A-Rod admits, regrets use of PEDs  —  His voice shaking at times, Alex Rodriguez met head-on allegations that he tested positive for steroids six years ago, telling ESPN on Monday that he did take performance-enhancing drugs while playing for the Texas Rangers during a three-year period beginning in 2001.

Rangers Have Crowded Outfield  —  By Tim Dierkes [February 9 at 9:53am CST]  —  Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes that the Rangers have six candidates for the outfield: Josh Hamilton, Andruw Jones, Nelson Cruz, David Murphy, Frank Catalanotto, and Marlon Byrd.  Is a trade in order?

Stuff on Looper  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  For those not acquainted with Braden Looper, he was a closer with Florida and the New York Mets before going to St. Louis and being converted to a starting pitcher the past two seasons.  —  Over that span, Looper went 24-26 with a 4.52 ERA in 63 starts.

Alfonzo to play for Yomiuri Giants  —  Infielder played more than 1,500 games in Major Leagues  —  Edgardo Alfonzo is making a comeback in another country.  —  The 35-year-old infielder has signed a one-year contract with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's Central League.

St. Louis Cardinals release Adam Kennedy  —  JUPITER, Fla. — The Cardinals have abruptly reversed course, releasing second baseman Adam Kennedy and declaring an open competition for the position, the Post-Dispatch has learned.  —  The move, apparently made at the strong urging of manager Tony La Russa …

Ensberg has shot to make Rays roster  —  Former All-Star third baseman Morgan Ensberg has reached agreement on a minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.  —  Ensberg will earn a base salary of $650,000 if he makes the major league club out of spring training.

First Basemen “Scoops” - The Value of Handling Errant Throws at First Base  —  Most of you are familiar with Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR), a metric for evaluating fielding using detailed play-by-play data.  For first basemen, like all other fielders, it measures the number of ground balls …

Measuring the immeasurable  —  Cliff Floyd: … Cliff Floyd seems be the opposite of Matt Bush.  Where Matt Bush, first pick overall five years ago as a non-pitcher, converted to pitcher after a few years, and involved in off-field activities that led to suspensions, Cliff Floyd is all about heart, determination, and grit.

Categorizing Starting Pitchers by Strikeout and Groundball Rates - 2008 Edition  —  Strikeout and groundball rates have become my favorite way to evaluate pitchers.  While I also pay close attention to walk rates, I am most interested in whether pitchers can miss bats and keep batted balls in the park.

Texas Rangers sign Andruw Jones to minor league deal  —  Impressed by a Jan. 26 workout with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, the Rangers have agreed to terms with free-agent center fielder Andruw Jones on a minor league deal.  —  An official announcement is expected soon, general manager Jon Daniels said.