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 …

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,” …

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.

Is this the Yankees 25-man roster that will break camp?  —  TAMPA, Fla. - There wasn't a whole lot of drama with the Yankees' roster this spring.  —  The starting pitching was a given; there wasn't even a battle for the No. 5 spot, and the bullpen spots were relatively known.

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 …

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 …

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.

The Dominant 20: Bonds refused to be less than the best  —  WHENEVER I THINK of Barry Bonds — his dominance, his flaws, his legacy — the first image that appears in my mind is Dennis the limo driver.  Dennis burst onto the scene in spring 1993, Bonds' first season with the Giants …

Rays' catchers using wristbands amid rotation experiment  —  PORT CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Major League Baseball made game-calling more difficult for catchers this winter when it changed the rules governing mound visits.  For backstops with the Tampa Bay Rays, things got even trickier …

Cubs narrowing roster options as bullpen watch resumes  —  Chicago Tribune  —  With only five days left in Arizona, the Cubs are narrowing their roster options.  —  Relievers Steve Cishek and Carl Edwards Jr., each assured spots, are scheduled to follow Yu Darvish on Wednesday …

Jose Fernandez's death put into motion a series of events that still impact Marlins today  —  JUPITER  —  The death of pitching ace Jose Fernandez in 2016 triggered a series of costly roster decisions that the Marlins' new owners are having to contend with now.  —  There is no shortage of ‘what ifs’ with how it all played out.

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 …