Noah Syndergaard ‘super jacked’ to pitch Mets' opener  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — New York Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard tried to put his second straight Opening Day start in perspective but let his emotion show.  —  “I'm super jacked for it,” he said Thursday.

MLB tells Judge recruiting Machado against rules  —  TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Major League Baseball has told New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge his comments attempting to recruit Baltimore shortstop Manny Machado violate the sport's tampering rules, and Judge says he has learned the lesson.

Ed Charles, a Mainstay of the Miracle Mets, Is Dead at 84  —  Ed Charles, the heart and soul of the Miracle Mets of 1969, died on Thursday at his home in East Elmhurst, Queens.  He was 84.  —  His daughter-in-law, Tomika Charles, confirmed the death, saying he had been ill for several years.

Camp report: Lefty Brent Suter scuffles with fielding and command vs. Texas  —  On the field: Left-hander Brent Suter had his roughest outing of the spring, allowing seven hits and four runs over four innings against Texas.  A couple of poor fielding plays on his part that made things tougher.

Cubs starters set sights on surpassing ‘outstanding’ 2016 results  —  Chicago Tribune  —  To top the Cubs starting pitchers of 2016 to become manager Joe Maddon's best rotation, the current crop at least must match that group's 81 victories while compiling a 2.96 ERA.

David Price looks good in spring training debut  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Making his first Grapefruit League start — and first start of any kind in a competitive environment since last July 22 — Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price gave up one hit and one walk in four innings Thursday …

Column: If the old Wrigley Field dugout walls could talk, the stories they would tell  —  Chicago Tribune  —  The Cubs eased concerns of a repeat of the start of the 2015 season when they announced the latest Wrigley Field renovations will be completed in time for the April 9 home opener.

Cardinals notebook: Reyes faces hitters, including Wainwright  —  JUPITER, Fla.  • The scouting report Alex Reyes had was incomplete on one of the hitters he faced Thursday during another in his long line of backfield appearances.  He knew without any stats that the righthanded batter was …

By showing restraint, MLB teams positioned themselves to go dumpster diving thanks to diminished value of free agents  —  TAMPA — Much to the further dismay of the Players Association and in particular Scott Boras, whose clients have ended up with about $300 million less than he promised them …

Arizona Diamondbacks spring training - 2018 … Sitting at his locker on Thursday morning, David Peralta turned his right palm upward and clenched his fist.  The difference, he says, is tangible.  And it's the reason he can envision this year being far more productive for him than last.

Detroit Tigers great Alan Trammell visits Hall of Fame as first step for induction  —  COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — At the end of a three-hour tour of the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Thursday, Alan Trammell was guided to one last stop.  His stop.  —  He stood before a piece of Corian solid surface mounted …

Joe Maddon's restaurant to make late splash in Wrigleyville area  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Cubs fans will be treated to many new restaurants in the Wrigleyville area, including Smoke Daddy, Big Star Tacos, West Town Bakery and Tap and Jeni's Ice Cream.  —  Those establishments will open …

Will former No. 1 pick Dansby Swanson blossom into a star?  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — If Dansby Swanson ever wanted to retreat into anonymity and ease his burden as one of the most scrutinized players on the Atlanta Braves' roster, there's an easy solution: He can just pass himself off as Charlie Culberson.

Mets' Michael Conforto to take first at-bats since dislocating shoulder last season  —  PORT ST. LUCIE — Michael Conforto will take at-bats in a minor-league game Friday.  The All-Star outfielder has not hit in a game since he dislocated his shoulder and tore his anterior capsule while swinging at a pitch last August.

Which new faces in new places will thrive in 2018?  —  A 2016 paper titled “Turning up by Turning Over” published in the Journal of Business Psychology studied 712 major league players who changed teams from 2004 to 2015.  The study concluded there are benefits for certain players in changing teams …

Column: White Sox may be in race to bottom, but fans don't seem too concerned  —  Chicago Tribune  —  As the White Sox were working out Thursday at Camelback Ranch, players union head Tony Clark was on the other side of the valley discussing the “race to the bottom.”

Rangers likely done with free agent market this spring  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. - The Rangers' expedition into the slow-moving free agent market appears to be over.  —  General manager Jon Daniels said Thursday he doesn't expect the team will pursue a free agent left fielder or a relief pitcher from the remaining pool of talent.

For starters: Rays at Twins, 1:05, with Faria on the mound  —  The Rays are heading south to Fort Myers to face the Twins for the sixth and final time this spring, having gone 1-4 thus far.RHP Jake Faria, who has struggled this spring in terms of performance and