After a rough Yankee intro, Clint Frazier is ready for his second spring in pinstripes  —  TAMPA, Fla. - Clint Frazier's flowing, red mane - a fixation of last year's Yankees cap - is now history.  —  “I actually cut my hair once a week in the offseason, so I enjoy how it looks right now,” Frazier said.

Dan Straily, Brandon Maurer lose in salary arbitration  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Pitcher Dan Straily of Miami and Brandon Maurer of Kansas City have lost their salary arbitration cases, leaving players with an 11-10 lead with one decision remaining.  —  Straily was awarded $3,375,000 Friday instead …

Wick claimed off waivers by San Diego, leaves Cardinals camp  —  JUPITER, Fla.  • In order to make room for Bud Norris on the 40-man roster and clear a way for the righthander to join the team for spring training, the Cardinals risked losing power reliever Rowan Wick, and did.

Michael Lorenzen is taking his rotation shot seriously  —  GOODYEAR, Ariz. - When it comes to making the starting rotation, the odds could be stacked against Michael Lorenzen.  Not that he's concerned.  —  When Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price broke down his rotation competition earlier in the week …

Edinson Volquez returns to Rangers on minor league deal  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Edinson Volquez has agreed to a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers, returning to his original team with a chance to be a candidate for the rotation in 2019.  —  The 34-year-old right-hander will not pitch …

Here's what the Giants thought of Tim Lincecum's bullpen session  —  After taking a full season off, the former Giants' ace is making a comeback bid  —  SCOTTSDALE, Arizona-The Giants are fond of offering second chances, and on Thursday, the club scouted a bullpen session of another fan favorite attempting to make a comeback.

Mets, All-Star pitcher Jason Vargas agree to $16 million, 2-year deal  —  Turns out, the New York Mets were ready and willing to spend this winter.  More than just a few bucks, too.  —  All-Star pitcher Jason Vargas and the Mets agreed to a $16 million, two-year contract Friday …

Next Slide  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers and Triple-A Toledo have had a strong relationship for over 30 years.  —  And on Friday afternoon, the two teams announced they have extended their player development contract through the 2020 season.  The Mud Hens have been the Tigers' Triple …

Francisco Lindor's new look channels motivation to take Indians further this season  —  GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Francisco Lindor arrived at Cleveland Indians' spring training camp Friday with a new look and a determined attitude.  —  Lindor generated lots of smiles and stares when he walked …

Diamondbacks at spring-training practice … The Diamondbacks welcomed a familiar face back into their clubhouse on Friday morning.  Left-hander Jorge De La Rosa surprised teammates at the facility around 8:15 a.m., and about an hour later, the club announced it had signed him to a minor-league deal.

Marcus Stroman angry at Blue Jays over negativity in arbitration  —  DUNEDIN, Fla. — Toronto pitcher Marcus Stroman met with Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins on Friday, a day after the 26-year old right-hander's salary arbitration loss triggered him to vent on Twitter.

MLB stock watch: From superteams to enemies of Boras, here's where all 30 teams stand  —  Baseball has sprung in the warmer regions of our land, even while those of us in the north continue to face days of snow, fog and bitterness.  For eons, writers have written about how the onset …

A breakdown of Yu Darvish's 6 pitches — their effectiveness and usage  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Justin Grimm can validate Yu Darvish's wide array of pitches.  —  “I'm sure he has eight but only throws six,” said Grimm, who became reunited with Darvish with the Cubs after playing with him in 2012-13 with Rangers.

No phone calls yet for 53-year-old Rafael Palmeiro in comeback attempt  —  Rafael Palmeiro isn't ready to give up his comeback attempt yet.  —  Even though no teams have shown much interest with full squads reporting to spring training next week, Palmeiro remains hopeful that a team will give …

David Freese thinks Pirates not trying hard enough to win  —  BRADENTON, Fla. — David Freese thinks the Pittsburgh Pirates are not trying hard enough to win.  —  “The last two years, we didn't do as well as we could have because of our environment.  That's what I think,” …

Red Sox's Hanley Ramirez wants ‘100 RBIs and 30 homers’ in 2018  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Hanley Ramirez has a solution for the Boston Red Sox's power-hitting deficiency.  —  A healthy Hanley Ramirez.  —  “Oh, yeah.  No doubt,” Ramirez said Friday after reporting to spring training.

After healthy offseason, Albert Pujols expected to play more in field  —  TEMPE, Ariz. — Albert Pujols is slim, trim and ready to dust off his first-baseman's mitt.  —  The 38-year-old former MVP is looking to reverse a downward-trending career, in part by contributing more in the field now that he has shaken off injuries.

Chicago White Sox rebuild might be coming along faster than expected  —  Although the White Sox finished with their worst record in four years, the rebuilding project seems to be progressing as planned, and 2017 showed the development of a handful of young and promising standouts …

Colon confident, but can he crack Rangers' rotation?  —  SURPRISE, ARIZ.  —  Far be it for most media members to say anything snarky about Bartolo Colon's physical stature, but, alas, the hypocrisy of most knows no bounds.  —  Suffice it to say, he's not built like the normal baseball player.