It’s a baseball tradition that you can set your watch to, even though it’s not what the sport should want.

Once again, a handful of the game’s best players remain without teams as pitchers and catchers are due to report in just three weeks and Grapefruit and Cactus League games fast approach.

Nearly 12 weeks after the postseason ended and almost two months after the Winter Meetings concluded, the four biggest names on the free-agent market are left-handers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, as well as first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger and third baseman Matt Chapman.

So what’s the holdup?