Saving the day?  Rays go with catchers Derek Norris and Jesus Sucre  —  PORT CHARLOTTE — The Rays went into the offseason seeking to improve a catching corps that has seemed perpetually in need of an upgrade since — save for a brief flash from Dioner Navarro — the halcyon days of Toby Hall and John Flaherty.

Cardinals could be sleeper for Quintana  —  Word is, the Chicago White Sox believe the perceived favorites Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates have been largely “passive” in their pursuits of Jose Quintana.  If that's the case, someone else such as the St. Louis Cardinals could sneak in and grab Quintana.

Ichiro can't fathom retirement: 'I think I'll just die'  —  JUPITER  —  Ichiro Suzuki doesn't believe in vacations.  —  The last time he took one — 2004 or '05, he doesn't recall which — was a week-long trip to Milan, Italy.  He worked out pretty much the entire time and said the excursion threw …

Nationals Name Blake Treinen Closer  —  Nationals manager Dusty Baker said today that righty Blake Treinen will take the team's closer role to open the season, as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post was among those to report on Twitter.  He won a camp battle with young righty Koda Glover …

Swarm of bees makes silly baseball-playing humans dive for cover  —  In the surest sign yet that it's high time for Opening Day, we present this bee invasion that happened in Thursday's Spring Training game between the Rockies and Padres.  —  With the Rockies up handily and everyone …

Rougned Odor gets 6 years and 2 horses in contract extension with Rangers  —  The Texas Rangers made their six-year, $49.5 million extension with second baseman Rougned Odor official Thursday.  And a previously unreported contract perk was revealed in the process: The Rangers sealed the deal by including a couple of horses.

Packers think Ty Montgomery ‘has that ability’ to be a No. 1 running back  —  Mike McCarthy doesn't look at Ty Montgomery as a receiver anymore.  But does the Green Bay Packers coach consider the third-year pro a No. 1 running back after Montgomery made the full-time position switch midway through last season?

As Baseball Considers Change, It Should Look to Its Past  —  In 1857, 14 baseball clubs met at Smith's Hotel on Broome Street in Manhattan to draft a new set of rules and regulations.  In an effort to make the game more manly and scientific, members of the Knickerbocker Club …

Next Slide  —  GOODYEAR, Ariz. - Leon Roberts had a standard list of questions he liked to ask young players when he was the roving hitting instructor for the Reds.  It was the early 2000s, the tail end of baseball's steroid era, and the answers unsurprisingly reflected the times.

Seattle Mariners 2017 preview  —  This is the latest of our 2017 team previews.  Each week during spring training, we'll preview a division with a team each day (Monday-Friday).  This week: The AL West: Texas Rangers |  Houston Astros.  Up next: Los Angeles Angels  —  LAST SEASON

2017 Major League Preview: NL West  —  BEST-CASE SCENARIO: Armed with the deepest pitching staff in baseball and a more balanced, dangerous lineup with the addition of Logan Forsythe, the Dodgers not only win their fifth straight division title but claim their first World Series crown since 1988.

Mets closer Jeurys Familia suspended 15 games for violating MLB domestic violence policy  —  Jeurys Familia has been suspended 15 games for violating baseball's policy on domestic violence, Major League Baseball announced Wednesday.  —  Familia, the Mets' All-Star closer …

After frustrating 2016, Royals' Alex Gordon happy to be leading off again  —  SURPRISE, ARIZ.  —  Alex Gordon entered this spring with an unofficial list of simple goals.  He sought comfort at the plate.  He wanted to feel good about his swing again.  He wished to move forward …

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/30/17  —  Here are the most recent minor moves of note from around the game:  — Righty Jair Jurrjens has agreed to a minor-league pact with the Dodgers, Hudson Belinsky of Baseball America reports on Twitter and PG Sports first tweeted.

Phillies' Edubray Ramos: ‘Great arm’ but a work in progress  —  LAKELAND, Fla. - A group of pitchers walked to a back field last month, at the beginning of this protracted spring training, and a 24-year-old Venezuelan asked a 39-year-old Dominican if he wanted to have a catch.