Pirates acquire Yates from Atlanta, buy out Kim  —  BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pirates this morning acquired reliever Tyler Yates from the Atlanta Braves for pitching prospect Todd Redmond, bought out the contract of reliever Byung-Hyun Kim and made several other moves.  —  Among them:

Laird edges Saltalamacchia as Rangers' catcher  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Gerald Laird won his duel with Jarrod Saltalamacchia for the job as the Texas Rangers' starting catcher.  —  Saltalamacchia was optioned to the Rangers' minor league camp Wednesday.  The 22-year-old switch-hitter …

Sox sent packing by Harden, A's … TOKYO - Finally, the Red Sox [team stats] put Japan in their rear-view mirror.  —  If they cared to look back, the last sight would not be pretty at all.  —  The Red Sox wound up splitting this historic case of jet-lagged games against the A's with a lackluster 5-1 loss.

Phillies Notebook: Mystery, intrigue as deadline nears for Phillies' final roster spots  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. - At the beginning of spring training, the Phillies clubhouse always resembles a crowded bus terminal with players here, players there, players, players everywhere.

FIFTH AVENUE  —  VARGAS COULD FILL OUT ROTATION  —  Claudio Vargas could be a candidate for the Mets' No. 5 starter vacancy.  —  The 29-year-old right hander was released yesterday by the Brewers in a salary dump, and Mets GM Omar Minaya said his club will have a strong interest now that Vargas reportedly has cleared waivers.

Three for the money  —  Mike Mussina has found the fountain of youth, and it resides in the picturesque lake that can be seen on the wall next to his locker.  —  “Lake Mussina,” as it has come to be known, is the centerpiece of a corner of the Yankees' home clubhouse at Legends Field.

Sheppard will miss final opener  —  Bob Sheppard, the Yankees' public address announcer since the 1951 home opener, will not work the final opener at Yankee Stadium Monday as he continues to recover from health problems that have limited him for the past six months.

Reyes is likely to go to Memphis  —  JUPITER, FLA. — If it was an audition for another club, Anthony Reyes' outing Tuesday against the Washington Nationals ranked as a success.  —  If it was a last pitch for the Cardinals' season-opening rotation, better luck next time.

201 Feet to Left, 440 Feet to Right: Dodgers Play the Coliseum  —  LOS ANGELES — The foul pole stands only 201 feet down the left-field line.  A 60-foot-high net snickers beside it, ready to entice hitters and tickle the necks of two laughably cramped left fielders.

Washington Nationals to host inaugural game at Nationals Park on Sunday, March 30 at 8:15 PM  —  The Washington Nationals will host the Atlanta Braves at 8:15 pm in the Inaugural Game at Nationals Park, their new home on South Capitol Street, SE in the Capitol Riverfront District.

Moises Alou eying April return  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - Don't rule out Moises Alou playing in April, the left fielder said.  —  Alou returned to the Mets' spring-training complex Tuesday for the first time since having surgery on March 6 to repair a hernia.  The 41-year-old has started riding …

Restocking a Rivalry  —  The Red Sox and Yankees made a major strategic shift in 2005, battling in a new arena: the draft.  Now their moves are paying off  —  The Yankees and the Red Sox had engaged in two consecutive seven-game American League Championship Series, splitting the Game 7s …

Angels' Escobar has torn shoulder  —  The pitcher says he might face surgery that would force him to miss the season or, worse, end his career.  —  TEMPE, Ariz. — Pitcher Kelvim Escobar, an 18-game winner last season, revealed this morning that he has a tear in his shoulder …

I See See A Bright Future ...  You may know that Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia won his 100th game in 2007, and as such became the first pitcher in 16 seasons (and only the third born in the last 50 years) to win 100 major league games before turning 27.  It should be mentioned right up front …

Dodgers release reliever Seanez  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers released veteran Rudy Seanez on Tuesday night after the right-handed reliever allowed two unearned runs and blew a save in two-thirds of an inning against the Milwaukee Brewers.  —  Seanez, 39, had a 7.71 spring ERA after being slowed …

1986 Mets: The ballad of Doc and Darryl  —  In 1983, the New York Mets' roster looked like the island of misfit toys.  —  Here were Tom Seaver and Mike Torrez, battling valiantly to lead a rudderless pitching staff in the twilight of their careers.  There were starting middle infielders Jose Oquendo …