How Giancarlo Stanton Negotiated His Way to the Yankees to Create Baseball's Scariest Lineup  —  Created with Sketch.  — By acquiring Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees created a lineup that will take power to new heights.  —  As midnight approached on Thursday, Dec. 7 …

Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner suffers broken left wrist  —  GLENDALE, Ariz. — The reigning National League champion Dodgers are going to be without their red-headed slugger on Opening Day, and possibly for a while after.  —  Justin Turner has a broken left wrist after being hit …

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

Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson, Trayce Thompson homer to carry Dodgers past A's  —  THE GAME: Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson and Trayce Thompson hit home runs to give the Dodgers a 3-0 victory over the Oakland A's on Monday night at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.

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.

This was the biggest conversation Jon Daniels and the Rangers had at the beginning of winter  —  Rangers GM Jon Daniels appeared on 105. 3 The Fan's G-Bag Nation recently to talk about his ballclub heading into the start of the season.  Here are some of the highlights.

The Braves demoted Ronald Acuna and it's a reminder that baseball is still a business  —  Ronald Acuna deserves to be on the Opening Day roster  —  In an annoying, if unsurprising development, the Atlanta Braves reassigned outfielder Ronald Acuna on Monday, dashing baseball's top prospect's chance at cracking the big-league roster.

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.

Sports Illustrated Picks Nationals to Beat Yankees in 2018 World Series  —  The Yankees made some big moves, but SI still doesn't like them to win the World Series.  —  Nationals fans will hope we here at Sports Illustrated can catch lightning in a bottle again with our World Series prediction.

NFL sets new definition for controversial catch rule … The NFL is about to have a new catch rule.  The league's rule-making competition committee is poised to change the controversial rule by eliminating two provisions that were particularly confounding over the years to players …

Nationals option top prospect Victor Robles to minors  —  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Top Washington Nationals prospect Victor Robles has been optioned to the minors.  —  Robles, 20, who is ranked as baseball's fourth-best prospect by ESPN's Keith Law, will begin the season at Triple-A Syracuse …

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.

White Sox send Michael Kopech and Jacob May to minors  —  Chicago Tribune  —  The White Sox reassigned right-hander Michael Kopech and outfielder Jacob May to minor-league camp Tuesday.  —  Kopech, ranked the No. 10 prospect in baseball by MLB.com, had an 11.57 ERA with seven walks …

Next Slide  —  Despite the chill in the air in metro Detroit, the 2018 Major League Baseball season opens on March 29 and the Detroit Tigers host Opening Day against the Pirates that day at Comerica Park.  —  And with Opening Day being an unofficial holiday where people ordinarily tailgate downtown hours …

The Dodgers are now selling tickets for bar stool seats  —  The Dodgers are inviting fans to watch games up close — from the perch of a bar stool.  —  The team is adding stools to the drink rails behind home plate on the field level this season.  The new “field drink rail” …

Diamondbacks Release Antonio Bastardo, Reassign Neftali Feliz  —  The Diamondbacks have released veteran lefty Antonio Bastardo, per a club announcement.  He had inked a minors deal with the organization back in January.  That move was one among several that give some shape to the club's pitching plans for the 2018 season.

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 …

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?

Dellin Betances wants to return to being a multi-inning weapon for Yankees  —  TAMPA, Fla. - Dellin Betances has been an All-Star setup man the last four years, and he's seen his innings decrease each year - from 90 (2014) to 84 (2015) to 73 (2016) to 59.2 (2017).

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.

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 …