Trevor Bauer accuses Indians of ‘character assassination’ during arbitration hearing  —  All-Star pitcher Trevor Bauer won his salary arbitration hearing with the Cleveland Indians this week, getting a $7-million raise over last year, but said Thursday he's unhappy with the way he was treated toward the end of the process.

Nationals' Scherzer, Astros' Verlander concerned about game  —  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Two more aces are expressing concern about how major league teams are playing their cards.  —  Washington right-hander Max Scherzer said Thursday there are too many teams trying not to win, and all the rebuilding “poisons the game.”

Jacob DeGrom not sure if Mets' offer will come before Opening Day  —  Just a few hours after NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom threw his first practice pitch of spring training, he let everyone know the score.  —  He hasn't received a long-term contract offer from the New York Mets and isn't sure he will before Opening Day.

Dellin Betances late getting to Yankees spring training after his wife gives birth  —  TAMPA, Fla. - New father Dellin Betances wasn't present for the Yankees first pitchers and catchers workout on Thursday, following the birth of his son.  —  Janisa and Dellin Betances welcomed Dellin Jr …

Carl Edwards Jr. pauses for effect, and Joe Maddon approves  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Cubs manager Joe Maddon was delighted by the simple fact that reliever Carl Edwards Jr. showed the initiative to cure his occasional bouts of wildness.  —  “Normally when a player is able to arrive at his own conclusions …

Sources: Manny Machado, San Diego Padres meet for second time  —  San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller flew to Miami last week and met with free-agent infielder Manny Machado, sources confirmed to ESPN's Jeff Passan.  —  It's the second meeting the Padres and Machado have had this offseason …

Matt Harvey, notorious pain in Mets' butt, already sidelined with pain in the butt  —  Even on the opposite coast, Matt Harvey's still a pain in the butt.  —  The former Dark Knight turned Flushing pariah is having a rough start to his Angels career, suffering a glute injury during agility drills …

Braves refresher course: A care package on eve of spring training  —  The long wait is almost over.  —  The last we saw the Braves play Oct. 8, when their National League Division Series against the Dodgers ended with a loss in Game 4.  —  When pitchers and catchers report to Champion Stadium …

Jeff McNeil will get a shot at left field for Mets this spring  —  PORT ST. LUCIE — Jeff McNeil has a shot at becoming an everyday outfielder for the Mets.  —  The 26-year-old prospect will see a majority of his spring training playing time in left field, while still getting …

Update on plans for New York City headquarters  —  After much thought and deliberation, we've decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens.  For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive …

Robbie Ray could be pivotal force in Diamondbacks' future  —  Left-hander Robbie Ray's tenure with the Diamondbacks has offered little in the way of consistency, his performance fluctuating from year to year, even outing to outing.  He sometimes can seem just as likely to throttle …

MLB teams live in fear of the ‘albatross’ contract.  Yet such situations are largely a myth.  —  As unemployed superstars Bryce Harper and Manny Machado remain on their off-season grinds at undisclosed, poorly-lit indoor locations, the rest of Major League Baseball has reported for business …

GM Jeff Luhnow confirms Astros almost added Bryce Harper in 2018  —  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Bryce Harper is the biggest name in baseball right now, despite still being an unsigned free agent as spring training begins for the 2019 season.  —  Manny Machado, Dallas Keuchel, Marwin Gonzalez …

Here's the early plan Rangers have created for rotation trio returning from Tommy John  —  Thursday was considered a success by Texas Rangers pitching coach Julio Rangel because the pitchers who were scheduled to throw their first bullpen sessions of spring training did so before rains soaked the Surprise Recreation Campus.

You can buy Babe Ruth's contract — but it will cost you more than he was paid  —  Going, going, gone!  —  With spring training underway and two of baseball's biggest stars still unsigned, contracts inked by Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig are being raffled by RR Auctions through Thursday.