Swisher should offer Yankees flexibility  —  TAMPA, Fla. - For nearly six weeks, Nick Swisher was the first baseman of the Yankees.  Unfortunately for him, those six weeks fell in November and December.  —  When the Yankees signed Mark Teixeira on Dec. 23, Swisher became an outfielder competing …

JASON JOHNSON DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER OF THE RETINA  —  TAMPA - Pitcher Jason Johnson has been limited to indoor work due to being diagnosed with cancer of the retina in the right eye shortly before reporting to camp with the Yankees.  —  “I went to the eye doctor to get a new pair of contacts …

Rijo takes leave of absence  —  Special assistant to GM Bowden doesn't want to be a distraction  —  VIERA, Fla. — Former pitcher Jose Rijo, who is currently the special assistant to Nationals general manager Jim Bowden, has decided to take a leave of absence because he doesn't want to be a distraction …

Tampa Bay Rays go high-tech with advance scouting  —  PORT CHARLOTTE — The Rays learned a lot during their first trip through the postseason.  —  And among the ideas is to switch from having a traditional advance scout on the road watching their next opponent in person, as most teams still do …

Day 8: John Russell extended, Andy LaRoche returns, and more  —  BRADENTON, Fla. — Maybe it was the way the players were stretching today, but Pirates management — with President Frank Coonelly back in Pittsburgh — at 10:25 this morning announced they had decided to exercise the option …

Tampa Bay Rays sign Jason Isringhausen  —  Popular player First baseman Carlos Pe? signs autographs for fans after Friday's workout in Port Charlotte.  Starting at about 10:50 a.m. today, Pe? and his teammates will take live batting practice for the first time this spring.  —  Times]

Baseball's Steroid Concerns About Trainer Date to 2001  —  In his report on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball, George J. Mitchell dedicated more pages to Angel Presinal, a trainer based in the Dominican Republic, than he did to almost any of the dozens of players he cited.

D-backs work on avoiding strikeouts  —  Extra time devoted to two-strike approach after record 2008  —  TUCSON — Too often, the '08 D-backs had the bats taken out of their hands at the most critical times.  —  Their 1,287 strikeouts set a club record, and reducing that number …

Crede: Twins announce one-year deal, Neshek to 60-day DL  —  The Twins have announced that they have reached agreement with third baseman Joe Crede's on a year=year contract  —  Another source with knowledge of negotiations called Joe Christensen with even more details.

DH duty is Seattle's lure to Griffey  —  If Ken Griffey Jr. had played the outfield better while with the White Sox, his decision to sign in Seattle, not Atlanta, would have been a real puzzler.  The chance to serve as a designated hitter, if necessary, made the Mariners a better option …

Pitching matchups  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — We've got pitching matchups!  —  In an early sign that baseball games will start being played eventually, the Red Sox announced their pitchers through the first six games of the spring training season.  —  So here we go...  Wednesday vs. Boston College: Josh Beckett

Rangers sign RHP Kris Benson to Minor League contract  —  Veteran has received non-roster invitation to Major League spring training  —  Surprise, Ariz. - The Texas Rangers announced today that the club has signed right-handed pitcher Kris Benson to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training.

Dodgers' Wolf Accepts His Economic Downtown  —  GLENDALE, Ariz. — Often in sports, extravagant contracts meet extravagant egos, and attitudes contrast sharply with the rest of society's.  In a penny-pinching economy, sports often holds the dollars.  This off-season, the Yankees committed more than $400 million to three free agents.

Redding out indefinitely  —  PORT ST. LUCIE — Fifth-starter hopeful Tim Redding is being kept off the mound indefinitely while the former National recovers from a previously undisclosed surgery on his foot in November, Jerry Manuel said today.  —  Redding said the surgery was to repair …