Hal Steinbrenner won't rule out Max Scherzer to Yankees  —  Club sources said that the payroll, which they project at $206 million, is not going to be increased by much.  The Yankees are still open to adding starting rotation depth.  —  Maybe it's just his DNA talking …

Club looking to add depth with Chirinos the clear-cut No. 1  —  9/27/14: Robinson Chirinos drills a two-run home run to left-center off Jeff Samardzija to increase the Rangers' lead to three runs  —  ARLINGTON — Robinson Chirinos said he is training to start 150 games at catcher this season.

Sources: MLB owners seeking measures to speed up pace of games  —  Baseball has discussed forcing managers to make replay challenges more quickly as a way to speed up the pace of games.  —  Baseball owners are negotiating pace-of-game changes with the players union, but the initial adjustments …

Phillies continue to seek big haul for Hamels, taker for Howard  —  The Phillies open spring training camp in Clearwater five weeks from today with their first workout for pitchers and catchers.  —  Will Cole Hamels be there?  —  Five days later, position players will join the group for the first official full-squad workout.

Mets should go all-in for Nats' Desmond & other moves that need to happen soon  —  FOX Sports  —  Nationals' Ian Desmond (left), Braves' Craig Kimbrel (center) and Orioles GM Dan Duquette should all be on the move, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.  —  Some quick thoughts on Wednesday's flurry of news.

Commissioner's Message Makes Perfect Sense  —  ORLANDO—The American Baseball Coaches Association's 71st annual convention unfolded like most others have in the 21st century.  —  Coaches at all levels—high school and college—took in the trade show, held conference meetings …

Third annual D-backs Race against Cancer set for May 2  —  The D-backs hosted a Race Against Cancer that featured a 5K run and 1K family walk at the team's 2013 Fan Fest  —  The Arizona Diamondbacks are set to host the third annual D-backs Race Against Cancer on May 2.

Trout stacks up to legends after three seasons in Majors  —  Angels reporter Alden Gonzalez explains how Mike Trout can improve on his 2014 MVP season, including limiting the amount of strikeouts  —  A star with the first crack of the bat, Ken Griffey Jr. — one of Mike Trout's early heroes …

Ray Rice grievance settles  —  On Thursday, a hearing was scheduled to commence between the Ravens and running back Ray Rice regarding whether the team owes him more than $3.5 million for cutting him hours after the notorious in-elevator video surfaced on September 8.

Braves talking to three teams about Evan Gattis trade  —  The Atlanta Braves are engaged with three teams in trade talks for catcher/outfielder Evan Gattis, according to a baseball official with direct knowledge of the negotiations.  —  And one of those teams appears to be the Houston Astros …

Nationals, A's Swap Tyler Clippard, Yunel Escobar  —  Yunel Escobar's tenure with the Athletics lasted all of five days, as he has now been traded to the Nationals in exchange for right-hander Tyler Clippard, the Nats announced on Wednesday.  —  Escobar, of course, had only just been acquired …