Michael Pineda Flashes His Fastball  —  TAMPA, Fla. — With a solid performance Sunday, Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda might have quelled for now some of the near panic over the mysterious loss of three or four miles per hour on his fastball.  —  Pitching against the Detroit Tigers …

Brewers, Lucroy Nearing Extension  —  The Brewers are nearing an extension with catcher Jonathan Lucroy, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report (Twitter link).  The deal with the Sports One Athlete Management client would be either four or five years long.

Dale Sveum is Losing Sleep Over Lineup Construction  —  There are folks who will tell you that lineup construction doesn't really matter - and they'll offer you advanced stats to prove it.  I'm still a bit unsold in either direction (at bottom, I do agree with the idea that you want to bat …

Rosenheck & Jonas: International Draft Issues  —  MLB's new Collective Bargaining Agreement seemingly portends an international draft — Bud Selig has called it inevitable — but questions remain.  Among them are: “Is it a good idea?” and “Is it even practical?”

Wang likely to start season on DL; Lannan No. 5  —  VIERA, Fla. — Nationals right-hander Chien-Ming Wang is expected to start the season on the disabled list because of a strained left hamstring.  —  That means, according to manager Davey Johnson, left-hander John Lannan will be the fifth starter …

Video of the Miami Marlins home run feature has finally surfaced  —  It ... is ... alive!  —  With opening day fast approaching and a new ballpark to open, the Miami Marlins have been preparing by putting their highly anticipated and already much-ridiculed home run display through some dry runs.

Mets close to minor-league deal with starter Chris Young  —  JUPITER, Fla. - Another survivor of anterior capsule surgery is expected to rejoin the Mets by the end of the week.  Chris Young, who started four games last season, is close to an agreement on a minor-league contract with the team …

Tampa Bay Rays say Matt Bush won't remain in organization  —  PORT CHARLOTTE — Matt Bush is “not going to play for us” again, Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman said Sunday, speaking for the first time about the minor-league pitcher's DUI hit-and-run arrest.

Marcum on upswing entering key season  —  Righty throws three innings against Dodgers, with three K's  —  PHOENIX — So far, so good for right-hander Shaun Marcum, who is playing catchup in a bid to begin the season in the Brewers' starting rotation.  —  Marcum, slowed this spring by a stiff shoulder, needs no extra motivation.

Valentine addresses reported power struggle with Cherington  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. - Bobby Valentine was asked Monday about the perception of a rift or power struggle with general manager Ben Cherington.  —  “I think it's lazy journalism,” Valentine said.  “That's what I think.

Jon Lester, Mike Adams Join ACES  —  Red Sox lefty Jon Lester and Rangers reliever Mike Adams have changed agencies, following agent Josh Yates to ACES.  Both pitchers had formerly been represented by SFX Baseball.  SFX negotiated Lester's then-precedent-setting five-year, $30MM deal three years ago.

Tigers option top prospect Turner to Triple-A  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — The Tigers optioned top prospect Jacob Turner to Triple-A Toledo on Monday morning as part of a half-dozen roster cuts from camp, whittling their Spring Training roster to 32 players.  —  Outfielder Quintin Berry …

Contact king for Tampa Bay Rays' Keppinger  —  PORT CHARLOTTE — It has been argued quite successfully that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports.  —  A fastball thrown at 95 to 100 mph reaches home plate in about .4 seconds and it takes humans .15 seconds to voluntarily blink …

The Jamie Moyer 49  —  Everything you ever wanted to know about baseball's grand old man  —  Age Is Just A State Of Mind  —  Jim Caple sits down with Jamie Moyer who shares his thoughts as he approaches 50 years old  —  Forty-nine things you should know about Jamie Moyer while rooting …

Elarton settles down in Phillies' loss to Tigers  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — Tigers ace Justin Verlander, the defending American League Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Award winner, picked up right where he left off through his first four Grapefruit League starts on Sunday, leading Detroit …