Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa once again has rummaged around in his hat full of ragtag retreads, untested prospects and walking-wounded to pull out a rabbit in the form of young power-hitting outfielder Joe "The Beaver" Mather. Though formerly ranked well behind various other prospects -- most nota...

Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre -- coming off variety of aches, pains and various infirmities -- suffered no day-after effects following a full-day of play in the field and at the plate, but the team still denied him his request to appear for his native Dominican Republic in the World Baseball ...

Though at a critical juncture at 24, former top Rockies prospect Ian Stewart is expected to need a day or so of rest after stressing his left arm swinging the bat in the cage. Perhaps he has been trying to hard. The soreness comes at a time when Stewart finds himself under great pressure, as he must...

Dodgers hurler Jason Schmidt -- trying to come back from a torn labrum and other shoulder injuries -- has conceded he will no longer be able to throw his trademark 98-mph fastball, but said he can still be effective throwing in the 80s. Readying for an outing against the White Sox on Friday, Schmidt...

Reds closer Francisco Cordero -- coming off surgery last September to remove bone spurs from his foot -- threw off a mound briefly and experienced lingering discomfort, according to WLW Radio in Cincinnati. Though Cordero has targeted readiness by opening day, at the moment he is "less than 100 perc...

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has intimated to Chicago media that he plans what he calls a "run-and-gun offense." Translation: Baseball Venezuelan style. Look for the White Sox come out of the gate fast this year, slapping the ball through the infield, bunting, sacrificing, squeezing, hitting and ...

Having so far spurned a low-ball offer from the San Francisco Giants, free agent third baseman Joe Crede now is marketing his wares for the Minnesota Twins. So far, Crede looks good in workouts, but buyer beware! Crede's declaration to Twins manager Ron Gardenhire that he is 100 percent healthy soun...

It was in 2002 that The New York Post quoted Mets manager Bobby Valentine as saying the major leagues were ready to accept a gay player in the clubhouse, leading to speculation that he was testing the atmosphere for one of his players to come out of the closet. If it was a ploy to affirm that the li...

Given free agent Kerry Wood's history of chronic injuries -- his $20.5 million two-year agreement to become the Indians closer tends to magnify the importance of backups Jensen Lewis, Adam Miller and others. To some, former Angels free agent Francisco Rodriguez might have seemed a better value when ...

With 30 major league general managers in the process of leaving New York after the All-Star break, the town is abuzz about clandestine gatherings for unprecedented, behind-the-scenes trade talks -- no small thanks to upstart Tampa Bay Rays operations chief Andrew Friedman and his top executive Gerry...