Nationals demote left-hander John Lannan and his $5 million salary to the minor leagues  —  UPDATE: It's official, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.  Lannan has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse and Detwiler will open the year as the Nationals' fifth starter.

Red Sox closer Andew Bailey to undergo thumb surgery … WASHINGTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey will have surgery on his right thumb that could sideline him for a significant portion of the season.  —  After an exhibition game Tuesday against the Washington Nationals …

Reds Claim Alfredo Simon  —  The Reds have claimed Alfredo Simon off of waivers from the Orioles, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets.  The Orioles had placed the 30-year-old right-hander on waivers over the weekend.  —  Simon posted a 4.90 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 43% ground ball rate …

Jays Demote Cecil; Call Up Carreno To Start  —  The National Post's John Lott tweeted moments ago that the Toronto Blue Jays have demoted Brett Cecil all the way down to Double A, and have called up Joel Carreno.  Lott believes that Carreno will start the third game of the season in Cleveland …

Tigers place Inge on 15-day DL with groin strain  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — After all the speculation this spring about Brandon Inge's future with the Tigers, the longest-tenured Tiger will open the season on the disabled list.  The Tigers placed Inge on the 15-day disabled list with a left groin strain on Tuesday.

Swisher continues to round into form in loss  —  Outfielder homers, doubles as Yanks fall late to Mets  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Ike Davis hit a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth to give the Mets a 7-6 win over the Yankees at Digital Domain Park in the clubs' first Florida meeting since 1996.

Another woe: Farnsworth has elbow soreness  —  UPDATE, 3:36: Though nothing official from the Rays, players in the clubhouse said they have heard Farnsworth will be on the DL to open the season.  Both Fernando Rodney and Joel Peralta said they are ready and willing if asked to take over closing duties.

Marquis rejoins Twins after daughter's accident  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Right-hander Jason Marquis has returned to the Minnesota Twins after a two-week leave to tend to his seriously injured young daughter.  —  Marquis threw a simulated game for the Twins on Tuesday, still wearing a hospital wristband.

When are game seven wins inevitable?  —  Someone interrupted my presentation at the SABR Analytic Conference to tell me that he literally “knew” that the Cardinals were going to win the seventh game of the World Series last year after they broke Texas' heart in Game Six.

Rockies' Jason Giambi finds tranquil path on baseball's rocky road  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Serenity is not a word one usually associates with Jason Giambi.  —  Back in the day, Giambi trained hard, played hard and partied hard.  He was a self-described “adrenaline junkie” …