Rangers win Darvish rights with record bid  —  The Texas Rangers won the rights to negotiate with star Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish by placing a record $51.7 million bid in a posting auction, sources told Yahoo! Sports.  —  Darvish's team in Japan, the Nippon Ham Fighters, will accept the bid …

Nats working hard to land Gonzalez  —  The Nationals, continuing their quest to add a left-handed starting pitcher, are pushing hard to land the Athletics' Gio Gonzalez, according to major-league sources.  —  Gonzalez, 26, is perhaps the hottest pitcher available on the trade market …

Source: Diamondbacks, Kubel reach deal  —  The Diamondbacks, continuing their impressive off-season, have reached agreement with free-agent outfielder Jason Kubel on a two-year, $15 million contract, according to a major-league source.  —  The deal, which is pending a physical, also includes an option for 2014, the source said.

BALCO founder Victor Conte: Ryan Braun is Dead in the Water  —  All eyes are still on Major League Baseball and National League Most Valuable Player Ryan Braun, who has tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone.  Braun is appealing the test and we really haven't heard anything …

Today is David Wright's birthday  —  Today is David Wright's 29th birthday.  —  I am very much looking forward to watching Wright in 2012.  It's a big season for him in a lot of ways, and he has numerous incentives to have a strong year for both himself and the team.

The Atlanta Braves Are in a Legal Dispute With Disney Pixar Over Brave For Obvious Reason  —  In one of the biggest cases of “pick your battles,” the owners of the Atlanta Braves baseball team are reportedly “in negotiations” with Disney Pixar over the title of their next big release, Brave.

Pirates Sign Jeff Clement  —  Here's where we'll keep track of today's minor moves...  - The Pirates announced that they have signed first baseman Jeff Clement to a minor league contract.  Clement, 28, posted a .201/.237/.368 line for the 2010 Pirates, but didn't appear in the Major Leagues in 2011.

Why the Angels should trade Abreu  —  Even before the Angels signed Albert Pujols, Bobby Abreu looked like their odd man out.  —  Now, with Kendrys Morales seemingly on the verge of a comeback, the Angels should consider trading Abreu rather than paying him $9 million to be a part-time DH.

Luhnow chats with season ticket holders  —  New general manager fields questions online  —  During a live web chat with Season Ticket Holders, Astros new General Manager Jeff Luhnow fielded questions about his goals for the 2012 season and beyond.  —  Jeff Luhnow: Hello everyone.

Endy heading to Baltimore with one-year deal  —  Speedy free agent expected to be O's top reserve outfielder  —  BALTIMORE — The Orioles crossed an item off their offseason shopping list, bolstering their outfield depth by agreeing to terms with veteran Endy Chavez for one year, pending a physical.