MLB Opening Day: Clayton Kershaw, Stephen Strasburg take mound for season's start  —  The full-fledged opening of the baseball season evokes a similar excitement to the start of a long-distance race, where the competitors know they're in for an endurance test but still can't wait to get going.

Pitcher Tyler Cravy lashes out after being cut by Brewers  —  The Milwaukee Brewers made their final two pitching cuts of spring training Saturday and to say the least, neither player took it well.  —  Relievers Tyler Cravy and Rob Scahill were told they were being sent to Class AAA Colorado Springs …

Rangers send a clear message to Keone Kela with minor-league demotion  —  The Rangers' surprising demotion of Keone Kela on Friday stemmed from the way the reliever conducted himself during a recent “B” game, according to major-league sources.  —  Several of the Rangers' senior players took exception …

Bumming out the DBacks  —  Madison Bumgarner is perfect through four innings as the Giants lead the Diamondbacks 1-0.  Bumgarner threw just 40 pitches, 30 for strikes.  Five of the 12 outs came via the strikeout.  Bumgarner also drew a walk in his first plate appearance, and just homered leading off the fourth.

Offseason In Review: Colorado Rockies  —  This is the latest entry in MLBTR's Offseason In Review series.  The full index of Offseason In Review posts can be found here.  —  The Rockies obviously see an opportunity to contend in 2017, and made some hefty commitments over the winter to bolster that possibility.

Yadier Molina's $60 million contract is money well spent for the Cardinals  —  It's a sign of the times that the average fan will react to Yadier Molina's three-year, $60 million extension with disdain, thinking that the Cardinals paid too much.  —  Molina is indeed likely to decline during the contract …

The next chapter: Royals 2017 season preview  —  We're looking at the end of an era.  Several players of the core group responsible for the Royals' rise from despair to euphoria are set for free agency after the 2017 season.  Some are already no longer with the club.

Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie: Lions CB D.J. Hayden needed ‘fresh start’  —  PHOENIX — Part of Reggie McKenzie wanted D.J. Hayden back with the Oakland Raiders, and if the money had been different it might have happened.  —  But McKenzie also knew that, for Hayden to reach his potential as a cornerback …

Rays remain confident in Austin Pruitt despite rough debut  —  ST. PETERSBURG — It's not often a relief pitcher faces three batters, makes his pitches and leaves with the bases loaded.  But that was what happened to Rays RHP Austin Pruitt, who made his major-league debut Sunday in the ninth inning …

Third spot the charm for Phillies' Odubel Herrera?  |  David Murphy  —  THE BEST HITTER in the Phillies' lineup has yet to find a home.  Odubel Herrera's first two seasons in the majors have seen him log more than 50 plate appearances in five of the top eight spots in the batting order …

Mets ace Noah Syndergaard ready for Opening Day start  —  Noah Syndergaard vaguely remembers sending the tweet.  He was lying on his couch in his apartment.  Only a few hours had passed since he climbed the mound in the National League wild-card game, delivered perhaps the game of his life . . . and watched the Mets lose.

Melvin Upton Jr. Won't Make Blue Jays  —  8:07pm: The Giants are content with their current outfielders, meaning they're not inclined to go after Upton, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  However, Schulman doesn't rule out a trade, noting it could come down to the caliber …

Indians Extend Roberto Perez  —  The Indians have signed catcher Roberto Perez to a four-year extension worth a guaranteed $9MM, reports Jordan Bastian of MLB.com (Twitter links).  The deal includes club options for the 2021 and '22 seasons.  A client of MDR Sports Management …

The No. 1 concern of every MLB general manager  —  In my 15 years as a general manager, I was always asked going into a season what my No. 1 concern was.  To answer, I almost always went to talking about my concerns about our players' health or the state of the team's starting rotation.