Red Sox Owner: ‘We Were Reliant Too Heavily on Analytics’  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — After their new players added up to another last-place finish, the owner of the Boston Red Sox figured out the team's math was wrong.  —  “I think we were reliant too heavily on analytics,” John Henry said Wednesday.

Tom Ricketts, Cubs have little to hide  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Chicago Cubs Owner Tom Ricketts emphasized his preference to re-sign President Theo Epstein while stressing he and his family had nothing to hide regarding a threatening tweet by presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Uncertain future of Jose Reyes means prospect gets chance to break with team  —  The Denver Post  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — After 537 games, 2,061 at-bats and 70 home runs in the minors, Trevor Story is pounding on the major-league door.  But if he wants to leave spring training …

Sources: Bautista's demand is five years, $150M  —  Toronto Blue Jays' all-star outfielder Jose Bautista is demanding a five-year contract extension worth more than $30 million per year, two sources familiar with the matter told TSN.  —  Bautista turns 36 in October and a $150-million contract …

Dodgers To Sign Jamey Wright To Minors Contract  —  The Dodgers have signed veteran right-hander Jamey Wright to a minor league deal, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports (Twitter link).  The contract contains an invitation to the team's Major League spring camp.  The 41-year-old Wright is represented by Excel Sports Management.

Braves Sign Cuban Pitcher Carlos Portuondo  —  The Braves have signed 28-year-old Cuban righthander Carlos Portuondo to a minor league contract with a $990,000 bonus, according to international sources.  Portuondo is exempt from the international bonus pools, so he's able …

Ruben Tejada Awarded Extra Service Time, Will Be Free Agent Next Winter  —  As part of his arbitration settlement this offseason, the Mets awarded shortstop Ruben Tejada with an extra day of service time, reports Ken Davidoff of the New York Post (via Twitter).

Nurse Accused of Helping with Surgery While Drunk … PLAINS TOWNSHIP — A nurse is charged with being drunk while assisting on an emergency surgery at the VA Medical Center near Wilkes-Barre.  —  He admits he was at a casino drinking when he was called into work.

Mike Trout Committed to Stealing More Bases Again for Angels  —  TEMPE, Ariz. — Mike Trout wants to take a swipe at something else this season — stealing bases, the way he once did.  —  The Los Angeles Angels' do-everything star got off to a fast start in his 2012 AL Rookie of the Year season with 49 steals.

Umpires Aren't Compassionate; They're Bayesian  —  Baseball fans have long known, or at least suspected, that umpires call balls and strikes differently as the count changes.  At 0-2, it seems that almost any taken pitch that is not right down the middle will be called a ball …

Car Salesman Killed in Crash During Corvette Test Drive at Ontario CarMax; Driver Arrested  —  A used car salesman was killed when a red Corvette crashed during a test drive in Ontario, and the prospective car buyer was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter Tuesday afternoon, police said.

Pirates will talk deal with Andrew McCutchen at ‘appropriate time’  —  On Monday, Pittsburgh Pirates star Andrew McCutchen repeated his desire to finish his career in Pittsburgh.  A day later, the Pirates' general manager said the team plans to talk contract with him at “the appropriate time.”