Top News:
T.R. Sullivan / Postcards From Elysian Fields:
Last Call from the Desert...Kyle Lohse, Derek Lowe, Lance Berkman — Wrapping up after the Rangers 3-2 win over the Cubs: … David Murphy on the uncertainty surrounding CEO Nolan Ryan. — A Rangers source on free agent pitcher Kyle Lohse: “We are not going to sign Kyle Lohse.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, HardballTalk and CBSSports.com
RELATED:
Evan Grant / Texas Rangers Blog:
Source: Texas Rangers close to deal with Derek Lowe — SURPRISE, Ariz. - The Rangers are about to sign a Scott Boras-represented starting pitcher. Or a reliever. He can do both. — According to a major league source Tuesday, the Rangers are on the verge of a minor league deal with 39-year-old RHP Derek Lowe.
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Teixeira out eight to 10 weeks with wrist strain — TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees' injury-riddled spring took another serious hit on Wednesday, as the team announced Gold Glove first baseman Mark Teixeira will miss eight to 10 weeks with a strained tendon in his right wrist.
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
RELATED:
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Yankees To Consider Corner Infielders
Yankees To Consider Corner Infielders
Discussion:
Pinstriped Bible, HardballTalk and MLB Daily Dish
Brian MacPherson / blogs.providencejournal.com:
Ryan Westmoreland announces retirement from baseball — FORT MYERS, Fla. — Ryan Westmoreland announced his retirement from professional baseball in an email to several members of the media on Wednesday. — “With a clear mind and heart, as well as the unwavering support and friendship of my family …
Discussion:
CBSSports.com, Over the Monster, HardballTalk and MLB Rumors
Fox Sports:
Cuba tops Japan to win Group A — FUKUOKA, JAPAN (AP) — Alfredo Despaigne hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning, helping Cuba defeat two-time defending champion Japan 6-3 Wednesday to finish first in Group A of the World Baseball Classic. — Despaigne's home run off reliever Takeru Imamura …
Discussion:
Bleed Cubbie Blue
Christina De Nicola / MLB.com:
For Rodriguez, a Mets reunion would be ‘great’ — PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Less than an hour before Team Venezuela played an exhibition game against the Mets at Tradition Field, right-hander Francisco Rodriguez sat in the visiting dugout, ready to catch up with former teammates in the home clubhouse.
Discussion:
CBSSports.com and HardballTalk
Scott Miller / CBSSports.com Sports News …:
Free agent Wilson not expected to sign until after season starts — Free-agent reliever and former Giants star closer Brian Wilson continues his rehabilitation pretty much in anonymity, and it might be several weeks into the season until he's ready to sign.
Discussion:
HardballTalk, MLB Rumors and MLB Daily Dish
Matthew Callan / Amazin' Avenue:
The Night Hugo Chavez Broke Shea Stadium — We have a strict NO POLITICS rule here at Amazin' Avenue. Nonetheless, I could not let the passing of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez go by without sparing a few nonpartisan words about his small role in one of the weirdest nights ever seen at Shea Stadium.
Discussion:
SportsGrid, Baseball Nation and Old Time Family Baseball
Associated Press:
Cardinals hire Willie McGee — JUPITER, Fla. — The St. Louis Cardinals have hired former great Willie McGee as a special assistant to the general manager focusing on the minor leagues. — The 54-year-old McGee, added to the staff on Wednesday, served a special instructor at spring training last month.
Maury Brown / The Biz of Baseball:
What Happens if Nolan Ryan Leaves the Rangers? — Whether it happens, or not, the fact that there's conversation about Nolan Ryan leaving the Texas Rangers is big news. It is, after all, Nolan Ryan, a figure that looms large in the history of baseball as a Hall of Fame pitcher …
Discussion:
Wild Things and Lone Star Ball
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Quick Hits: Mets, Rangers, Hamilton — The strength of the 2013 Mets appears to be their rotation, but when you compare New York's starting five to the rotations of the Nationals, Phillies and Braves, the group no longer seems as intimidating. As Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes …
Discussion:
New York Post, CBSSports.com Sports News … and MLB Daily Dish
Arizona Republic:
Cactus League costs: Phoenix-area cities lose millions operating stadiums but say it's worth it — FONT: — Cactus League baseball has boosted Arizona tourism for decades, but the annual migration of several hundred thousand fans to the Valley is costly for taxpayers.
Bob Brookover / Philly.com:
Inside the Phillies: Torched by Dominicans, Cole Hamels is no fan of WBC — CLEARWATER, Fla. - This just in: The Phillies are not the best baseball team in the world. — In fact, they looked more like one of those college teams invited to play a big-league club early in spring training during …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
RELATED: