Reds to cut Stanton  —  Reds manager Dusty Baker said this morning that the team has told reliever Mike Stanton that they are going let him go.  —  The move means the Reds will eat $3 million of Stanton's contract this season, and $500,000 next season.  —  Last season Stanton was 1-3 with a 5.93 ERA.

Braves claim infielder Ruben Gotay off waivers  —  First baseman Scott Thorman outrighted to Richmond  —  ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves claimed switch-hitting infielder Ruben Gotay off waivers from the New York Mets today.  He will be on the team's Opening Day 25-man roster.

Hal denies sale rumors  —  TAMPA - Despite rumors to the contrary, Hal Steinbrenner reiterated his stance that he and his brother, Hank, won't be looking to sell the Yankees any time soon.  —  “That's the plan,” Hal Steinbrenner said.  “There are no plans to sell, though I know there's been speculation.

Twins belie tightfisted image  —  With the signing of closer Joe Nathan to a four-year deal, the Minnesota Twins should put to rest the mistaken belief they were purging their roster of salaries.  —  Yes, they lost Torii Hunter and Carlos Silva to free agency and dealt Johan Santana to the Mets …

ACE OF ACES  —  The Mets acquired Johan Santana in a six-player trade with the Twins on Feb. 2 and cemented the deal by signing him to a six-year, $137.5-million contract.  Santana, a two-time Cy Young Award winner at the age of 29, is considered the best pitcher on the planet.

‘Taco’ and Me: Following the rise of Brandon Phillips  —  Everyone has a reason for following the players they do.  Maybe you just like the position they play.  Maybe you played against him in high school.  Or maybe you've just followed his career from the start and feel an emotional investment.

Tim Kurkjian and Buster Olney Are Optimistic  —  After thrilling us with their AL predictions yesterday, ESPN released their NL team capsules today.  They're all linked from the MLB Index (although the Rockies' link is broken; their preview is here).  I don't really care about the actual previews at all …

Rays wait to finalize final bullpen opening  —  WINTER HAVEN — RHP Grant Balfour had his first rough spring outing Thursday afternoon.  —  The hard-throwing Aussie just hopes it's not his final one as a Ray.  —  Executive vice president Andrew Friedman said that, in terms of the roster …

El Duque gets the upper hand  —  FORT LAUDERDALE — A running blog of today's split start between Orlando Hernandez and Mike Pelfrey here against the Orioles that was expected to decide the Mets' No. 5 starting job:  —  First inning  —  With the Mets up 1-0, El Duque worked a 1-2-3 inning with little problem.

Mets announce three roster moves  —  Gotay, Register find new homes; Hernandez sent to Triple-A  —  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Mets announced three roster moves on Friday as the team wrapped up Grapefruit League action against the Orioles, beginning with second baseman Ruben Gotay, who was claimed by the Braves.

Phillies claim Lahey off waivers  —  The Phillies claimed righthander Tim Lahey off waivers from the Cubs and outrighted pitcher J.D. Durbin, infielder Ray Olmedo and outfielder Chris Snelling to triple A Lehigh Valley.  —  Infielder Chris Woodward was signed to a minor-league contract

Gameday returns bigger, better  —  Popular application updated with previews, highlights  —  Just think how many Major League Baseball fans have grown accustomed to using MLB.com Gameday.  Gameday is the omnipresent software app that is so often on your computer screen or even mobile phone during a season …

Girardi excited about return to Miami  —  TAMPA - The last time Joe Girardi was at Dolphin Stadium for a game, he was managing the Marlins.  Despite the ugly fashion in which his tenure ended there, the Yankees' manager is looking forward to his two-day visit to his old ballpark.

Prospectus Today  —  Spring Lessons  —  I've pounded home the point that you can't learn anything from spring training performances, because of the small samples, the variability of competition, and the fact that people aren't playing to win.  Outside of player performance, though …

Two on Two: 2008 NL East Preview  —  We have come down to the two final divisions in our preview series.  Today we turn to the NL East with repeat participants Chris Needham of the Washington Nationals blog, Capitol Punishment and Dave Studeman of The Hardball Times.  Previous division discussions can be found below.

2008 Draft Notebook, Part I  —  Every year's draft coverage begins the same way.  You start making the calls, and the nearly-universal reaction is, “Really, it's already time for this?”  The answer is yes, as while the major league season has only kind-of-sort-of begun and minor league Opening …

Black sees much to like from spring  —  PEORIA, Ariz. - When Bud Black yesterday reviewed what the Padres accomplished in spring training, left fielder Chase Headley was the first person he mentioned.  —  “I like the way Chase Headley acclimated to the outfield and how he swung the bat,” …

Nats Enjoy An Evening In the Park  —  The family moving into the gleaming new mansion at 1500 South Capitol Street SE, was so big it needed two buses, so awestruck their mouths seemed permanently stuck in the “Wow” position.  And just as any family would, the Washington Nationals walked …