Padres Acquire Dan Straily From Astros For Erik Kratz  —  The Padres have acquired righty Dan Straily from the Astros in exchange for veteran catcher Erik Kratz, the clubs have announced.  Houston had been searching for another backstop after losing presumed reserve Max Stassi to injury.

Padres are scouting Pablo Sandoval  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — There's a San Diego Padres scout here taking a close look at Pablo Sandoval, post-back injury.  —  Does the story go beyond that?  —  It's anyone's guess.  —  The Padres were one of the teams that offered Sandoval a contract …

Welcome to Pittsburgh, home of baseball's most dynamic pitching laboratory  —  Pitching coach Ray Searage leads an unorthodox crew that has revitalized plenty of pitchers in Pirates uniforms.  —  Justin K. Aller/Getty Images  —  BRADENTON, Fla. —  Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage sat …

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 righty 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 …

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.

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.

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 …