MLB INVESTIGATING CLAIMS TYING MARLINS PITCHER JARRED COSART TO GAMBLING  —  UPDATE: Cosart has apparently now responded to the claims; an account claiming to be his new official Twitter says his original account was hacked and DMs were sent to incriminate him in a gambling conspiracy.

Forbes: Average MLB team worth $1.2B  —  The average Major League Baseball team is worth $1.2 billion, up an astounding 48 percent from last year, according to new valuations published by Forbes magazine on Wednesday.  —  The driver of the growth, as with all major sports leagues …

Betances: My velocity ‘nowhere near where it should be’  —  TAMPA — Delin Betances didn't know his fastball topped out at 94 mph on Tuesday night against the Tigers at George M. Steinbrenner Field.  —  All the Yankees' giant right-handed closer candidate understood was that it was short …

Norris Strong for Blue Jays in 5-2 Win Over Orioles  —  SARASOTA, Fla. — Looking to cement a spot in the Toronto rotation, Daniel Norris allowed one run in six impressive innings as the Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 on Wednesday.  —  Norris gave up three hits and struck out seven without walking a batter.

Gomez Uses Offense and Defense, Leads Brewers  —  PHOENIX — Carlos Gomez led off the game with a home run, had three RBIs and made a sparkling catch in center field for the Milwaukee Brewers in a 9-9 tie with the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday.  —  Ryan Braun had three hits including an RBI double …

Tulowitzki Homers, Butler Strong in Rockies' Win Over Giants  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Troy Tulowitzki hit his third home run of the spring, Eddie Butler threw five effective innings in an audition for a rotation spot, and the Colorado Rockies beat the San Francisco Giants 5-2 on Wednesday.

Rays face tough roster decisions with season approaching  —  FORT MYERS — With the season starting in just 11 days, the Rays are talking about a lot of things they wouldn't have expected to be.  —  Such as how Nathan Karns is one of their top three starters, Logan Forsythe is the primary second baseman …

Gibson Strikes Out 7 in Twins' Loss to Rays  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Kyle Gibson struck seven in six strong innings for the Minnesota Twins in a 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.  —  Gibson mixed in his slider and placed new emphasis on his changeup in striking …

Unsafe at home: MLB's Venezuelan stars fleeing country  —  Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Montero, who has made his home in the Phoenix area since 2007, returned this past offseason to Venezuela, where most of his relatives still live.  —  He lasted there five days.