Ken Davidoff

Ken Davidoff

MLB

Baseball offseason nearly over, but questions remain

We won’t con you. The main events of this baseball offseason have concluded.

Bud Selig removed Alex Rodriguez from the game for a full season. Robinson Cano, Jacoby Ellsbury and Shin-Soo Choo secured their nine-figure deals, and so did Masahiro Tanaka, as the Yankees embarked upon a trademark spending rampage. The Hall of Fame remains pure, because (sarcasm alert) there’s absolutely no chance anyone already inducted ever used an illegal performance-enhancing drug.

Nevertheless, with another two-plus weeks to go before most clubs’ pitchers and catchers report — the Dodgers and Diamondbacks start next week, as they’ll open the regular season March 22-23 in Australia — there remain reasons to blow off the Super Bowl and focus on the summer game. Questions to ponder in the Hot Stove home stretch.

1. Will A-Rod attend spring training?

When independent arbitrator Fredric Horowitz officially reduced Rodriguez’s suspension from 211 games to a still-whopping 162, Team A-Rod responded by announcing the 38-year-old intended to come to Steinbrenner Field — as is, murkily, his collectively-bargained right. After all, if a maverick judge honors A-Rod’s most recent lawsuit and actually overturns the penalty, then the third baseman would want to be close to game shape.

Such chatter seems to have dissipated, however, right around the time Rodriguez told some Spanish-speaking media folks in Mexico 2014 could be “a good year to rest mentally and physically and prepare for the future and begin a new chapter in my life.”

Folks with the Yankees and Major League Baseball profess hopefulness Rodriguez will realize what a farce it would be for him to show up at camp. For once with A-Rod, the Yankees and MLB might actually get their wish.

2. Will Stephen Drew play his 2014 home games in New York?

Funny, isn’t it? The Mets have a history of publicly courting players, only to wind up without them (Michael Bourn last year, Mike Mussina in 2000 and many, many others), while the Yankees tend to publicly dismiss their interest in players, only to sign them (Rafael Soriano in 2011, Mark Teixeira in 2008 and many, many others).

Drew would be a great fit for the Mets, given how dramatically they have soured on Ruben Tejada, and he would represent a terrific Yankees Plan B at shortstop behind the recovering Derek Jeter and could conceivably help at third base and/or second base, too. However, neither club appears gaga over him; the Yankees insist they’re done with major expenditures after last week’s Tanaka signing, while the Mets have been pumping up Tejada and appearing to express only cursory interest in Drew.

Drew’s saga features multiple layers of drama. The Red Sox enjoyed having him in 2013, yet a) they are overflowing with young options for the left side of their infield, including major leaguers Xander Bogaerts and Will Middlebrooks and minor leaguers Garin Cecchini (brother of Mets prospect Gavin) and Deven Marrero; and b) they would love to obtain an extra draft pick if Drew signed elsewhere, thanks to Drew’s rejection of Boston’s one-year, $14.1 million qualifying offer.

Must Drew settle for a “pillow” contract, a short-term deal to reestablish his market value? Or will the agent who invented that term, Scott Boras, deliver a surprise team yet again for his client? This one’s tough to predict, although the histories of the Mets, the Yankees and Boras elevate the intrigue level.

3. Will Johan Santana find a locale for his latest comeback?

Twins general manager Terry Ryan, one of the most honest people in the baseball industry, spoke at “TwinsFest” Sunday morning in Minnesota and told fans while he was interested in a reunion with the left-hander, “He won’t be ready to go probably, I’m going to say, [until] the summer at some point.” Hat tip to the St. Paul Pioneer Press for the quote.

A source close to Santana, who underwent serious left shoulder surgery last April, told The Post’s Dan Martin the 34-year-old should have more clarity about his situation in a couple of weeks.

Remember when Santana and Roy Halladay stood out as alluring reclamation projects in this free-agent class? Now Halladay is retired, and Santana’s immediate future is in doubt once again.

4. Will the other big-name free agents find homes?

Pitchers Ubaldo Jimenez and Ervin Santana, outfielder Nelson Cruz and DH-first baseman Kendrys Morales join Drew as compensation free agents without employment.

Bet on the Blue Jays to sign either Jimenez or Santana; Toronto desperately needs an upgrade to its starting rotation. Other obvious suitors for pitching include the Diamondbacks, Orioles and Cubs.

As for Cruz and Morales, one or both might have to wait even for spring-training games to start and see if needs develop by either injury or underperformance.