Ballbug: Matt Harvey delivers best outing of spring, tops out at 97 mph (Marc Carig/Newsday)

Ben Frederickson / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Wong would rather be traded than platoon at second base — JUPITER, Fla. • Second baseman Kolten Wong expressed confusion and frustration Sunday about the news that the Cardinals are considering a platoon approach at Wong's position to start the regular season.

Discussion: NBCSports.com, Viva El Birdos and FanRag Sports

Updated: Wong clarifies comments on potential platoon at second base — UPDATE: Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong asked the Post-Dispatch to clarify comments he made earlier Sunday about the team considering a platoon approach to second base to start the season. His words, in full, appear below:

Discussion: FanRag Sports

Connor Byrne / MLB Trade Rumors:

Latest On Kolten Wong — 3:22pm: Wong asked the Post-Dispatch to clarify his earlier comments and emphasized that he'd like to remain a Cardinal. Wong's full statement is available at this link. Here's an excerpt: … 1:35pm: With Jhonny Peralta set to open the season as the Cardinals' third baseman …

Discussion: Al's Ramblings

Connor Byrne / MLB Trade Rumors:

Drew Stubbs Opts Out Of Twins Deal — Outfielder Drew Stubbs has opted out of his minor league contract with the Twins, according to Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press (Twitter link). The Twins informed Stubbs on Sunday that he wasn't going to make their big league roster.

Discussion: Twin Cities, FanRag Sports and Twinkie Town

Matt Breen / Philly.com:

Andrew Knapp homers, makes case to stick with Phillies — CLEARWATER, Fla. - Andrew Knapp reported to spring training with a job pretty much secured. The Phillies all but named him the team's backup catcher before camp opened. No pressure. — Knapp, who has yet to reach the majors …

Discussion: Phillies Nation and The Good Phight

Marc Carig / Newsday:

Matt Harvey delivers best outing of spring, tops out at 97 mph — PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Matt Harvey squashed any lingering doubts about his readiness to begin the season. — The Mets righthander delivered his best outing of spring training in an 8-2 win over the Braves on Sunday …

Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:

Sources: Rougned Odor expected to sign multi-year extension with Rangers — SURPRISE, Ariz. - It has become a big week for Rangers who were teammates on the Venezuelan team in the World Baseball Classic. — Albeit, it's about to be much bigger for Rougned Odor than Robinson Chirinos.

Discussion: NBCSports.com, Beyond the Box Score, FanRag Sports, MLB Trade Rumors and MLB Daily Dish

Discussion: Bleacher Nation and Sportsnet.ca

ESPN:

Mike Trout proposes umpire change — Mike Trout is widely regarded as baseball's best player, and you'd also be hard-pressed to find a player who is more universally liked than Trout. He seems to have a running banter with almost everyone when he plays, from opposing catchers to infielders, to umpires.

Discussion: Halos Heaven

Ryan Pollack / The Hardball Times:

The Astros' Rotation Stunk in April 2016. Were Their Starters too Similar? — Last May, after the Astros had completed a miserable 7-17 April, Ken Rosenthal noted the sorry state of the team's starting rotation and proposed a reason the team was in this spot. He also hypothesized a cause.

Discussion: baseballmusings.com

Nate Scott / Fox Sports:

Indians GM's 6-year-old son gives away contract scoop during adorable on-air interview — Indians general manager Mike Chernoff has put together a fun, young roster over the last several seasons, and it's understandable that he would want to lock up a lot of that young talent for the future.

Discussion: Yahoo Sports

Jeff Wilson / Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

Rangers prospect Matuella returns to game action — SURPRISE, ARIZ. — Michael Matuella admitted to some nerves before making his spring debut on the back fields Sunday afternoon. It's not hard to blame him after not pitching in a game since June 17 and before that April of 2015. — The results?

Discussion: Lone Star Ball

ESPN:

Gimme some glove! Forecasting MLB's best, worst fielders — Defense has been making news even earlier than usual this spring thanks to the World Baseball Classic. Most notably, Adam Jones' incredible home run robbery of Orioles teammate Manny Machado helped Team USA defeat the Dominican Republic and advance to the WBC semifinals.

Connor Byrne / MLB Trade Rumors:

Tigers Place Mark Lowe On Release Waivers — The Tigers have placed reliever Mark Lowe on unconditional release waivers, reports Jason Beck of MLB.com (Twitter link). The right-hander is due a $5.5MM salary this year, so he'll likely clear waivers and become a free agent.

Discussion: Bless You Boys