Dominicans Use Defense, Pitching And Power To Push Venezuela To Brink In WBC  —  SAN DIEGO—The Dominican Republic is a team defined by its big bombers, an All-Star-driven juggernaut expected to pummel opponents into submission.  —  On Thursday night, the Dominicans showed they can win …

The full story on LB Derrick Johnson & FB Anthony Sherman's reworked contracts: The Chiefs - who were tight to the salary cap - have agreed to a major pay cut with linebacker Derrick Johnson, per league source.  Johnson, who tore his Achilles last year, was due a base salary $4.75M for 2017 and up to $1M in per game roster bonuses.

Cubs starters cautious about plans for occasional six-man rotation  —  Cubs' Brett Anderson on his fourth game and his slider on March 14, 2017.  (Mark Gonzales/Chicago Tribune)  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Preventive maintenance or an untimely tuneup?  —  That's the fine line Jon Lester …

2017 MLB Mock Draft: The First Ten  —  Predicting the first round of the 2017 draft may prove a fool's errand.  —  Not because the draft is unpredictable and teams have less consensus among the top picks than ever with more looks and more information available, though both of those are true.

The Quest to Determine the Second Best Pitcher in Baseball  —  As long as Clayton Kershaw is still pitching, every other starter in the majors is competing for the silver medal.  Who's no. 2?  According to a bunch of big leaguers, it's Max Scherzer.

Spin doctors: Pinpointing the reasons for a pitcher's success  —  PORT CHARLOTTE — The subject was spin rate, and that brought Jim Palmer back to a question he once asked Elrod Hendricks, one of Palmer's catchers during his years in Baltimore.  —  “How do I get them out?”

11 biggest questions remaining in spring training  —  MESA, Ariz. - Yes, there are things going on in spring training.  Real things.  The thrill-an-inning WBC and Mets “prospect” Tim Tebow and his stalker (who's ever heard of a stalker for a minor leaguer?) are getting all the attention.

Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez to blame for fatal boating crash, investigation concludes  —  Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez - drunk, high on cocaine and speeding - was behind the wheel and to blame when his boat plowed into a jetty off South Beach, killing two others, police concluded in a report released Thursday.

Surge at the 6-spot could signal end of the glove-first SS  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) As an All-Star shortstop in the 1970s and '80s, Larry Bowa recalls having a clear job description:  —  “Catch the balls and make all the plays.”  —  Bowa typified the traditional sandpaper shortstop …

The complicated state of Haitian Dominicans in MLB  —  Arroz con pollo waits on the table at Miguel Sano's duplex condo, not far from Target Field.  Sano's sister is visiting from the Dominican Republic, and her husband has made the Twins slugger's favorite dish — mounds of it, enough to feed a baseball team.

Scott Boras rips Blue Jays over handling of Sanchez salary  —  TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays have renewed the 2017 contract of all-star right-hander Aaron Sanchez for the major-league minimum of $535,000, a decision influential agent Scott Boras described as the “harshest treatment any team could provide a player.”