Yanks nearing minor league deal with Kevin Millwood  —  From Jon Heyman of SI.com comes word that the Yankees are close to signing right-hander Kevin Millwood to a minor league contract.  —  Millwood, 36, had been holding out for a guaranteed big league roster spot, but it never came …

Riggleman juggles batting order  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — More than a month after saying Jayson Werth would hit third and Ryan Zimmerman cleanup, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman has decided to move Werth up to the second spot in the order and Zimmerman back to his normal spot in the three-hole.

Clay Buchholz takes aim at total innings goal  —  An eye on 200  —  JUPITER, Fla. — For all he achieved last year in his first full major league season, from the microscopic 2.33 ERA to the All-Star Game selection to the sixth-place finish in the Cy Young Award voting, there was one goal Clay Buchholz was unable to reach.

Royals Hoping Cabrera Rebounds  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Melky Cabrera has been a spring training surprise for the Kansas City Royals.  —  Cabrera, who signed with the Royals in December, is batting .479 this spring with five doubles, two homers and 16 RBIs and 17 runs scored.

Mets Are Said to Be Suffering Sizable Losses  —  The Mets, long one of baseball's most highly valued franchises, have lost millions of dollars in recent years, including nearly $50 million in 2010, according to two people briefed on the team's finances.  —  The team's losses …

Yankees trade Sergio Mitre to Brewers for Chris Dickerson  —  Just hours after adding some veteran rotation depth by agreeing to terms on a minor-league contract with Kevin Millwood the Yankees have traded Sergio Mitre to the Brewers, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.

Pedro Martinez is a work of art  —  If you're like us, you've been wondering what former Phillies pitcher Pedro Martinez has been up to.  —  Well, the former all-star and Cy Young winner was in Washington on Thursday to conduct a baseball clinic.  Oh, and on Friday, he's dropping …

Comment of the Day: Curt Flood Jr. talks about the Stan Musial restaurant story  —  Yesterday I highlighted Murray Chass' poorly-sourced hatchet job against Stan Musial.  The leadoff in that hatchet job was Chass' claim — based on a story Curt Flood allegedly told Marvin Miller who told Chass …

go here  —  Michael Baron: How much did fan sentiment play into the decision to cut Castillo and/or Perez?  —  Short answer for Castillo: Yes, for Perez, probably not.  We brought both players back to see the players, get to know the players, and make a decision not jus ton history, but current events.

Blue Jays Gamble on New Manager John Farrell  —  DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — John Farrell took over the Toronto Blue Jays with zero experience as a manager anywhere in the major or minor leagues.  That has its upside, he said.  —  “I'm coming into this situation with a clean slate,” he said.

Scott Kazmir is “in denial about his continuing struggles”  —  Scott Kazmir has a 7.79 ERA this spring after pitching horribly last season, yet after every poor outing he talks about stuff like “throwing the ball well” and feeling “so much better.”  —  Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times writes …

Scouts “stunned by Phil Hughes' lack of velocity this spring”  —  This morning my Twitter feed has been full of talk about Phil Hughes' declining velocity, starting with a couple reports quoting scouts.  —  First, here's Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com: … And now here's Joel Sherman of the New York Post:

Five questions: Cincinnati Reds  —  Cincinnati jumped into the postseason in 2010 behind an explosive offense and a pitching staff bolstered by a variety of young arms.  Joey Votto took home the MVP.  The offseason found the Reds shoring up their long-term health, as Bronson Arroyo, Jay Bruce and Votto signed contract extensions.

Teams Eyeing Nyjer Morgan  —  1:15pm: Rosenthal hears that the Brewers passed on Morgan (Twitter link).  They'll go with Brandon Boggs and Jeremy Reed as extra outfielders.  —  11:17am: The Brewers are one of the teams looking at Nyjer Morgan, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

Minor League Transactions: March 16-22  —  For the complete record: The asterisks (*) here denote instances of 40-man roster players who have agreed to terms on the minor league portion of their split major league/minor league contracts.  These players will have their minimum salary dictated …