Top News:
Associated Press:
Cardinals' closer Luke Gregerson to begin season on DL — JUPITER, Fla. — St. Louis closer Luke Gregerson will begin the season on the disabled list with a hamstring strain, manager Mike Matheny said on Saturday. — Gregerson injured the hamstring during conditioning drills.
RELATED:
Rick Hummel / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Motte declines Cards' offer; Mayers, Martinez to pitch Saturday
Ben Frederickson / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cardinals closer candidate Luke Gregerson to start season on DL
Rick Hummel / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Vision is a concern for Pham; meanwhile, Gregerson is ailing
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News …
Dan Caesar / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Media Views: Cards to be prominent on revamped ‘Sunday Night Baseball’
John Cherwa / Los Angeles Times:
Expectations are sky-high for Yankees newcomers Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Boone … Giancarlo Stanton was among the last to arrive at his locker on a recent spring training day. — Twelve carefully placed bats protruded from the top of his locker near a corner of the clubhouse …
RELATED:
John Harper / New York Daily News:
10 bold predictions for the 2018 baseball season — The brewing bad blood between players and owners aside, baseball is on quite a roll the last couple of years, with compelling postseasons culminating in World Series Game 7s, one of them resulting in the historic Cubs' title. — How do they top that?
Jorge L. Ortiz / USA Today:
Madison Bumgarner's injury officially closes the book on Giants' title window — SportsPulse: The Dodgers have won their division five years in a row. Are they a lock to do it again? USA TODAY Sports — CONNECT — The window is now shut. — The San Francisco Giants kept trying …
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Giants' Madison Bumgarner breaks pitching hand on line drive in final spring start — San Francisco Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner is hurt for the second straight year, breaking a bone in his pitching hand when hit by a line drive off the bat of Kansas City's Whit Merrifield during a spring training game on Friday.
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News … and McCovey Chronicles
Andy McCullough / Los Angeles Times:
Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw completes scoreless spring in 10-0 rout of Royals
Discussion:
Sporting News and Associated Press
ESPN:
Rangers release Bartolo Colon from minor league deal — The Texas Rangers have released 44-year-old pitcher Bartolo Colon from his minor league contract Saturday. — The Rangers had brought the right-hander Colon into camp with a guarantee of $1.75 million if he made the major leaguer roster.
RELATED:
Jeff Wilson / Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
Surprise Five: Rangers might have found their opening for ‘Big Sexy’ — Not that anyone wants to leave Arizona, but the Texas Rangers will do just that Saturday afternoon following what should be their quickest Cactus League game. — It will be getaway day from spring training …
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News …, Sporting News and Lone Star Ball
Dakota Randall / NESN.com:
Red Sox Trade Deven Marrero To D-Backs For Player To Be Named Later Or Cash — Deven Marrero is headed to the desert. — The Boston Red Sox on Saturday traded the slick-fielding infielder to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a player to be named later or cash.
Discussion:
AZ Snake Pit
RELATED:
Marc Topkin / Tampa Bay Times:
20 years of Rays: Worst signings, trades and deals — 1. Stuck with 1999 top pick OF Josh Hamilton through the disappointment of multiple drug suspensions and got him back on the field, only to massively miscalculate and leave him unprotected in the December 2006 Rule 5 draft.
RELATED:
Marc Topkin / Tampa Bay Times:
20 years of Rays: Greatest moments in franchise history — 1. ALCS CLINCHER, Oct. 19, 2008 — David Price threw the pitch, Boston's Jed Lowrie hit the ground ball, Akinori Iwamura made the pickup and raced to step on second base, and the Rays — the Tampa Bay Rays — were going to the World Series.
RELATED:
ESPN:
Phillies release reliever Francisco Rodriguez — The Philadelphia Phillies released reliever Francisco Rodriguez on Saturday. — Rodriguez, 36, posted a 5.40 ERA in eight appearances this spring. — He was guaranteed $2.5 million if he made the Phillies' Opening Day roster.
Discussion:
Sporting News
Jay Cohen / Associated Press:
Mets' David Wright is baseball's lone captain in 2018 — Anthony Rizzo is a three-time All-Star and the 2017 winner of the Roberto Clemente Award, baseball's biggest honor for sportsmanship and community involvement. Jon Lester is a three-time World Series champion, and Jason Heyward organized …
George Sipple / Detroit Free Press:
Detroit Tigers release utility man Alexi Amarista; 27 players remain — Detroit Tigers owner Chris Ilitch spoke to reporters on Saturday, March 3, 2018, in Lakeland, Fla. Video by George Sipple/DFP — LAKELAND, Fla. — It appears that Niko Goodrum and JaCoby Jones are going to make the Detroit Tigers' Opening Day roster.
Discussion:
Bless You Boys
New York Post:
Zack Wheeler gets demoted, and a Mets dream looks dead — A Wheel' shame. — The Fab 5 will not finally make consecutive turns throughout the rotation — at least not to open the season — as the Mets demoted Zack Wheeler to Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday. Seth Lugo will take his spot as the No. 5 starter.
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News … and Amazin' Avenue
RELATED:
Chelsea Janes / Washington Post:
A.J. Cole will be the Nats' fifth starter, but Jeremy Hellickson looks good in his debut … JUPITER, Fla. — While most of the Nationals' stars and their rookie manager stayed in West Palm Beach, Mike Rizzo took the drive to Jupiter, where he endured a chilly night in the stands in shorts …
RELATED:
Pete Caldera / Daily Record:
Greg Bird scratched from Yankees spring training start with sore foot, will see doctor — TAMPA, Fla. - Greg Bird has been scratched from Saturday's split-squad game at Disney World due to a sore right foot. — The Yankees first baseman is headed back to Tampa and due to be examined on Saturday afternoon.
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley
Fabian Ardaya / Chicago Tribune:
Final spot in White Sox rotation down to Carson Fulmer and Hector Santiago — Chicago Tribune — The battle for the back end of the White Sox starting rotation will play out in real time Saturday at the club's spring training complex at Camelback Ranch. — Carson Fulmer …
Discussion:
Chicago Tribune
Tim Cowlishaw / Dallas Morning News:
Is Rangers slugger Joey Gallo primed for an Aaron Judge-like leap in 2018? — It's not like the leap Joey Gallo made in 2017 was a small one. Grooving his powerful swing to earn substantial major league at-bats for the first time, he produced just the 14th 40-home run season in Rangers history.
Mike DiGiovanna / Los Angeles Times:
Cleveland's Jose Ramirez didn't remain overlooked for long … Jose Ramirez has always walked the walk. — For as long as the Cleveland Indians third baseman can remember, going back to his childhood in the Dominican Republic, he has moved with a certain swagger — chest slightly puffed out …
