveals that San Francisco seems willing to eat $1-2 million of Benitez's $7.6 million deal. This is an interesting story to follow as Benitez himself has previously expressed an interest in returning to the Marlins. If Florida acquires him, consider it good news for Benitez's fantasy value. Dolphins Stadium is a pitcher-friendly park and his best season was as a Marlin. Follow this story to see if the talks between the Giants and Marlins materialize into something more.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. has called center field home for virtually his entire MLB career. But following so many injuries, it seems that after 12 All-Star games and seven Gold Gloves, the probable Hall of Famer will switch positions. According to a report by the Dayton Daily News, "Griffey and manager Jerry Narron have talked about the possibility of Griffey switching to right field and Griffey is open-minded about the possibility." Apparently, Narron has used the names of Hall of Famers Kirby Puckett and Cal Ripken Jr. as examples of players who switched positions as they got older. A position change would likely help Griffey stay on the field longer and avoid injury. He missed over 50 games last year, and aside from a 2005 season in which he played in 128 games, Griffey has been hurt for over 206 games between 2002 and 2004. Needles to say, Griffey's fantasy value should rise were he to start the season at right field. Another player who could stand to gain fantasy value is super utility-man Ryan Freel as the report speculated he could inherit the center field job if Griffey is moved. Freel is a monster on the base paths, and although he too has health issues, is a capable lead-off man for a team lacking one. Should Freel play center for the Reds (and actually play every day) his fantasy value would soar, particularly because of his base stealing abilities.