Sources: MLB, union agree to 1 trade deadline  —  A single trade deadline and an All-Star Game Election Day will be implemented in 2019 while roster expansion will happen in 2020 as part of a deal Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association are set to announce Thursday, sources familiar with the agreement told ESPN.

Column: Win now and win later: The Cubs and White Sox are eying different goals as opening day nears  —  Cubs pitcher Jon Lester discusses the struggles he experienced in a spring training game against the Athletics on March 13, 2019, in Mesa, Ariz.  —  Chicago Tribune

Masahiro Tanaka is headed in the right direction toward Yankees' opening day start  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Above all, Masahiro Tanaka felt that Wednesday's start gave him an indication that things are moving in the right direction.  —  Nearly two weeks away from his scheduled opening day start …

Predicting the next top-100 player for all 30 teams  —  This won't shock you if you have last year's standings memorized, but the premium talent in baseball isn't exactly spread evenly across the sport.  The Yankees had nine players crack the MLB Rank top 100, the Astros had seven …

Life after Harper?  Juan Soto can be what Bryce was ... and more  —  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — If you think Juan Soto is feeling pressure, think again.  —  Last May, Soto exploded onto the scene as a 19-year-old outfielder with the Washington Nationals.  Due to injuries in D.C. …

Is Estevan Florial ‘a young Bernie Williams’ or a future bust?  —  TAMPA, Fla. — When the prospect rankers began unveiling their annual lists of baseball's best up-and-comers, a common theme emerged regarding one of the New York Yankees' prized players.  —  Estevan Florial …

Nathan Eovaldi explains why there was little doubt he would land back with Red Sox  —  Nathan Eovaldi has been one of the revelations of Red Sox camp thus far.  And to think some thought it would be a longshot that the pitcher would actually find himself living life in Fort Myers this time of year.

Hits remain scarce for Cardinals  —  • All was well with the Cardinals' offense.  Cleanup man Marcell Ozuna (one for 20) doubled his hit total with a single and a double Wednesday.  “I liked Ozuna's day quite a bit,” manager Mike Shildt said.  —  The Cardinals showed they could manufacture …

MLB's new rule could force pitching specialists to become extinct  —  MESA, Ariz. — The left-handed relief pitchers, particularly the specialists, fear it will cost them their jobs.  —  The managers believe it will ruin strategy.  —  And baseball traditionalists despise it.

Manny Machado and the Padres already feels like a solid marriage  —  Photos of Manny Machado, one of the top free agents this season.  —  The Washington Post  —  The world at large, the greater baseball community and the members of the 2019 San Diego Padres all found out at roughly the same time …

Yankees' Dellin Betances feels he's headed in the right direction  —  Yankees' Dellin Betances gives up a triple in exhibition game vs. Pirates at Tampa, during another rocky spring training outing  —  DUNEDIN, Fla. — Away from the crowds, absent of a scoreboard flashing radar gun readings …

Mets' Todd Frazier, Jed Lowrie likely won't be ready for start of regular season  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The Mets haven't publicly acknowledged that Todd Frazier and Jed Lowrie won't be ready for the start of the regular season, but it's probably safe for everybody else to.

The Tao of Yasiel Puig: The Reds' New Star Riffs on Bat Flips, Life and His Rocky End With the Dodgers  — Yasiel Puig isn't entirely bitter about his departure from the Dodgers, but the polarizing Reds outfielder is unafraid of saying that trading him was a mistake and an insult.

Former Indians OF Coco Crisp signs one-game contract with Lake Erie Crushers  —  Former Cleveland Indians outfielder Coco Crisp will play one game for the Lake Erie Crushers during the 2019 season.  —  CLEVELAND — Former Cleveland Indians outfielder Coco Crisp is set for a return to the baseball diamond, for a limited engagement.

Tigers shelve RHP Fulmer to work on mechanics  —  LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers right-hander Michael Fulmer will not pitch in games in the near future, focusing on lower-body mechanics.  —  “He took a step back to refine his lower-body mechanics,” Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire said after Thursday's 4-4 tie with Boston.

Watch Hunter Pence and Joey Gallo battle in ‘Game of Thrones’  —  When Tim Dillard's baseball career is over he has a second career waiting for him at FunnyOrDie.com.  —  The 35-year-old right-hander has a large online following (more than 45,000 followers on Twitter) for his wacky, comedic videos starring among others, his teammates.

Former top-10 pick Carter Stewart having delivery issues  —  Right-hander Carter Stewart was No. 2 on my draft board last spring and went No. 8 overall to the Atlanta Braves in the 2018 draft, but didn't sign with the team after a disagreement over something that arose in his post-draft physical.