Jason Varitek to announce retirement from baseball on Thursday  —  Jason Varitek, a two-time World Series champion and the captain of the Red Sox from 2005-2011, will announce his retirement on Thursday in Fort Myers sources told the Globe today.  —  Varitek is expected to stay with the organization in some capacity.

Wilpons plan to be Mets' owners for ‘long time’  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — After surveying players warming up on the morning of the first full-squad workout, New York Mets principal owner Fred Wilpon reached into his pocket, pulled out a $5 bill and lightheartedly flashed them for the media.

Reds Extend Sean Marshall  —  The Reds announced a three-year extension with lefty reliever Sean Marshall, which runs through 2015.  The contract is worth $16.5MM, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Rosenthal notes there's $2MM in performance bonuses each year, $1MM for games started and $1MM for games finished.

More details on Zimmerman's contract  —  VIERA, Fla. — There have been a lot of numbers thrown around since yesterday about Ryan Zimmerman's contract extension, and there's been a bit of confusion over the total monetary value of the deal.  Is it a six-year, $100 million extension?

AIRING IT OUT: ON THE MOUND AND OFF, JOSH BECKETT SEES NO REASON TO CHANGE  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — The spring training house is different, as are its surroundings.  This rental is much bigger than the rest of Josh Beckett's previous six spring training homes since the pitcher's arrival with the Red Sox.

Fire causes minor damage at Fenway Park  —  The Red Sox are more than 1,000 miles away, but they had a small problem at home on Monday.  A local Boston CBS affiliate reported that fire crews put out a small blaze at Fenway Park on Monday morning, which reportedly caused around $30,000 in damages.

Molina, Cards closing on deal  —  JUPITER, Fla. — The Cardinals and Gold Glove catcher Yadier Molina are close to agreement on a multi-year extension likely to make Molina the seventh catcher in the game's history to realize a deal with an average annual value exceeding $10 million.

Yu Darvish to make debut on March 7 … SURPRISE, Ariz. — Texas Rangers starting pitcher Yu Darvish will make his first Cactus League start on March 7 in Peoria, Ariz., against the San Diego Padres.  He's expected to throw two innings.  —  Perhaps the best news for Darvish about that start …

Harper, Trout, and Moore: Free Agents?  —  The offseason deals handed out to Japanese superstar Yu Darvish and Cuban tools king Yoenis Cespedes, as well as the returns generated in the trade market for young talent like Gio Gonzalez, are further proof that there is nothing more valuable …

Changes, San Diego Padres  —  The Padres hope Carlos Quentin can improve the team's .305 OBP the posted in 2011.  Photo: Jeff Moffett/Icon SMI  —  The San Diego Padres finished 2011 71-91, fifth in the National League West as they started a new round of rebuilding.  Their play was consistently poor throughout the season.