Yankees and Red Sox Are Close to Deal for June 2019 London Series  —  Details for series at London Stadium still must be worked out  —  Labor contract calls for commitment to international games  —  The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are nearing an agreement to play a two-game …

Mets outfielder Juan Lagares struggling in camp despite working on swing  —  For years, the question has been whether Juan Lagares can hit just enough to warrant a larger role.  The outfielder is one of the premier defenders in the spot and can change games with his glove, but he does not provide much offensively.

Making a case for Cards' Martinez  —  St. Louis Cardinals infielder Jose Martinez hits soft toss balls to warm-up for live batting practice during St. Louis Cardinals spring training on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018, in Jupiter, Fla. Photo by Chris Lee, clee@post-dispatch.com

A-Rod: Yankees' ‘breathtaking’ offense could break records  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Alex Rodriguez thinks the New York Yankees' “breathtaking” offense could break records this season.  —  Rodriguez arrived at spring training Monday and had high praise for a lineup led by Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Didi Gregorius.

Tigers prospect Franklin Perez to miss 3 months  —  DETROIT — Detroit Tigers pitching prospect Franklin Perez is expected to miss at least three months with a right lat strain.  —  The Tigers say Perez was injured in a minor league game Sunday.  There is no surgery recommended at this point …

This could be Willson Contreras' season to clean up as Cubs' No. 4 hitter  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Ian Happ downplayed the significance of his contributions this spring as manager Joe Maddon assesses various lineup options.  —  “It's not important who is going to be the leadoff guy,” Happ said.

Braves Reassign Ronald Acuna To Minor League Camp  —  The Braves have re-assigned much-hyped prospect Ronald Acuna to minor-league camp, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was among those to report on Twitter.  He'll presumably open the season at Triple-A.

Spring training numbers matter for some but not all  —  GOODYEAR, Ariz. - Spring training numbers can be deceptive - in both ways, good or bad.  —  Call it the Josias Manzanillo Rule.  Manzanillo was terrific for the Reds spring training of 2003.  He put up a 0.75 ERA and only allowed four hits in 12 innings that spring.

Detroit Tigers plug Clermont's Shane Greene into closer's role  —  Coming off reconstructive elbow surgery after his only season at the University of West Florida, Shane Greene was a man without a team.  —  The Clermont resident had lost his scholarship.  He had transferred …

Jose Altuve finalizes 7-year, $163.5M deal with Astros  —  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — AL MVP Jose Altuve and the World Series champion Houston Astros have finalized a $163.5 million, seven-year contract that guarantees an additional $151 million over five seasons.

Ex-MLB All-Star Milton Bradley charged with battery for allegedly assaulting wife: report  —  Former MLB All-Star Milton Bradley has been charged with battery after allegedly assaulting his wife, according to a report.  —  TMZ reported on Tuesday that the misdemeanor charge …

Plenty of hype for Ian Happ's defense in center field  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Manager Joe Maddon was criticized nearly seven months ago for allowing Ian Happ to play center field in the eighth inning of a game where he couldn't get to a deep double by Jose Peraza that cost the Cubs a 4-2 loss at Cincinnati.

Inside the mask: An umpire crew chief on mound visits, mad managers and having your call overturned  —  Ted Barrett has been a major league umpire since 1994 and a crew chief since 2013.  He has worked nine postseason division series, eight championship series and three World Series.

Dodgers' Justin Turner is injured in Cactus League game  —  The Dodgers braced themselves Monday for the possibility of opening the season without one of their most valuable players.  —  Justin Turner was hit on the left hand by a pitch in the first inning of Monday's exhibition game.

Jon Lester on Cubs' outlook as spring training winds down: 'I like where we're at'  —  Chicago Tribune  —  With six days of games left in Arizona, Cubs left-hander Jon Lester summed up the state of spring affairs.  —  “It's been a great camp,” Lester said Monday night after pitching 6 1/3 innings …

Way-too-early MLB trade deadline preview: Which buyers should be all-in?  —  Last week, I peeked ahead at the still-distant trade deadline to identify teams that in a few months might be trying to exchange veteran talent for future assets.  If there are sellers, there have to be buyers, right?