Column: Smooth sailing ahead for the Cubs — at least until October  —  Chicago Tribune  —  From Jon Lester's wayward bounce throw to Tommy La Stella's pop-up bounce house, the Cubs got through another spring training with a healthy diet of hard work and comic relief.

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner says Aaron Judge could be even better, ‘disappointed’ in Greg Bird injury  —  Aaron Judge set the bar pretty high for himself his rookie season, but Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said there is no reason the slugger cannot be better this season.  —  He just has to stay healthy.

Cincinnati Reds roster remains in flux as delayed Opening Day nears  —  The Reds roster remains in flux.  —  It may remain that way until the 11:30 a.m. Thursday deadline to set it.  Opening Day was been postponed from 4:10 p.m. Thursday to 4:10 p.m. Friday because of the weather forecast.

Phillies' Jake Arrieta says no soreness after second spring training start  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — Jake Arrieta felt fine after his second spring training start with the Philadelphia Phillies, and that was more important than the mediocre results.  —  Arrieta allowed 4 runs …

Mets promote Tebow to Double-A after spring training slump  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Tim Tebow has been promoted to Double-A after going 1 for 18 with 11 strikeouts in big league spring training for the New York Mets.  —  The Mets said Wednesday that the outfielder has been assigned to start the season at Binghamton of the Eastern League.

Rays' Eovaldi to have arthroscopic surgery on pitching elbow  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay pitcher Nathan Eovaldi has loose bodies in his pitching elbow and will undergo arthroscopic surgery.  —  The 28-year-old right-hander, expected to be part of the Rays rotation after recovering …

Nationals' Bryce Harper is about to step into the storm that's been brewing his entire life  —  The Washington Post  —  One Sunday morning a few years ago, in the well-worn clubhouse at Turner Field, Bryce Harper sat on the edge of the black leather rolling chair at his locker and looked around the near-empty room.

Dodgers designate OF Trayce Thompson for assignment  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) The Dodgers have cut outfielder Trayce Thompson, the brother of Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson.  —  Thompson was competing for a spot in a crowded Los Angeles outfield that includes Chris Taylor, Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Joc Pederson and Andrew Toles.

How the bobblehead became a beloved symbol of baseball season  —  There is probably no better indicator of how surprisingly good Justin Smoak was in 2017 than the fact he was selected to be a bobblehead this year  —  As he walked to work on a bright, subzero morning in Toronto last week …

Cards remove pitcher, infielder from 40-man roster to add Jordan Hicks, Francisco Pena  —  NEW YORK  • To make room on the 40-man roster for two players who elbowed their way onto the opening day roster, the Cardinals removed one of the few backup lefthanded-hitting infielders …

Mike Francesa and Chris Russo reunite, take digs at WFAN: 'There'll be nobody on WFAN before you know it'  —  Mike and the Mad Dog poked fun at their struggling former employer Wednesday.  —  Mike Francesa and Chris Russo, appearing side-by-side on Russo's “High Heat” show on MLB Network …

AL DNA: Breaking down the analytics of each American League team for the 2018 MLB season  —  With each passing season, sabermetrics are becoming more and more ingrained in baseball.  —  Data is becoming increasingly available by the year — more recently with the advent of MLB's Statcast …

Angels' Shohei Ohtani to make first start as pitcher Sunday versus Athletics  —  Despite a rocky spring on the mound, two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani will make his pitching debut for the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday against the Athletics, manager Mike Scioscia said Tuesday night.

Forget the ballgame!  The Texas Rangers new food menu is the real MVP  —  Opening day is here and Texas' two Major League Baseball teams will be opening the season against each other.  —  The World Champion Houston Astros will take on the in-state rival Texas Rangers at Globe Life Stadium in Arlington.