Cole Hamels on Phillies: Winning ‘not going to happen here’  —  TAMPA - The words flow out of Cole Hamels' mouth without hesitation, equivocation, or the slightest tinge of remorse.  —  He wants to be traded from the Philadelphia Phillies.  —  This is not a threat.  —  He is not demanding a trade.

Member of 2003 World Series title team holds MLB record for pinch-hits  —  Lenny Harris was a .269 hitter over the course of his 18-year Major League career.  —  MIAMI — Another part of the Marlins' 2003 World Series championship squad is joining Miami's big league coaching staff.

Diamondbacks' new TV deal believed to be worth more than $1 billion  —  The Diamondbacks became the latest team to cash in on baseball's exploding local television market, agreeing to remain with Fox Sports Arizona under a contract that's believed to be worth in excess of $1 billion.

Red Sox begin preliminary extension talks with Farrell  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Traditionally, the Red Sox have used spring training as a time to begin contract extension talks with some of their players.  It happened last year with David Ortiz; the year before, the groundwork began …

The K Zone  —  The key to the composition of the Royals bullpen is both a familiar face and an unknown commodity.  They retained Luke Hochevar because they trusted his potential for dominance as a reliever, but his readiness on Opening Day as he returns from Tommy John surgery is still a mystery.

Lackey aiming for World Series trifecta  —  JUPITER, Fla.  • Cardinals veteran John Lackey posted a double-figure win total last year for the 12th consecutive season in which he has been healthy at the big-league level.  —  Excluding the 2012 season, which he missed for Boston …

Position battles, compelling storylines at Braves spring training  —  STORY HIGHLIGHTS  —  Braves pitchers and catchers report to spring training on Friday.  —  Platoons figure to be utilized far more extensively by the Braves than in recent years.  —  The Braves traded away three …

Pitcher remains unconscious and in critical condition in a Venezuelan hospital  —  2014 MLB.com Top Prospects: Victor Sanchez throws plenty of strikes, keeping the ball down in the zone consistently  —  Mariners pitching prospect Victor Sanchez showed signs of improvement on Wednesday …

Royals To Sign Eric Hosmer To Two-Year Deal  —  The Royals have agreed to a two-year, $13.9MM deal to avoid arbitration with first baseman Eric Hosmer, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports (Twitter links).  The Boras Corporation client, 25, will still have one more year of arb eligibility remaining …

Well-traveled veteran righty slimmed down in offseason, hopes to prove himself to Nats  —  Heath Bell, who ate healthy and increased workouts this offseason, hopes his new physique will help the Nats.  —  VIERA, Fla. — Heath Bell was dropping his 5-year-old son to play at a friend's house …

Arizona Diamondbacks' soft-tossing Collmenter slowly gaining acceptance  —  For a pitcher without an explosive fastball, the industry-wide approval process, with its built-in bias toward velocity, can take years.  —  A soft-tosser can post good results in the minors but won't get the benefit …

Facing stretch of 30 games in 31 days, club could ease workload with fresh arms  —  MLB.com Yankees reporter Bryan Hoch discusses the importance of a healthy CC Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka for the Yankees in 2015  —  TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees are considering using a sixth starter at times …