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 …

Yankees reach agreement with Ibanez  —  TAMPA — The Yankees reached agreement with Raul Ibanez this morning on a one-year, $1.1 million contract plus incentives, pending a physical.  —  Ibanez is being brought in to be the primary DH against righty pitching.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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

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 …

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 .

Either Wade Davis or Jeff Niemann appears likely to wind up in bullpen thanks to Tampa Bay Rays' pitching surplus  —  Wade Davis has virtually no experience pitching out of the bullpen as a pro and says he doesn't intend to start now: “I definitely want to be a starter and stay a starter forever.”

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 …

Kim Klement/US Presswire  —  Game 162  —  The Tampa Bay Rays' Sam Fuld revisits last season's historic night  —  I like to consider myself a coordinated person.  I make a living running after baseballs in the outfield, sometimes dodging bullpen mounds, dancing along unpadded walls, even leaping over oncoming teammates on occasion.

Hamels wants long-term deal to stay with Phils  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — Cole Hamels sounds like a guy who expects to finish his career in red pinstripes.  —  All that remains is for Hamels' agent, John Boggs, and the Philadelphia Phillies to agree on a long-term contract.

No plans for Nats to add right-handed bat  —  VIERA Fla. — With the retirement of Mike Cameron, don't look for the Nationals to acquire a right-handed-hitting outfielder.  They feel they have enough from within if they decide to have a platoon situation in either center or right field.