Harper again lobbies for Trout to join him in Philly  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — Now pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies, Bryce Harper.  —  The new Phillies slugger has again lobbied for superstar Mike Trout to join the franchise in 2021, a possible violation of Major League Baseball's tampering rule.

Miguel Cabrera won't apologize for albatross contract: ‘Why should anyone be sorry?’  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — He's of the greatest players in franchise history, a future Hall of Famer who'll be alongside Cobb, Greenberg, Kaline and Trammell in Detroit Tigers' lore, but today, he is considered an albatross.

Detroit Tigers' Casey Mize ‘going to be a fast-track guy’ for club  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — Just before 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning, Casey Mize walked into the Detroit Tigers' clubhouse.  —  Mize, an early starter — he usually gets to the ballpark around 7 a.m. — was not late.

Cardinals longtime No. 1 prospect Alex Reyes vows to reclaim status  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — It may have been a late inning of a meaningless spring training game, with most of the sellout crowd gone Tuesday from Spectrum Field, but for St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Alex Reyes …

Headaches await ESPN's Jessica Mendoza in Mets advisory role  —  The Mets better hope Jessica Mendoza, who they hired Tuesday as one of their baseball operations advisers, is better in that gig than she is working for ESPN as one of its “Sunday Night Baseball” analysts.

Extensions are MLB's new normal.  Are Bryant, other Cubs next?  —  MESA, Ariz. — Has there been a change in strategy around baseball?  What used to be the goal of nearly every player — earning the right to choose which team he plays for — might now be less appealing.

Luis Severino Shut Down For Two Weeks Due To Shoulder Inflammation  —  2:53pm: The MRI showed inflammation to Severino's rotator cuff, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch tweets.  He'll rest for at least two weeks while undergoing treatment, including injections and anti-inflammatories, before picking up a ball.

The wait for White Sox pitching prospect Dylan Cease shouldn't be long  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Dylan Cease's White Sox debut may take place a little later than necessary, but the pitching prospect still should be an integral part of the 2019 season.  —  Too many things have happened …

Newest Blue Jay Buchholz ready to embrace challenge of returning to AL East  —  DUNEDIN - He's 34 years old and some of his most electric stuff might be behind him, but Clay Buchholz isn't even remotely intimidated about returning to face the batting beasts of the American League East.

Nationals ace Scherzer shuns DH, decides to bat  —  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — In his third spring training start, Washington ace Max Scherzer wanted to try something different: batting.  —  Nationals manager Dave Martinez could have used a designated hitter in Tuesday's 8-4 loss to Boston …

Francisco Lindor ‘progressing well,’ making opening-day roster is question Indians seek to answer  —  The Cleveland Indians do not yet know if Francisco Lindor will be ready for opening day later this month, but feel he is ‘progressing well.’  —  CLEVELAND — Cleveland Indians shortstop …

Behind Dominic Smith's sleep revelation that has Mets raving  —  JUPITER, Fla. - Not only is Dominic Smith resting soundly through the night after shrinking the severity of his sleep apnea — a menacing disorder that disrupts a person's breathing pattern — but he's seeing the ball better too.

Tracking machines, spin efficiency and the plan to get Sonny Gray back on track  —  Sonny Gray had a bad season in New York.  We all saw that ERA (near 5.0), and his season culminated in his general manager all but telling the world that the pitcher would not be back in pinstripes.

Cory Spangenberg, Tyler Saladino get chances to play all over field for Brewers in camp  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - The plan of Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell this spring was to move utility players Cory Spangenberg and Tyler Saladino around on the field to gauge their versatility, both in the infield and outfield.

AP sources: MLB near deal for rosters to expand to 26 in '20  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball and the players' union are near an agreement to expand active rosters by one to 26 starting in 2020 as part of a deal that would include a commitment to discuss larger economic issues after opening day this year.

Giants' Maybin arrested for DUI in Scottsdale  —  San Francisco Giants outfielder Cameron Maybin was arrested early Friday morning in Scottsdale, Arizona, for two DUI offenses — driving while impaired and driving with a blood alcohol content of .08 or more.  —  Tests on the scene determined that Maybin's BAC was .127.