Phillies, Durbin Agree to 1-Year Deal  —  The Phillies are bringing back a familiar face to fortify their bullpen.  —  Sources told MLB.com today the Phillies and right-hander Chad Durbin have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, pending a physical.  The deal includes a club option for 2014.

Kelly Johnson, Rays reach agreement  —  The Tampa Bay Rays have reached agreement with free-agent second baseman Kelly Johnson on a one-year contract, according to major league sources.  —  The move will enable the Rays to use Ben Zobrist in right field as well at second base …

Michael Kay signs multi-year contract extension with YES Network  —  Michael Kay, whose voice has been synonymous with the YES Network since its launch in 2002, has signed a multi-year extension with the network to remain its lead New York Yankees play-by-play voice.

MLB Notebook: Aramis impresses with XBH  —  On the final day of the 1921 regular season, Yankees outfielder Babe Ruth went 2-for-4 and hit his 59th home run to help New York to a 7-6 victory against the Red Sox.  With the homer, Ruth completed the year with 119 extra-base hits in 693 plate appearances.

The Art Of The Japanese Bat Flip  —  This video was put together by some unknown Japanese hero a year ago, but it's making the rounds today (I think it popped up first on Fangraphs last week).  And that's 100 percent of the background on the video you're going to get.

A's confident they can do it again  —  Photo: Beck Diefenbach, Special To The Chronicle  —  Last year, the Angels made the big offseason splash by signing Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson - but the A's were the surprise winners of the AL West.  —  This year, the Angels again were the big-news team …

Free Agent Rumors: Brewers, Lowe, Athletics  —  The all-unemployed team would feature Michael Bourn, Kyle Lohse, Joe Saunders, Brian Wilson and others, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark points out (all Twitter links).  The free agent market also includes many designated hitter candidates, which is usual for this time of year.

Montero ready to build on experience of rookie year  —  SEATTLE — For all the talk about new additions and increased veteran leadership, the biggest improvement for the 2013 Mariners might well lie with the progress of their returning youngsters.  —  And tops on that list figures to be Jesus Montero …

Infield a formidable strength for Mets  —  This is the first installment of a four-part Around the Horn series, taking a segment-by-segment look at the Mets' roster heading into Spring Training.  Up first: Infield.  —  NEW YORK — The 2012 Mets were flawed in many ways.

2013 Baseball Farm System Rankings  —  Up until 2012, I had avoided doing farm system rankings.  Here is the introduction I wrote about them last year: … That's all still true.  Things can change fast of course: the Marlins farm system is now better than the Jays system …

Warriors' Andrew Bogut to start Monday at Toronto  —  TORONTO — Warriors center Andrew Bogut will return to action on Monday, making his first start since Nov. 7.  —  Bogut has missed the last 38 games to rehabilitate his surgically repaired left ankle.  He played in four of the first five games this season.