Yanks acquire righty Nolte from Twins  —  In exchange for pitcher, Jones lands back on his feet with Minnesota  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Yankees acquired Minor League right-hander Charles Nolte from the Twins on Saturday in a swap for right-hander Jason Jones.

Martis, Zimmermann Make Rotation; Pena Placed On Waivers  —  The Nationals this morning made a flurry of roster moves and decisions, finalizing their starting rotation, reassigning several veterans to minor league camp, and placing outfielder Wily Mo Pena on waivers.  —  Here's the skeletal breakdown:

Mets drop seven from camp; Villone released, Valentin cut  —  Ron Villone has been released by the Mets, while pitchers Nelson Figueroa, Carlos Muniz, infielder Andy Green, outfielder Cory Sullivan and catcher Rene Rivera have been sent to minor-league camp.  —  UPDATE/ANALYSIS: Villone said he doesn't plan to retire. ...

The Sox set their rotation  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox finalized two major pitching decisions (the first four starters and Justin Masterson's role) while leaving two others (the fifth starter and Clay Buchholz's role) open for now.  —  None of the developments, revealed by manager Terry Francona, are surprising.

A-Rod going to Tampa after camp ends  —  Progress, rehabilitation continue after right hip surgery  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Alex Rodriguez continues to make progress in his rehab from right hip surgery and will return to the Yankees' Spring Training complex after the rest of the team has broken camp …

Mets' Castillo: I'm a different guy this season  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Luis Castillo hates thinking about the injury-plagued, beaten-down player he became last season.  Despises it.  Loathes it.  Take your pick.  —  Heck, even the mere mention of the phrase “last year” makes him cringe.

Yankees Near Decision on Starting Cabrera or Gardner in Center  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Only secure players make this kind of remark to other secure players.  That may say more about Brett Gardner's status with the Yankees than anything.  —  With the competition between Gardner and Melky Cabrera …

Bernie Williams, fresh off World Baseball Classic, considers playing again  —  Former New York Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams has been concentrating on his music career for the last two years.  But his appearance with Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic has Williams thinking about a return to the majors.

Bochy's status doesn't bode well  —  THE A'S STEPPED UP this week — in between Lew Wolff's serial tauntings of the East Bay — and wisely extended manager Bob Geren's contract beyond this season.  —  Next up to the plate: The Giants.  Or, specifically, their lame-duck manager, Bruce Bochy.

Dodgers' Mientkiewicz in contention for roster spot  —  GLENDALE, Ariz. - He came to camp with little more than a promise of playing time and a shot.  Faced with the alternative of putting his spikes into his bat-bag for the last time, that sounded good enough for Doug Mientkiewicz.

Corpas' lifts his chances at closer job  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — Manuel Corpas answered back Friday.  —  In a tight race with Huston Street for the Rockies' closer job, Corpas threw a strong ninth inning against the Mariners.  He allowed a single to Jeff Clement but was otherwise very sharp.

Scouting the 2009 Yankees  —  I chatted with a major-league scout the other day to find out what he thought about the 2009 Yankees.  I know people get tired of hearing what the writers, sports talkies or talking heads think about the players, so I figured I would pass along what a big-league scout sees …

Marlins acquire Paulino from Giants  —  Giants to get right-handed pitcher Hector Correa  —  JUPITER, FL — The Florida Marlins have acquired catcher Ronny Paulino from the Giants in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Hector Correa.  The announcement was made by Marlins President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest.

pre-Game: Mets vs. Marlins at 1 PM  —  The Mets play today against the Marlins at 1 pm.  —  Livan Hernandez will instead pitch in a minor-league intrasquad game, while right-handed pitching prospect Dillon Gee gets the start against the Marlins, because Jerry Manuel specifically requested to see more of him.

Duchscherer to start season on DL  —  Projected Opening Day starter will have surgery, miss at least six weeks  —  PHOENIX — A's right-hander Justin Duchscherer, a 2008 All-Star and Oakland's projected Opening Day starter when Spring Training opened last month, is headed for surgery …