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 …

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 …

San Diego Padres banking on budding youth to catapult them to a better place in 2018  —  For the seventh straight season, the Padres failed to finish .500 or better in 2017, but there could be some reasonable hope moving forward.  Despite a National League-worst team .234 batting average …

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.

Welington Castillo plays ‘getting to know you’ refrain with White Sox  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Working with a new group of pitchers presents challenges that Welington Castillo has overcome previously during his eight seasons in the major leagues.  —  The White Sox are Castillo's fifth team since …

Anthony Rizzo makes Joe Maddon and Jason Heyward proud  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Jason Heyward initially didn't realize Anthony Rizzo left spring training suddenly to help his Parkland, Fla., community heal from a mass shooting Wednesday.  —  But Heyward and manager Joe Maddon were proud of the way Rizzo represented his community.

Column: Cubs counting on veteran Jon Lester to return to ace-like form  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Jon Lester believes the term “ace” is simply a word the media uses to differentiate starters and that there's no difference in the rotation once the season begins.

Spring training is nearly six weeks long.  Does it need to be?  —  SURPRISE, ARIZ.  —  One winter, Ned Yost worked for a timber management company, navigating and cataloging 500 acres of terrain.  In three others, he unloaded 18-wheeler trucks for $14 per hour.  Good money.

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 …

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 …

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.

Next Slide  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — He certainly isn't here to fill Justin Verlander's shoes.  —  No single player in the Detroit Tigers' projected starting rotation this spring could do such a thing.  But right-hander Mike Fiers - the pitcher who was removed from the Astros' eventual World …

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.

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.

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,” …

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 …

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.

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.