James Paxton still optimistic he'll be back in May  —  TAMPA — James Paxton is “optimistic” he could begin his throwing program in 10 days if his rehab continues to go smoothly.  The Yankee left-hander had surgery to repair a disc in his lower back earlier this month and was projected to be rehabbing for three to four months.

Fans heckling Astros at spring opener get signs confiscated  —  MLB, Houston Astros, Washington Nationals  —  Fans hoping to heckle the sign-stealing Houston Astros at the team's spring opener were met with quite the coincidence.  —  They got their signs taken.

White Sox Extend Leury Garcia's Contract To Include 2021 Team Option  —  The Chicago White Sox signed Leury Garcia to a one-year, $3.5MM guaranteed deal today, per MLB.com's Scott Merkin.  The deal includes a $3.25MM base salary for 2020 with a $3.5MM team option for 2021.

David Ortiz, Derek Jeter already recognize greatness in Red Sox' Rafael Devers  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — Rafael Devers understands most questions in English before they're translated into Spanish by Red Sox communications manager Bryan Almonte.  —  But on Friday morning at JetBlue Park …

Union prefers Rays stay put but could approve Montreal plan  —  Tony Clark says “strong preference” is a full-time Tampa Bay stadium, but he adds it's not impossible the players union could agree to the sharing plan.  —  PORT CHARLOTTE — Baseball's players union would prefer the Rays find a full time …

The most interesting non-roster player for all 30 MLB teams  —  The rites of spring: pitchers and catchers, Jose Altuve's tattoo and, of course, non-roster invitees.  This is one of my favorite articles to write every season, going through all the non-roster players and pulling out an interesting name for each franchise.

Marlins hope ‘continuity’ between pitchers & coach results in improvement on the mound  —  Mel Stottlemyre Jr. knew the challenge he had ahead of him last season.  —  He had a young, impressionable pitching staff to work with and was in his first season as the Miami Marlins' pitching coach.

Royals counting on Mike Montgomery to help anchor starting rotation  —  Last summer, the Kansas City Royals took advantage of Salvador Perez's season-ending surgery and turned that bad break into an experienced addition to the pitching staff with an eye towards this year's starting rotation.

Hector Neris, Phillies agree to $4.6M deal, avoid arbitration hearing  —  PHOENIX — Reliever Hector Neris avoided a salary arbitration hearing with the Philadelphia Phillies by agreeing to a $4.6 million, one-year contract.  —  The deal reached Thursday night includes a $7 million team option for 2021 with no buyout.

Braves relievers embrace high expectations  —  If the Braves capture their third consecutive National League East title, if they finally reach that elusive NL Championship Series (or further), it means a well-compensated bullpen lived up to its billing.  —  This spring differs from recent years …

Rays prospect Brendan McKay slowed by shoulder stiffness  —  The two-way player is concentrating on pitching, but has yet to throw his first spring training bullpen session.  —  PORT CHARLOTTE — As the Rays transition from spring training workouts to games, two-way prospect Brendan McKay …

Phillies will unveil a new-look Phanatic on Sunday  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — You might have heard that slugger Rhys Hoskins made some changes to his batting stance and swing over the winter.  —  Hoskins isn't the only prominent Phillie who made some adjustments in the off-season.