Pirates Notebook: Fifth starter might come from a trade with Atlanta  —  BRADENTON, Fla. — Both Victor Santos and Brandon Duckworth pitched well for the Pirates in their 8-3 victory against Philadelphia yesterday, but in the short run it might not have mattered.

Graffanino is placed on waivers  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Unable to find a suitable offer for Tony Graffanino, and uninterested in taking the financial hit to cut him or keep him, the Sox have placed the spare second baseman on waivers.  —  At least a few teams — including the Mets, Cardinals …

Notes: Damon returns to center field  —  Leadoff hitter scores two runs in Yankees' win over Rays  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Johnny Damon strolled out to center field on Saturday for the first time since March 10, when he played the outfield for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

Notes: Unit in midseason form  —  Johnson strikes out six Twins over 6 1/3 sharp innings  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Randy Johnson is ready for Opening Day.  Now, he just has to wait another nine days to take the ball.  —  Johnson made his penultimate start of the spring on Friday …

Cards contenders despite so-so offseason … JUPITER, Fla. — Excitement builds and emotions crest in the weeks before a ballpark's debut.  Just don't expect St. Louis manager Tony La Russa to get all Dick Vermeil-ish over something as mundane as a change of workplace.

Notes: Francoeur practicing patience  —  Right fielder hot since returning from World Baseball Classic  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — While there might be better ways to develop patience, the eye infection that confined Jeff Francoeur to his living room much of November might have actually been a blessing in disguise.

New fielding book may leave Rangers feeling defensive  —  Management using 'Fielding Bible' as evaluation tool  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. - Two new books sit prominently on the desk of Rangers general manager Jon Daniels.  One, the memoirs of John Schuerholz called Built to Win …

Agent: Bagwell to have 'last resort' surgery … Jeff Bagwell announced Saturday that he's going on the disabled list and will have surgery to remove bone spurs from his shoulder as "a last resort" to see if he can play again, his agent, Barry Axelrod, told ESPN.com Saturday morning.

Three vets out for redemption  —  Frank Thomas and Tim Salmon were playing against one another in the Cape Cod League in 1988.  Steve Finley already had made it to Triple-A with Rochester.  Ronald Reagan was the president.  —  Now, 18 years later, Thomas, Salmon and Finley came …

Wagner throws without pain  —  Mets closer believes return by Opening Day is still a possibility  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — It was the most fundamental and mundane activity for a pitcher — simply "hurling the sphere," as Randy Jones used to call it.  It was nothing more than a game of catch …

Nats Look to Overcome System Failures  —  VIERA, Fla., March 25 — The days when the Montreal Expos' farm system cranked out major leaguers — from Tim Raines to Tim Wallach, from Javier Vazquez to Vladimir Guerrero — were long gone by the time the franchise moved to Washington and became the Nationals.

Hee Sop Joy  —  I'm not sure whether to be more amazed by the abilities of this front office or the inabilities of 25 others.  Hee Sop Choi, a man whose closest 2003 comp was David Ortiz and who looks every bit like a player who would have breakout potential if someone ever gave him a decent chance …

Brewers break out bats vs. D-Backs  —  Koskie, Hardy, Jenkins, Fielder each collect two hits in win  —  BREWERS 16, DIAMONDBACKS 5  —  Brewers at the plate: After a 1-2-3 first, the Brewers erupted for 11 hits over the next two-plus innings against D-Backs Opening Day starter Brandon Webb.

Sweeney could see Major time in 2006  —  Youngster adjusts, once again considered a top prospect  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — During a recent morning meeting with his coaching staff, manager Ozzie Guillen asked the question that many White Sox fans have been wondering for the past year or so.

Notes: Fernandez in the bullpen mix  —  Knuckleballer looks to crack Brewers Opening Day roster  —  PHOENIX — The knuckleballer is so focused on making the Brewers' Opening Day roster that he is barely willing to acknowledge the alternative.  —  "If I go back to Triple-A …

Rose Continues to Wilt  —  Pittsburgh had just killed me.  As I watched the final seconds of the Panthers loss to Bradley in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, I felt frustrated and angry.  Under normal circumstances this game would barely register on my radar screen.  But these weren't normal circumstances.

Melvin's expectations high for Brewers  —  General manager fields fans' questions during Webchat … Ashley_Kolata: Mr. Melvin, Corey Hart has been having a pretty good Spring Training this year.  Is he going to start the year at Miller Park or in the Minors?