Pedro Martinez implies that Jorge Posada ignited infamous 2003 Red Sox - Yankees brawl by insulting his mother  —  ‘He let it go a little bit too far with the (Don) Zimmer incident,’ Martinez said of Posada on Daily News Live.  'Between Latinos you don't mention anybody's mother.'

Could Hamels, Price or Scherzer be answer to Cards' rotation needs?  —  FOX Sports  —  The St. Louis Cardinals say they like their starting rotation.  But that is not preventing them from pursuing a major upgrade.  —  The team is exploring trades for left-handers Cole Hamels and David Price …

Rehabbing from second Tommy John surgery, righty agrees to one-year, $1 million contract  —  3/18/14: Josh Johnson makes a heads-up play on Mike Zunino's line-drive to the mound for the final out of the second inning  —  SAN DIEGO — The Padres are taking another chance on right-handed pitcher Josh Johnson.

Veteran catcher signs one-year deal to back up talented prospect Bethancourt  —  A.J. Pierzynski tells a story about his cousin not studying for his finals until the Braves won a game back in a tough stretch for Atlanta  —  ATLANTA — Throughout his long Major League career …

Buckel, Deglan enjoying all Australian Baseball League has to offer while honing craft  —  Cody Buckel (left) and Kellin Deglan have been sharpening their skills with the Melbourne Aces.  —  ARLINGTON — The temperature was 97 degrees at noon on Wednesday in Melbourne, Australia.

Royals exec Taylor winding down impactful career  —  Dean Taylor has served the Royals as VP of baseball operations and assistant GM since 2006.  —  Dean Taylor's been just about everywhere on the hardball map.  —  There was New Westminster of the Northwest League in 1974, Boise in 1975 …

Diamondbacks to have six new managers at minor league affiliates  —  The Diamondbacks will have six new managers at minor league affiliates for 2015, the team announced Wednesday.  —  Phil Nevin, who was said to be a finalist for the Diamondbacks' major league manager position, will return to manage at Triple-A Reno.

Braves To Designate Tyler Pastornicky For Assignment  —  The Braves will designate infielder Tyler Pastornicky for assignment tomorrow in order to clear 40-man roster space for the three signings they announced earlier today, MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports (on Twitter).

Ex-Pirates IF Sanchez joins Japan's Eagles  —  TOKYO — Former Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Gaby Sanchez will join the Rakuten Eagles of Japan's Pacific League for the 2015 season.  —  Sanchez was not offered a contract by the Pirates and has agreed to a one-year contract with the Eagles, the team announced Thursday on its website.

John McDonald Retires  —  Veteran middle infielder John McDonald has officially retired, according to the Twitter accounts of the Angels, Blue Jays, D-Backs and Indians, each of whom McDonald played for over the life of a 16-year Major League career.  —  McDonald, 40, said in September …

Ichiro, Schierholtz among options to fill bench role for Marlins  —  Ichiro Suzuki discusses his pursuit of 3,000 hits and how he is using it as motivation to continue playing  —  MIAMI — Batting from the left side is not necessarily a requirement, but it is the preference for the Marlins in their search for a fourth outfielder.

2015 Cincinnati Reds Top 10 Prospects  —  Want More?  Complete 2015 Top 10 Prospects Rankings  —  Get it all: Subscribe to Baseball America  —  Go 30 deep: Order the 2015 Prospect Handbook!  —  The Reds head into 2015 with a lot of opportunity, and a whole lot of uncertainty on the horizon.