Blue Jay Eric Lauer thought a starting rotation job was a lock.  The Jays had other ideas  —  New for subscribers!  Gift this article to friends and family for free.  —  Got it! … DUNEDIN, Fla.—One of the reasons the Blue Jays enjoyed so much success last year was a roster littered …

Hall of Famer Mazeroski, whose homer won 1960 WS, passes away  —  Bill Mazeroski stood outside on a surprisingly chilly mid-February day a few years ago in Bradenton, Fla., making his annual Spring Training visit to see his former team at the Pirate City training complex.

Blue Jays have plenty to watch for as Grapefruit League play begins  —  DUNEDIN, Fla. - John Schneider regularly describes Andres Gimenez as one of the best defensive infielders in baseball, if not the best, and validating that claim are the three Gold Gloves along with a Platinum Glove he's won for his work at second base.

Angels owner Arte Moreno: TV ordeal 'hasn't been easy'  —  Moreno says the team payroll is lower partly due to reduced TV revenue, but it could go back up to $200M with a new deal  —  TEMPE, Ariz. — On the eve of the Angels' first spring training game of the season, the team is still trying …

Mystery and speculation builds over Westburg injury status and timeline  —  SARASOTA, Fla. - A set Orioles infield appears to be falling apart at the seams.  —  Jordan Westburg was a candidate to move from third base to second base while Jackson Holliday opened the season …

Three Dodgers storylines to watch as spring training games begin  —  Share full article  —  PHOENIX — The back fields buzzed at Camelback Ranch as the Los Angeles Dodgers ramped up their spring workouts on Thursday morning.  —  The focus centered on Field 1, where Roki Sasaki, Edwin Díaz and Tanner Scott faced live hitters.

Murakami JUST makes debut after traffic jam, then promptly blisters baseball  —  MESA, Ariz. — Munetaka Murakami's first White Sox start, scheduled for Friday at Sloan Park, was almost delayed until Saturday's Cactus League home opener against the Athletics.

Notes: Cole faces Yanks' sluggers in BP; a new option at shortstop?  —  SARASOTA, Fla. - Gerrit Cole faced hitters on Friday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery last spring, tossing an inning of live batting practice at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

Rotation battle, Stewart's fight for 1B among early Reds ST observations  —  This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon's Reds Beat newsletter.  To read the full newsletter, click here.  And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.  —  GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The Cactus League exhibition schedule gets …

MLB owners taking a $2 billion precaution with lockout threat brewing  —  Bracing for a potentially protracted labor fight, MLB owners have funded a war chest of about $75 million per team to provide some financial protection should games be lost to a work stoppage.

Alex Bregman is loving life with Cubs as Red Sox boss keeps chirping  —  MESA, AZ — Perhaps back in the day, when Alex Bregman burst into the big leagues as a brash rookie third baseman with the Houston Astros, it would be different.  —  It was a time when Bregman was a must-hear sound bite …

‘Phillies Extra’ Q&A: J.T. Realmuto on thinking he might leave, Nick Castellanos' exit, and more  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — J.T. Realmuto is in spring training with the Phillies for the eighth consecutive year.  —  But for a week in January, he wasn't sure he'd be back.

MLB teams, managers and front offices that'll be feeling the heat: Insiders weigh in  —  Share full article  —  “Heat” is not a concept I'm very familiar with after a truly enjoyable winter in the East Coast tundra.  But you know who is familiar with the concept of “heat”?  Oh, only everyone in baseball.

Bruce Meyer elected MLBPA's interim executive director  —  The Major League Baseball Players Association unanimously elected Bruce Meyer as its new executive director Wednesday night, replacing Tony Clark the day after he resigned amid scandal less than a year before the expiration of MLB's collective bargaining agreement.