Trade Central: Astros Send Straily To Padres  —  THE DEAL  —  The Padres and Astros hooked up Monday night on a swap of players not likely to make their former teams' rosters but who could fill needs with their new organizations.  —  Dan Straily was out of options with the Astros …

Phillies sign Will Venable, who could win outfield job  —  DUNEDIN, Fla. — Ever since Aaron Altherr succumbed to wrist surgery at the beginning of the month, the Phillies have poked around other team's outfielders, exploring possible trades, waiver claims or signings.

Blue Jays Claim Jesus Montero; Designate A.J. Jimenez For Assignment  —  The Blue Jays have claimed Jesus Montero off waivers from the Mariners, according to a Toronto press release.  To create roster space, catcher A.J. Jimenez has been designated for assignment.

Braves Release Nick Swisher  —  The Braves have unconditionally released first baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher, the club announced.  —  Atlanta had been trying to trade Swisher for much of the offseason but will instead have to eat much of the $15MM owed to the veteran for 2016.

Jamey Wright To Retire  —  Veteran right Jamey Wright, who was in camp with the Dodgers on a minor league deal, is set to retire, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick was among those to tweet.  The 41-year-old didn't appear professionally last season after he was released late in camp by the Rangers.

Mets scratch Matt Harvey for undisclosed medical issue  —  JUPITER, Fla. — New York Mets right-hander Matt Harvey is dealing with an undisclosed medical issue that may place his Opening Day start on Sunday in jeopardy.  —  General manager Sandy Alderson declined to specify the issue …

Rebuilding the Brewers  —  By Todd Rosiak and Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  Goodyear, Ariz. — The Milwaukee Brewers made a series of roster moves Sunday as they continued the process of getting down to their 25-man roster for opening day.  —  Infielders Jake Elmore …

Brewers Release Franklin Morales, Will Add Chris Capuano To Roster  —  The Brewers have released lefty Franklin Morales, per a club announcement.  Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported on Twitter that Morales had been informed that he would not make the club.

Why Twins' Buxton is poised for greatness  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Byron Buxton strolls into the Minnesota Twins dugout and surveys the playing field at Hammond Stadium.  —  It's a little more than an hour after sunrise, and the centerpiece of the team's spring training complex is immaculate and quiet.

Forsythe penciled in as Rays' leadoff hitter  —  PORT CHARLOTTE — Taking the team MVP and second-leading home run and RBI guy from the middle of a runs-challenged lineup and making him the new leadoff hitter generally would not seem like a prudent thing to do.  —  2 Weeks Ago  —  1 Week Ago

2016 Positional Power Rankings: Starting Rotations (#1-15)  —  August has already walked you through the rest.  Now let us together take a walk through the best!  The best, according to our preseason projections.  It sounds better to leave out that last part, though.  Always gotta remember to think about marketing.