Manny Ramirez says he'll join A's  —  Manny Ramirez told ESPN's Pedro Gomez on Monday that he has agreed to a deal with the Oakland Athletics.  —  Ramirez  —  Sources tell Gomez the deal is worth about $500,000.  Ramirez is obligated to serve a 50-game suspension without pay before beginning play …

Rockies commit to Jim Tracy ‘indefinitely’ with new deal  —  Rockies manager Jim Tracy hits during a spring training baseball workout on Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (Darron Cummings, The Associated Press)  —  SCOTTSDALE — In an offseason defined by change …

Yanks agree to deal with Ibanez, sources say  —  The New York Yankees have agreed to a one-year deal with Raul Ibanez worth $1.1 million plus incentives, baseball sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney on Monday morning.  —  Ibanez can make up to $4 million total with the incentives, the sources said.

Dice-K throws in bullpen, on ‘very good pace’  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka threw a bullpen session on Monday.  However, even though Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said the right-hander looks and feels good, Matsuzaka is not expected to pitch in a Grapefruit League game this spring.

The Making Of “Homer At The Bat,” The Episode That Conquered Prime Time 20 Years Ago Tonight  —  On Feb. 20, 1992, more American homes tuned into The Simpsons than they did The Cosby Show or the Winter Olympics from Albertville, France.  A foul-mouthed cartoon on a fourth-place network bested …

Free agent Ivan Rodriguez hoping for another shot  —  DETROIT (AP) - Ivan Rodriguez is working out daily to keep his 40-year-old body in shape, hoping he'll get a chance to play this season.  —  The 14-time All-Star and 13-time Gold Glove catcher insists he's not ready to retire - yet.

2012 MLB Wins Over/Unders  —  New York 93.0 o-115 Detroit 94.0 o-115 Texas 94.0 o-115  —  Tampa Bay 87.5 o-122 Kansas City 78.5 u-119 Los Angeles 89.5 o-135  —  Boston 87.5 o-115 Chicago 77.5 o-115 Oakland 73.0 o-115

Crawford not ruling out return by Opening Day  —  Left fielder puts rough first season with Red Sox behind him  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — For Carl Crawford, the final indignity of a season gone horribly wrong was that line drive off the bat of Robert Andino at Camden Yards that glanced off …

Buster Posey told not to block plate  —  After a violent collision at home plate ended Buster Posey's season in May last season, San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy has instructed his All-Star catcher to no longer block home plate when a player is trying to score.

2012 Aggregate Bonus Pools  —  As part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams are now assigned an aggregate signing bonus pool for their picks in the first 10 rounds of the draft.  Each has a predetermined value, from $7.2 million for the No. 1 choice to $125,000 for pick No. 300 and any subsequent .

The baseball gospel according to Garfoose: Q and A with former Blue Jay Dirk Hayhurst  —  Dirk (The Garfoose) Hayhurst isn't your typical relief pitcher.  Known for his mythical creation called a Garfoose, a “fire breathing, magically empowered, indestructible, Wi-Fi enabled, half-giraffe half-moose …

The City of Montreal will honour Gary Carter  —  Montreal will honour the memory of former Expos catcher Gary Carter.  —  Montreal will honour Gary Carter.  —  City council unanimously approved a motion on Monday to offer condolences to the family of the veteran Expos catcher, who died of brain cancer last week at 57.

Yanks' Rivera on retirement: I know, won't say  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Adding to a mystery that will last the whole season, 42-year-old Mariano Rivera arrived at spring training on Monday and said he knows if he will retire at the end of the season.  However, he said he won't tell anyone.