Rob Manfred: MLB teams should plan for spring training to start on time, full 162-game season to be played  —  Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred informed clubs Monday that they should be preparing for spring training to start on time in February and to plan on a full 162-game season being played …

Wouldn't Mind Seeing Charlie From Manitowoc Get More Reps in the Green Bay Packers Booth  —  Comedian Charlie Berens put together this joyful bit as a joke because that's what comedians do.  But if you dig past the laughter, there's something extremely endearing about having an Average Joe in the broadcast booth.

Will a James Harden trade happen soon?  Sources indicate it could  —  When James Harden brought the Houston Rockets' messy melodrama to center stage late Tuesday night, announcing during his 90-second postgame Zoom session that “it's something that I don't think can be fixed,” …

Pitcher Corey Kluber hopes bullpen session shows he's healthy after 2 lost seasons  —  Free agent Corey Kluber is out to prove he's healthy, as the right-hander prepares for a bullpen session in front of major league teams Wednesday in Florida.  —  The two time Cy Young winner has pitched …

Realmuto to Astros unlikely; Hendriks' contract; Padres consider more arms  —  Free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto is a fit for the Astros, at least from a baseball perspective.  But the quality of the draft picks the team would sacrifice for signing Realmuto, or any other free agent attached …

One year after the scandal, how do we view the Astros — and what's next for MLB?  —  On Jan. 13, 2020, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred released his findings and announced the Houston Astros' punishment for electronically stealing signs during the team's 2017 World Series run.

Joe Judge on Daniel Jones' future: ‘He gives us the confidence to go forward’  —  Is Daniel Jones the future at quarterback the New York Giants?  —  Even after just two years, that's a question that will be asked ad nauseum (as if it hasn't already) until either Jones takes a major step forward …

Fernando Tatis Jr.'s extension talks with Padres have not started, but could heat up soon.  How big will contract be?  —  There's one little problem with these breathless reports that the San Diego Padres are on the verge of signing shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. to a historic contract extension exceeding $300 million.

How Bauer stacks up against Cole, Stras  —  Trevor Bauer's stature as the top pitcher available in free agency is very clear.  What remains unclear is how much the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner is worth on the open market.  —  It's unclear precisely what type of contract Bauer is seeking …

Francisco Lindor says he's open to discussing long-term deal with New York Mets  —  The New York Mets have been searching for years for a superstar position player.  They now have one in Francisco Lindor, and the big question on everyone's mind: Will he sign a long-term deal with the Mets?

DJ LeMahieu engaging other teams in free agency with Yankees slow to meet his price  —  In a winter fraught with unsteady economics and politics, along with the perils of a chronically undershot pandemic, DJ LeMahieu's baseball free agency hasn't looked different than most.

‘I just got released because I got injured’: Manny Ramirez cut loose by Blue Sox  —  Baseball superstar Manny Ramirez says he was cut loose by the Sydney Blue Sox due to an oblique injury, and the “ongoing medical issue” had nothing to do with drugs.  —  Blue Sox owner Adam Dobb confirmed …

Are the Red Sox looking to trade Andrew Benintendi?  —  Could the Red Sox trade Andrew Benintendi?  Certainly.  But right now, he remains in the team's plans.  —  In fact, Red Sox hitting coach Tim Hyers is scheduled to travel to visit Benintendi — coming off a 2020 campaign that lasted …