Cards' Yadier Molina takes exception to quips by Cubs' Kris Bryant  —  CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals won't see each other until early May, but the heat has already been turned up on one of baseball's best rivalries.  —  Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant called St. Louis …

Yankees' frugality allowed them to build an unhittable bullpen.  Imagine what they could've done without Jacoby Ellsbury?  —  Now it can be told.  There was a reason the Yankees only tip-toed in the Manny Machado waters and expressed zero interest in Bryce Harper: Why spend $34 million …

5 topics from Joe Maddon's panel at Cubs Convention, including his reaction to the Addison Russell situation  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Here are the top five topics from the panel on Cubs manager Joe Maddon and his coaching staff at Cubs Convention:  —  A fan lathered Maddon with praise …

Braves fans bring high hopes to Chop Fest  —  Scattered showers and overcast skies couldn't dampen the mood Saturday as Braves fans welcomed the new season with vigor at Chop Fest at SunTrust Park.  —  The booming of the drums from Heavy Hitters, the Braves' drumline, filled the soggy air …

Mozeliak: Ozuna assures Cardinals he's healthy, Gregerson has setback  —  ST. LOUIS  • In a week, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak will head to the Dominican Republic to be present at a milestone for the organization.  —  He'll take a side trip to check on a difference-maker for the lineup.

Avisail Garcia gets 1-year deal from Rays for as much as $6 million  —  Avisail Garcia can earn up to $6 million as part of his one-year contract with the Rays.  —  The team announced the deal Friday, an agreement that guarantees $3.5 million this season.  —  He can earn $250,000 each …

Rays Tales: Why this roster may be set up just right  —  Rays are always tinkering, but what they have now may be what they want going forward.  —  ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays are never truly “done.”  —  Team officials, from the numbers-crunching analysts all the way up to principal owner Stuart Sternberg …

Mariano Rivera, the humble son of a fisherman and the greatest closer in baseball history, set to join other Yankee legends in Cooperstown  —  Only a few months after he finished off the Yankees' 27th World Series title, by inducing a weak grounder to second from Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino …

Shildt feels a ‘rightful buzz’ about 2019 season as Winter Warm-Up arrives  —  Mike Shildt (center) gets a hand slap from Jose Martinez as Martinez returns to the dugout after hitting a homer against the Pirates last Aug. 28.  (Photo by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com)

‘It is amazing’: The miracle of the '69 Cubs is how much they're beloved — even 50 years later  —  A black cat walks past Cubs third baseman Ron Santo during a game against the Mets on Sept. 9, 1969, at Shea Stadium in New York.  (UPI)  —  Chicago Tribune

Could Nolan Arenado be Yankees' real third base target?  —  Under all the Manny Machado talk, Arenado looms  —  Earlier this week, after I published my nine millionth story of the offseason about the Yankees and Manny Machado, a major league source reached out with a suggestion …