St. Louis Cardinals close to signing Felipe Lopez  —  • The St. Louis Cardinals are close to agreement with free agent utility player Felipe Lopez on a one-year contract that would offer infield depth and add a much-needed lefthanded bat, sources close to negotiations confirmed Friday.

Thames can opt out  —  In a way, veteran Marcus Thames and Rule 5 pick Jamie Hoffmann are in the same boat this spring.  They're both right-handed outfielders who will either make the major league roster, or likely won't be in the Yankees organization at all.

Break up the (AL) East  —  Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005.  He appears weekly on MLB on FOX.  —  As a baseball official says, ask five people for opinions on realignment, and you'll get six ideas.  —  I'm not going to pretend that change would be easily accomplished.

NY Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett worked on changeup with longtime reliever Arthur Rhodes … TAMPA, Fla. — Encouraged by a full season of watching CC Sabathia dominated hitters with his changeup, Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett spent his entire offseason trying to improve his own version of the pitch.

Wright-Bay? ...  Or Bay-Wright?  —  Jerry Manuel said Friday that he's unsure about whether it should be David Wright-Jason Bay in the Nos. 4 and 5 slots, or vice versa, but he envisions the Opening Day lineup like this:  —  Pagan, cf  —  Castillo, 2b  —  Reyes, ss  —  Wright, 3b / Bay, lf

Posada on the 5th starter race: Bring your A-Game now  —  Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes each threw 30-something pitches in their live BP session today, which we'll detail in a moment.  —  Jorge Posada caught Hughes and hit against Joba (who threw a sharp slider that grazed off Posada's front foot) …

PADRES: Gonzalez an asset that needs protection  —  LACKING LINEUP SUPPORT, SLUGGER LED NL IN WALKS LAST SEASON  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — No heavy research is needed to discover the key to the Padres' offensive success this season.  —  Protect Adrian Gonzalez, or else.  —  It's that simple.

Blocked by Jeter, a Backup Finds Other Work  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Literally and figuratively, Mick Kelleher was once in Ramiro Pena's position.  As a shortstop in the St. Louis Cardinals organization in the late 1960s and early '70s, Kelleher played four years in the minors behind the incumbent, Dal Maxvill.

Phillies' payroll projected at $136.55 million  —  Howard, Halladay club's highest-paid players for 2010  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Phillies' projected Opening Day payroll is at least $136.55 million.  —  The Phillies recently inked their remaining unsigned players who are not eligible for salary arbitration.

Mariners completely overhauling their approach to fitness and training  —  Just got out of the Mariners weight room down here, which, I have to say, is almost completely devoid of weights.  The Mariners, as we mentioned yesterday on the blog, have signed a three-year contract with Dr. Marcus Elliott …

Why Cards must keep Pujols, and why it looks like they will … JUPITER, Fla. — Baseball executives agree on a couple things regarding superstar Albert Pujols, the Cardinals and their future together.  —  1. Pujols and the Cardinals have a very good chance to stay together beyond 2011 …

Moving experience for former Phillies' prospect Taylor, now with Oakland  —  PHOENIX - The Phillies wanted Michael Taylor to play winter ball in Obregon, Mexico.  He had never seen anything quite like it.  —  “Animals on the field.  Like chickens and stuff like that.  People having barbecues in the stands.