Rockies 1B Desmond breaks hand in spring game  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) The Colorado Rockies lost one of their biggest offseason acquisitions when Ian Desmond was hit by a pitch Sunday, breaking his left hand.  —  Desmond was plunked by Cincinnati right-hander Rookie Davis with a 93 mph fastball …

Phillies, Mariners Swap Joey Curletta, Pat Venditte  —  The Phillies have traded outfielder Joey Curletta to the Mariners for ambidextrous reliever Pat Venditte, per an announcement from Philadelphia.  —  This is the second trade since last August involving the 31-year-old Venditte …

The Royals are ready for a fire sale they don't want  —  Alcides Escobar, Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain  —  MORE FROM:  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Royals GM Dayton Moore has informed outside executives that if his team is not contending come July that it is open season on his walk-year core …

Dominican Republic and its fans electrify World Baseball Classic  —  SANTO DOMINGO NORTH - That's what this was, the capital of the Dominican Republic relocated to Miami, the closest major city in the United States.  —  The crowd of 37,446 - the largest for baseball in the five-year history …

Mets Players at World Baseball Classic Reconnect With Roots  —  GUADALAJARA, Mexico — When Mets pitcher Seth Lugo speaks, the Louisiana in him becomes apparent.  There is a Southern accent and no hint that he has Puerto Rican roots.  He does not speak Spanish, and he had never …

Rafael Montero, once Mets' top starting pitching prospect, could find himself in long relief  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — Rafael Montero sat at his locker in the Mets spring training clubhouse texting and checking social media on his phone last week.  Just to his left, in front of their row of lockers …

2017 Top 100 Prospects  —  Below is my list of the top-100 prospects in baseball.  Each prospect has a brief scouting summary here with links to the full team reports embedded in their names where applicable.  Those without links will have them added as I cover the remaining farm systems.

Braves Claim Kevin Chapman From Astros  —  The Braves announced on Monday that they've claimed left-handed reliever Kevin Chapman off waivers from the Astros.  Houston reportedly placed the 29-year-old Chapman on waivers over the weekend.  Atlanta had an open spot on its 40-man roster, so no corresponding move is necessary.

The Surprise Five: Thoughts from Sunday at Rangers camp  —  Andrew Cashner returned to Texas Rangers spring training Sunday morning after a long flight delay Saturday night because of storms that passed through the Metroplex.  —  He knew that the media wanted a piece of him as soon as the clubhouse opened …

Anthony DeSclafani's elbow soreness returns, likely to start on DL  —  GOODYEAR, Ariz. — After his bullpen session Friday, Cincinnati Reds right-hander Anthony DeSclafani felt a recurrence of the elbow soreness that forced him to miss a week earlier in spring and is again shut down from throwing.