Bryce Harper's free agency reaches final stages and Phillies might no longer be favorites  —  PHOENIX — The Los Angeles Dodgers don't really need him, but suddenly badly want him.  The San Francisco Giants may not win with him, but he can be their greatest one-man marketing act since Barry Bonds.

Detroit Tigers observations: Matt Moore solid, Willi Castro homers  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — For two innings, Matt Moore was rolling.  —  Then, in the bottom of the third inning in the Grapefruit League game against the Atlanta Braves, the veteran left-hander showed signs of fatigue.

Jason Vargas posted an 8.60 ERA in first half 2018, but tallied a 3.60 ERA in second half  —  Jupiter, Fla. - Jason Vargas didn't concern himself with the rumors.  —  The Mets were linked to Gio Gonzalez and evaluated the starting pitching market this offseason, but ultimately passed on bringing in any competition for Vargas.

Hicks makes presence felt as Cards fall to Mets 3-2  —  Cardinals pitcher Jordan Hicks throws from the practice mound during Cardinals spring training on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019, at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla. Photo by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com  —  JUPITER, Fla.

Grichuk homers, Vlad doubles but Jays lose again  —  DUNEDIN, Fla. — Some quick hits from the Blue Jays 11-5 loss to the Phillies on Thursday afternoon at Dunedin Stadium, a defeat that dipped their spring record to 1-3.  — Making his first Grapefruit League appearance of 2019 …

The man who would be Yankees shortstop  —  Troy Tulowitzki, after battling injuries, tries to revive career  —  TAMPA — He hasn't played in a game since July 2017.  He remains the highest paid player on the Toronto Blue Jays and he isn't even a Toronto Blue Jay.  Toronto gave up on him.

Cincinnati Reds' Sonny Gray feeling ‘great’ after returning to mound for 1st time in a week  —  Sonny Gray was scratched from the Reds' spring training opener because of stiffness in his right elbow.  He hopes to throw again in a few days.  —  CONNECT  —  GOODYEAR, Ariz. …

Rangers high on Gallo in center, but how far does outfield defense drop when DeShields sits?  —  Delino DeShields had the good fortune Thursday of not having to make the trek from the Surprise Recreation Campus to Tempe Diablo Stadium to play center field for the Texas Rangers.

Here's how Mike Trout added to Drew Smyly's ‘huge step forward’ with Rangers  —  Another day, another Tommy John comeback story on the mound for the Texas Rangers.  —  A third will pitch for them Friday.  —  But it was Drew Smyly's turn Thursday, and, like Edinson Volquez on Wednesday …

Terry Francona: Oliver Perez is ‘really stabilizing force’ in Indians' bullpen  —  Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona believes Oliver Perez is a really stabilizing force in the bullpen.  —  CLEVELAND — Between injuries, roster moves and inconsistent performances …

Danny Farquhar ready to leap another hurdle in Yankees camp  —  Miguel Andujar takes batting practice on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019 in Lakeland, Fla.  —  TAMPA, Fla. - Danny Farquhar's comeback will reach another milestone on Saturday.  —  The right-handed reliever is scheduled to pitch …

Mariners veterans know the deal: Jerry Dipoto could trade them at any time  —  The Mariners clubhouse is teeming with young players who are deemed the future of the organization.  That's what happens when you spend the offseason shipping out one established player after another …

Two Yankees pitching prospects get obliterated in spring training … LAKELAND, Fla. — Four runs in the first inning off Michael Fulmer was the end of the positives for the Yankees in their 10-4 loss to the Tigers at Publix Field on Wednesday.  Four innings later a heavy rain stopped the game.

Big Mac Chat: Rangers minor league pitcher/social media czar Tim Dillard is must-watch  —  He has pitched a total of 73 games in the Major Leagues, his last appearance in the bigs came in 2013, and Tim Dillard is your hero because he remains on the mound.  —  He is 35, and is a most welcome …

Split decision: Padres closer Kirby Yates ‘saved career’ with new pitch  —  Imagine the mental anguish of hitting 30 as a big-league pitcher, wondering if your fragile roots in professional baseball soil would hold and coming to the realization you urgently need to reinvent yourself.

How to become a big league bullpen cart driver in five easy steps  —  WASHINGTON — Last August, the Nationals became the third MLB team to bring back the beloved bullpen cart, joining the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers, who launched the throwback trend early in the 2018 season.

Remember the '90s?  The 2019 Yankees seem to  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Gone are the days when the New York Yankees would in one calendar year single out a slew of baseball's best free agents and pledge bank-busting contracts to them.  —  As general manager Brian Cashman likes to say, the game has changed.

Craig Kimbrel to the Braves?  It's complicated.  —  ATLANTA — There's a reason I've waited to address the Craig Kimbrel issue.  It's because I've gone back and forth, and I hate being a fence-straddler.  (As faithful readers know, I'd rather be wrong — and often am — than uncertain.)

Luke Weaver sharp in spring debut for Diamondbacks  —  Luke Weaver's unofficial Diamondbacks' debut came on Wednesday afternoon on a back field at Salt River Fields against a Korean team that's in town for spring training.  —  It wasn't the sort of atmosphere that normally would produce butterflies …