Excited Vazquez arrives at Yankees camp  —  Back in pinstripes, veteran concerned about only winning  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Just prior to Javier Vazquez's first season in Montreal, the Expos traded their defending National League Cy Young Award winner, Pedro Martinez, to the Red Sox …

Chris Antonetti expected to replace Mark Shapiro as Cleveland Indians GM  —  CLEVELAND — There could be changes at the top of the Indians organization.  Team President Paul Dolan has a press conference scheduled for 1:30 p.m. to discuss matter.  —  One possibility is that GM Mark Shapiro …

THE CASE FOR RODRIGUEZ  —  Praver will argue that Rodriguez had an exceptional season in 2009, posting career bests in ERA (3.02), innings pitched (205.2), Hits per 9 (8.4), Walks per 9 (2.8), and WHIP (1.240).  In the National League he ranked 9th in ERA, 15th in innings pitched …

Inside the Phillies: Unlike health, faith never lets Lidge down  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. - Brad Lidge's defining characteristic is belief - in God, in himself, in the basic goodness of the world.  He feels that all suffering happens for a reason, and will always lead to better days.

Cardinals in no hurry to sign fill-in for Ryan  —  JUPITER, Fla. — The list of available free agents who could augment the Cardinals' roster could soon be picked clean, but even with Brendan Ryan's recent surgery and a tenderfoot bench, general manager John Mozeliak sees the start of spring training as time for patience.

Nats win arbitration case with Bruney  —  Reliever will be paid $1.5 million; had requested $1.85 million  —  Reliever Brian Bruney lost his arbitration case Wednesday, meaning he will make $1.5 million in his first season with the Nationals instead of the $1.85 million he was seeking.

Atlanta Braves to host open auditions for Game Entertainment Team  —  The Atlanta Braves are searching for charismatic, spirited individuals with the ability to engage fans and work within a family environment, to audition for the Heavy Hitters Drumline and Tomahawk Team.

Eager to lead Rox, Helton arrives early  —  Veteran will be cautious in spring to preserve his back  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — Spring Training hasn't changed for Todd Helton.  He understands that the exhibition season is a grind, and anything that happens in games disappears once the regular season begins.

Wright Is Upbeat, an Early Sign of Spring  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — In the months after the disappointing 2009 season, Mets fans watched carefully to see how the front office would respond.  The team signed Jason Bay and made additions to the pitching staff, but that did not seem to satisfy …

Remoreseful Mark McGwire still denies steroids improved ability in impromptu press conference  —  JUPITER, Fla. - Mark McGwire was ready to talk when he made his official return to baseball as batting coach for the St.Louis Cardinals yesterday.  —  After a lengthy coaches meeting with manager Tony LaRussa …

Pulled teeth delay Greinke's workout  —  Bullpen session scrapped, but righty will throw Thursday  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Zack Greinke already has experienced the first bump of his 2010 spring.  Fortunately for Kansas City, it's nothing serious.  —  Early on Wednesday afternoon …

The Fort Report: Wednesday's developments  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Technically, the reporting date for Red Sox pitchers and catchers to spring training is on Thursday, but by Wednesday, virtually all of the pitchers who are competing for major league spots this spring had arrived.

Stark: Goodbye offseason, hello spring training  —  Leaving winter in the rearview mirror, and eyeing what awaits in Florida and Arizona  —  We're not sure what winter looked and felt like where you live.  But from where we live, in the tundra formerly known as Pennsylvania …

Free Player Injury Database  —  When I started working on Rotobase I knew I wanted to generate notes like the following: … However all the databases out there are either proprietary, or don't allow for easy access to the underlying data for analysis.  So, I started developing my own database, starting with 2009.

Numbers, numbers, numbers  —  One of the great things about blog interaction is that it often leads me to post information I would otherwise ignore.  This is a prime example.  —  I was never one to care about jersey numbers - truth be told, I still don't pay much attention to them …

Upon further review, Astros have an option with Paulino  —  Here's some news that could be a game changer for the Astros this spring: Felipe Paulino actually has one option left.  —  Previously, we had written here that Paulino was out of options.  It had also been discussed in Richard Justice's blog …