Yankees Soar, Mets Plunge On List of Baseball's Most Valuable Teams  —  Baseball has emerged from the recession with a big bang.  —  The average MLB franchise is now worth $523 million, an all-time high and 7% more than last year.  All of the league's teams rose in value except for three …

Yankees Blog  —  TAMPA — Jorge Posada will turn 40 this season.  This is not the end of the line, though.  If all goes well in his new designated-hitter role, Posada wants to come back to the Yankees again in 2012.  —  If they don't want him back, Posada admitted, it would be difficult …

Yankees may need to send Jesus Montero to Triple-A as play behind plate dips during hitting slump  —  SARASOTA, Fla. - Jesus Montero, the can't-miss slugger, hasn't lived up to the hype in spring training, and it's starting to look as if the Yankees may not have a choice but to send him back to Triple-A …

Francoeur stays positive through struggles  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Even though Jeff Francoeur has spent most of Spring Training hitting a buck something, he's never lost that million-dollar smile.  The Royals' new right fielder is the epitome of upbeat.  —  “I love this game and I love to be around it,” he said.

Braves' Salazar returns to camp after losing eye  —  KISSIMMEE, Fla.—Atlanta Braves minor-league manager Luis Salazar returned to camp Wednesday, two weeks after being struck in the face by a foul ball and losing his left eye.  —  “I'm very fortunate to be alive,” Salazar said.

Maine, Berg among four cut from Cubs' roster  —  MESA, Ariz. — The Cubs have trimmed four players from their Spring Training camp roster, including lefty Scott Maine and right-hander Justin Berg.  —  Maine and Berg were optioned to Triple-A Iowa, while Todd Wellemeyer and Angel Guzman were both assigned to the Minor League camp.

First Look: MLB Top Jersey Sales  —  One of the most popular lists I put out is the league jersey sales lists.  The NBA and the NFL have been doing it for years, but today, Major League Baseball enters the fray.  —  So who is missing on the Top 10 list?  —  Well, Stephen Strasburg is not there.

Justin Turner optioned to Triple-A, hello Brad Emaus  —  Justin Turner was sent down to the minors this morning, which essentially paves the way for Brad Emaus to lock down the starting second base job.  —  Updated by Matthew Cerrone at 9:40 am: … ~ Emaus, quoted by MLB.com

2011 Organization Talent Rankings  —  We present our annual organization talent rankings, evaluating each farm system based on its prospect-eligible players heading into the 2011 season.  Our ratings consider both impact talent and overall depth and were developed by the Baseball America staff.

Joba Chamberlain's velocity raises eyebrows as New York Yankees reliever returns to mound  —  SARASOTA, Fla. - Is Joba Chamberlain ready to turn the clock back to 2007?  —  Spring training results can often be deceiving, but the radar gun doesn't lie.  Chamberlain hit as high as 96 mph during …

Desire to win now kept Greinke from joining Nationals  —  Morry Gash/ AP - Zack Greinke fired his agent, John Courtright, the day after Courtright rejected the Nationals' offer of a $100 million contract extension.  “I could definitely see,” Greinke said, “how it looks a little weird.”

Burnett could be part of closer by committee  —  VIERA, Fla. — Although Nationals left-hander Sean Burnett continues to be a quality reliever, it appears he will be part of a closer by committee.  Manager Jim Riggleman indicated that he may need Burnett in the seventh or eighth innings.

Will Bonds Be Convicted or Just Embarrassed?  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Barry Bonds trial was barely an hour old, and already jurors were working overtime.  Notebooks in hand, they scribbled words like testicular atrophy, heard about female fertility drugs, and were told a bitter ex-mistress …