Morgan expects to be gone by Opening Day  —  VIERA, Fla. — Center fielder Nyjer Morgan believes his days with the Nationals are numbered and does not expect to be with the team by Opening Day.  —  Morgan, who is on the trading block, is aware the Nationals plan to use Rick Ankiel as their Opening Day center fielder.

Slama back in action after elbow woes  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Right-hander Anthony Slama, who has been sidelined all month with a stress reaction in his right elbow, threw in a Minor League game against the Red Sox on Friday, allowing one run on one hit while walking one and striking out two in one inning of work.

Arroyo diagnosed with mononucleosis  —  GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Bronson Arroyo now knows what he's dealing with — medically.  —  Arroyo, who has been bothered by what seemed like flu-like symptoms and a dry cough for over two weeks, got the results from a chest X-ray and blood work that were performed on Thursday.

Spring training 2011: New York Yankees add to mix by signing Kevin Millwood  —  The New York Yankees signed right-hander Kevin Millwood to a minor league deal on Friday.  —  The Yankees expected to announce soon if Freddy Garcia or Bartolo Colon will be the team's fifth starter, with the other likely headed to long relief.

The Moneyball Mets  —  Sandy Alderson needed to dump salary, and rebuild from scratch, anyway.  Being broke, for now, might actually be a good thing.  —  On the sliding scale of sports-fan optimism, Mets fans' hopes for this year's team fall somewhere between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Washington Generals.

Friday notes: “You never know what can happen”  —  Nothing is settled, but Jesus Montero's chances of making Yankees roster certainly seem to have diminished in the past week.  Montero hasn't hit especially well this spring, and Joe Girardi has admitted that the 21-year-old seems to be pressing.

Sweeney signs 1-day deal with KC, retires as Royal  —  SURPRISE, Ariz.—Mike Sweeney wanted to end his career the same way he started it, as a member of the Kansas City Royals.  —  So the former slugger signed a one-day minor league contract with Kansas City, then officially retired Friday as a member of the Royals.

What Happened Was  —  That guy I know who often see films months in advance caught a version of Bennett Miller's Moneyball (Sony, 9.23) last night, and...well, here he is: “I loved it, and I didn't expect to.  It's a baseball-from-the-business-angle movie, for goodness sake …

2011 spring training: Braden Looper retires after being cut by Chicago Cubs  —  MESA, Ariz. — Pitcher Braden Looper decided to retire on Friday after he was told by the Chicago Cubs that he will not be on the Opening Day roster.  —  The 36-year-old Looper, who had a non-guaranteed minor league deal …

Meet Baseball's Human Garbage Can  —  Arizona's Bullpen Catcher Will Eat Almost Anything—For a Price; the Habanero Incident  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—When Bryan Price joined the Arizona Diamondbacks as their pitching coach in 2006, he started hearing rumors about Jeff Motuzas, the team's longtime bullpen catcher.

McLane ‘close’ in deal to sell Astros to Jim Crane  —  Drayton McLane is nearing a deal to sell the Astros to Houston businessman Jim Crane, several people with knowledge of the discussions said Friday.  —  “They're close,” a high-ranking Major League Baseball official said.