Venues set for World Baseball Classic  —  Japan, Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico to host first round in '09  —  The first-round venues are set for the second running of the World Baseball Classic, which will begin on March 5, 2009, in Japan.  —  As in 2006, Tokyo Dome and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan …

Register might be next in line  —  If Duaner Sanchez isn't ready to break camp with the Mets, and it's certainly possible, it would seem that the next reliever in line would be Rule 5 pick Steven Register from the Rockies.  —  Basically, the Mets paid $50,000 to the Rockies to draft Register (pictured) during the winter meetings.

Rockies polishing look of roster  —  Morales, Redman fill out rotation; Nix to play second  —  With the season-opening game in St. Louis one week from today, the Rockies' season-opening roster is starting to fall into place.  —  With a series of roster moves Sunday, the Rockies set the stage …

MLB: Jays' Rolen fractures finger in infield drill  —  A ground ball struck the right middle finger of Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Scott Rolen on Sunday, ripping off the fingernail and causing a non-displaced fracture of the bone in his finger tip.  —  The mishap occurred during routine infield drills in the morning.

Girardi seeks relief from numbers game  —  BRADENTON, Fla. - One week.  Three spots.  Eleven pitchers.  —  That will be Joe Girardi's concern over the next seven days, as the Yankees manager looks to fill out his bullpen for the start of the regular season.

Valuing Miguel Cabrera  —  Miguel Cabrera is reportedly close to signing an eight-year $152.3 million deal.  As hard as this is to believe, given the contract size, this is an amazing deal for Dave Dombrowski and the Detroit Tigers.  I have Cabrera valued at $268 million over this time period …

No change in plan for Mendoza  —  Fifth starter to open season in Triple-A before April 12 debut  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Luis Mendoza has left no doubt that he belongs in the Rangers' rotation.  —  He'll just have to wait a few more weeks before he gets to enjoy the full benefits and privileges that go with that honor.

Dallas McPherson running out of games to impress Marlins manager  —  Injuries again have set back third baseman  —  JUPITER - It's probably too late for Dallas McPherson to unravel whatever roster plans manager Fredi Gonzalez has formulated, but at least he's in a position to try.

Ross working back from knee injury  —  Hermida conutinues batting practice; Treanor rests Sunday  —  JUPITER, Fla. — Soggy conditions on Sunday didn't prevent Cody Ross from getting in some needed work as he rebounds from a hyperextended left knee.  —  Ross, in the chase …

Iconic ace Darvish pushes Japan's boundaries  —  SAPPORO, Japan - Following a victory last season, Yu Darvish, the winning pitcher for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, stood in front of a microphone inside a packed stadium, thanked his teammates and fans for their support …

Trade review: Bobby Abreu  —  You folks seemed to enjoy my trade analysis of Edgar Renteria and Andy Marte a month or so back.  Unsurprisingly I got a ton of e-mails asking me to look back at some other recent trades.  Today I look back at the Bobby Abreu trade that moved him to the Yankees from Philadelphia in July 2006.

Rays final roster remains in flux  —  SARASOTA — With opening day a week from today, the Rays still have a lot of work to do in finalizing their roster.  —  Though some decisions could be made in the next couple of days, trade talks and injuries further complicate the process.

Send Salty to the minors?  There must be a better answer  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — It's the Texas Rangers' Catch-22, if you will, and not exactly the position they expected to be in this spring when they dealt Mark Teixeira to Atlanta at last season's trading deadline.