Long lunch: Spanish civil servant skips work for years without anyone noticing  —  Joaquín García failed to show up for his job at the water board for at least six years - and possibly as many as 14  —  Only when Joaquín García, a Spanish civil servant …

ZiPS' Top 100 MLB prospects  —  Last Thursday, ESPN colleague Keith Law released his Top 100 prospects, his ninth such annual ranking for ESPN.  This means it's time to put Keith's selections through the ZiPS wringer, testing his prospect rankings against the ZiPS projection system's data-driven, emotionless algorithms.

Grassley joins call to delay Supreme Court nomination  —  The Senate should not take up the nomination of a replacement for Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court until after the November presidential election, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said in a statement on Saturday.

MLB win totals: How we see the 2016 season unfolding  —  From April through October, 30 major league teams will contest 2,430 games and pay out some $3.7 billion in player salaries in the hope they win a few more than they lose, catch a fortuitous bounce or two and - should everything break just right - find their way into the playoffs.

100-Win Cardinals Ready to Defend NL Central Title  —  ST. LOUIS — There was no way the St. Louis Cardinals could match the headline-grabbing activity of their biggest NL Central rival in Chicago, the team that was saw to it they were one and done last fall.

Not every team that's rebuilding should be accused of tanking  —  Here's the thing about “tanking,” which the owners reportedly discussed at their recent meetings, and which some will tell you is a scourge on baseball as we know it:  —  When teams such as the Phillies, Brewers and Braves go young …

Mookie Betts Drove A Golf Cart Right Into A Lake  —  Red Sox center fielder Mookie Betts is an adept baseball man, as well as an extremely skilled bowler.  What he's not good at is driving a golf cart, apparently.  He and Travis Shaw went golfing this afternoon, and they got a bit more amphibious than they wanted to.

Rangers sign first baseman Ike Davis to minor league deal  —  Left-handed-hitting veteran has invitation to big league spring training  —  Davis played for Pirates in 2014 when Banister was coach  —  Hit career-high 32 home runs with 90 RBIs for Mets in 2012

Rays' position battles heading into spring training  —  There are plenty of things Rays officials don't know as they head to Port Charlotte this week to open spring training.  —  Who from a group of inexperienced options led by Alex Colome will emerge as the primary setup man for closer Brad Boxberger?

Jenrry Mejia first player to get permanent ban for 3rd positive PED test  —  NEW YORK — Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejia made baseball history Friday, becoming the first player to be permanently suspended by Major League Baseball after testing positive again for a performance-enhancing substance.