Revived Gerrit Cole enjoying fresh slate with Houston Astros  —  SportsPulse: The Houston Astros looked primed to repeat as World Series champs.  Recent history suggests otherwise.  USA TODAY Sports  —  CONNECT  —  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — When agent Scott Boras met with Gerrit Cole for lunch recently …

Orioles, right-hander Alex Cobb agree to four-year deal  —  SARASOTA, Fla. — With fewer than 10 days to go until Opening Day, the Orioles are nearing their biggest upgrade of the offseason: a deal with former Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Alex Cobb, according to an industry source.

Kelly ready to prove his point in Memphis  —  • Carson Kelly, who rarely dodges a media request, was reported to have nothing to say late Sunday afternoon after being told he was being sent to Class AAA Memphis after a three-for-30 spring.  —  “I didn't want to go crazy,” …

Mets facing St. Louis Cardinals three times before season-opening series  —  The recent trend has been for the Mets to start the season with a division foe, but they will instead face the Cardinals next Thursday when the season opens.  —  While that pairing is certainly an intriguing matchup …

Brewers — including Hank as The Beast — re-enact ‘The Sandlot’ in video  —  Even before the start of the season, the Milwaukee Brewers have their first hit.  —  Milwaukee released a 2-minute, 35-second video celebrating the 25th anniversary of the movie “The Sandlot” last weekend …

Seung Hwan Oh gets work visa, to make Blue Jays debut  —  DUNEDIN — With the red tape out of the way, Seung Hwan Oh is finally ready to make his Blue Jays debut on Wednesday afternoon.  —  Actually, the South Korean right-hander has been ready for a couple of weeks, but without a work visa …

Commentary: After bold, bland and cool, the Nationals' new manager says let's have fun  —  The Washington Post  —  The Washington Nationals have had a brash, audacious manger, Davey Johnson, who said, “World Series or Bust.”  They tried a bland middle-manager, Matt Williams, who pasted sampler slogans on the wall.

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Michael Lorenzen dealing with injury  —  Reds right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen struggled in his second start of spring training Thursday against the Chicago White Sox The Enquirer/Adam Baum  —  GOODYEAR, Ariz. - Right-hander Michael Lorenzen's quest to make the starting rotation is probably over.

Where else Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton cash could've gone  —  TAMPA — The Yankees upgraded a strength rather than address a potential weakness in the offseason because they believed Giancarlo Stanton was a better risk at 10 years and $265 million than Yu Darvish at close to half that commitment.

Fantasy Baseball: A dozen sleepers you can draft in the late rounds to make a difference  —  So we are well into fantasy baseball draft season, and there are plenty of articles out there advising you on what to do in the opening rounds to shape your team.  —  This is not one of them.

Where is Nationals reliever Koda Glover? … WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — As the final days of spring training slide by, and necessary decisions about bullpen personnel slide nearer, Koda Glover remains momentarily irrelevant.  Once considered the Nationals' future closer, more recently considered …

Isaiah Thomas is open to staying with the Lakers even in a backup role … As Isaiah Thomas answered fan questions on Twitter on Sunday, many of the messages led to reciprocal positivity.  —  Lakers fans were telling him they wanted him to stay a Laker next year, and he was telling them he would love that.

“The Royal Way:” Explaining the franchise's philosophy  —  The Royal Way isn't just a saying, it's the title of a manual given to all the baseball team's players.  Royals special assistant Rusty Kuntz explains the guidelines and expectations outlined in the book.

For starters: Rays vs. Red Sox  —  No rain in the forecast today for the Rays.  Just sunny skies and those Red Sox, who are making the ride up I-75 for the 1:05 p.m. start at Charlotte Sports Park.The Rays are running out a lineup that

Source: Twins place Kennys Vargas on waivers  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. -Unable to find a suitable trade offer for Kennys Vargas, the Twins' have placed the switch-hitting slugger on waivers, according to a person with direct knowledge.  —  Designated for release or assignment on March 16, Vargas' 48-hour waiver period started on Tuesday.

Next Slide  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers may leave Florida with a dozen pitchers and 13 position players to start the 2018 season.  —  Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire acknowledged on Tuesday that's the split he'd prefer to have heading north, before adding that no final decision has been made.