Gossage: Jose Bautista a ‘disgrace,’ baseball ruined by ‘nerds’  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Hall of Fame reliever Goose Gossage called Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista a “disgrace to the game” and blasted “nerds” for turning baseball into a “joke” during a 10-minute interview Thursday.

Pirates Sign David Freese, Designate Jesse Biddle  —  The Pirates have signed third baseman David Freese to a one-year deal, per a club announcement.  The CAA client will earn $3MM on a straight guarantee without any available incentives, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports on Twitter.

Diaz wows Cardinals as opportunity arrives  —  • The day Aledmys Diaz learned the Cardinals were willing to risk losing him to any other team, his road roommate watched closely for a reaction.  —  That afternoon last July, Diaz and his Class AA teammates walked into the visitors' clubhouse …

Mejia Wants to Challenge Deal Not to Appeal 3rd Pos.  Test  —  NEW YORK — Former Mets closer Jenrry Mejia wants to challenge the agreement he made not to appeal his third positive drug test, which led to a lifetime ban from baseball.  —  Banned on Feb. 12, Mejia spoke at a news conference Friday …

How to follow today's Detroit Tigers-Houston Astros game  —  1:05 p.m., No TV or radio: Grapefruit League action continues today in Kissimmee, Fla.  —  Detroit Tigers (6-4) vs. Houston Astros (7-2)  —  Where: Osceola County Stadium, Kissimmee, Fla.  —  First-pitch weather forecast: Partly sunny, 82 degrees.

Several top pitchers on display Wednesday in Grapefruit, Cactus Leagues  —  In less than a month, teams will send out their aces for Opening Day.  —  Wednesday had little of that pomp and circumstance — it's still early in Spring Training, after all — but it did feature an impressive collection of starting pitchers for early March.

Jarrod Parker Diagnosed With Re-Fractured Right Elbow  —  Athletics righty Jarrod Parker received devastating news today, with the team announcing that he has been diagnosed with a re-fracture of the medial epicondyle in his right elbow (via John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group, on Twitter).

Asdrubal Cabrera Shut Down For Two Weeks With Knee Injury  —  12:10pm: The Cardinals are indeed interested in Tejada, reports ESPN New York's Adam Rubin, but the injury to Cabrera decreases the likelihood that the Mets will trade Tejada, he adds.  —  10:43am: The Mets announced …

Greenwood woman shows the unfiltered truth about skin cancer in viral Facebook album … If you're going to be soaking up the sun for spring break or tanning for prom season, a Greenwood woman has a warning for you.  She's shared the intimate details of her battle with skin cancer in hopes of inspiring others to protect themselves.

Arenado dived into stands three times last year  —  In this file photo, Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies gets Gregory Polanco of the Pittsburgh Pirates out for the third out in the top of the second inning during a National League game at Coors Field, Sept. 21, 2015.  (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)