Yankees Acquire Alfonso Soriano  —  Alfonso Soriano is heading back to the same team with which he began his Major League career.  After stops in Texas and Washington and an extended stay in Chicago, Soriano has come full circle by officially waiving his no-trade rights to approve a trade to the Yankees.

Morse closing in on return to Mariners lineup  —  SEATTLE — Michael Morse was scheduled to play nine innings in right field for Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday night in his fourth rehab game, and a decision could come soon on when he'll rejoin the Mariners, according to interim manager Robby Thompson.

Stiffening PED penalties  —  Would players consider lifetime bans or voiding of contracts?  —  Let's have a warm hand, ladies and gentlemen, for Jared Michael “Skip” Schumaker.  He spoke the two words this week we never thought we'd hear a baseball player utter:  —  “Lifetime ... ban.”

Brewers' Lohse more popular than Gallardo; is he available?  —  One rival general manager who talked to the Brewers recently posed this question of Brewers GM Doug Melvin: “How about Kyle Lohse instead of Yovani Gallardo?”  —  He's very likely not the only opposing GM asking that question, either.

Outfield is the main focus, but Rangers mull Michael Young return  —  Seen as the most likely Phillies player dealt, Michael Young is a Texas clubhouse favorite (USATSI)  —  The Rangers are focused on outfielders at the moment, but they've talked at least internally about the possibility …

Mets Add International Slot Value From Angels  —  The Mets have added to their international bonus pool by acquiring an international slot value from the Angels in exchange for outfielder Julio Concepcion and righthander Andres Perez.  —  The Mets will receive the Angels' No. 2 slot value …

Pete Rose to cheaters: Baseball will catch you  —  COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — All-time major league hits leader Pete Rose has been banned from baseball since 1989, but no one can stop him from keeping a close eye on the game.  And Rose, who says he watches two or three games a day …

Mets playing better than Yankees right now - and without the drama  —  The Mets are just the Mets.  They aren't very good and won't be very good in the near future, but they aren't performing terribly at the moment.  Their biggest stars, David Wright and Matt Harvey, actually make it onto the field.

Phillies place Brown on seven-day concussion DL  —  ST. LOUIS — Domonic Brown sounded pretty optimistic he would be back in the Phillies' lineup Friday in Detroit.  —  But he will not be back until next Wednesday at the earliest.  —  The Phillies placed Brown on the seven …

Jake Peavy Rumors: Friday  —  Jake Peavy made what could have been his last start as a member of the White Sox yesterday, beating the Tigers after he allowed four runs on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in seven innings.  He was done in by a trio of homers, but Peavy also fired 118 pitches …

Tigers' Omar Infante suffers a setback; Darin Downs likely to return Friday  —  One took a step back, the other a step forward.  —  But the step back could be a big one.  —  Tigers second baseman Omar Infante left early in his rehab game with the Single A West Michigan Whitecaps …

JAYS' TRADE DEADLINE PLANS FOR NEXT WEEK A MYSTERY  —  The Toronto Blue Jays made a couple of deals heading up to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline a year ago and both were designed to shore up the bullpen.  —  They dealt outfielder Travis Snider - a former first-round pick …

George Brett resigns as Royals' hitting coach  —  Hall of Fame icon George Brett promised the Royals on May 30 that he'd commit for one month as their interim hitting coach.  On Thursday, after eight weeks in the role, he stepped away from that duty.  —  “I just felt it was time for me to move on …