Carl Crawford can become a free agent after this season and the low-budget Rays may have a replacement in Desmond Jennings, 23. Crawford, an affable guy who would seem to thrive just as easily in a major market, understands the speculation.

“It comes with the territory,” he said. “You’ve got to answer the questions, and I’m fine with that.”

Crawford said all the right things, insisting he was focused only on this season and on helping the Rays win. He sounded a bit like C.C. Sabathia in the spring of his free agent year, 2008, when he answered questions about a possible career move.

Sabathia and Crawford are friendly, but Crawford said Sabathia had not started recruiting him.

“We don’t really talk about that stuff much,” Crawford said. “We just have fun and relax when we do hang out.” [READ]

The Rays signed closer Rafael Soriano over the offseason to give the team a legitimate 9th inning guy, something they have lacked.

"Everyone is excited to see him out there," Carlos Peña said. "He is the last piece that we needed here."

"He appears that he's able to handle those situations calmly," said Joe Maddon. "A lot of self-confidence — he's just dripping with self-confidence, and that's good." [READ]

Adrian Gonzalez's agent John Boggs said his client's future in San Diego has yet to be determined.

Another source close to the situation backed up that assertion, saying Gonzalez would consider taking deferred money if the club offered a "fair market offer."

"I don't know where the marketplace will be. I don't know if Adrian will hit 60 home run next season; who knows what will happen?" Boggs said Thursday. "Anything is possible. All I can tell you is we're a controlled player and Adrian is focused on being a Padre."

Padres owner Jeff Moorad said the team could "probably not" afford to pay Gonzalez a salary in the $17-20 million range. That figure arose from the meeting between Boggs and Hoyer this winter, when the agent mentioned New York Yankees slugger Mark Teixeira as a comparison point in establishing Gonzalez's value.

But Boggs said Thursday that Teixeira, who received an eight-year, $180 million deal from the Yankees in January 2009, is just one player he'll use in any future Gonzalez negotiations. [READ]

Dontrelle Willis is still in the running for a starting spot in the Detroit rotation, as he threw three more scoreless innings Thursday in a 5-4 victory over the Astros.

Willis has allowed just one run this spring in 10 innings.

"He's throwing it over the plate, they're putting it in play, which gives you a chance," manager Jim Leyland said.

Willis has been effective by changing speeds and throwing more strikes than he's thrown in the past for the Tigers. He's not blown hitters away as much as he's kept them guessing.

"I'm not as young as I used to be," he said. "But I'm having fun. They like the way I'm mixing speeds. I feel I have good command of a lot of things going on right now."

When asked if he's reinvented himself as a pitcher, Willis said, "I don't know if I want to give my secrets out because the other guys read newspapers.

"I just want to change speeds and throw strikes. Early contact is in my favor. Even when I won a lot of games, I'd sometimes throw an 84-mile-an-hour fastball to get a hitter out in front and hit a ground ball. I'm smarter than I look.

"I'm not trying to strike everybody out. I'm just trying to get quality outs. I'm all for guys lining out 27 times." [READ]

Travis Snider hit two homers on Thursday just a few minutes after GM Alex Anthopoulos said he wasn't ready to give him a spot on the big league roster just yet.

“That was great. I like the way he was getting around on the fastball,” Cito Gaston said. “Today, I don’t think that was a struggle.”

He was asked if there’s any way that Snider doesn’t make the club.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “He’s a front-runner for us. He’s part of our future.

“Why wouldn’t we want him to make this club?” [READ]

The Texas Rangers deny they were blackmailed about the cocaine use by manager Ron Washington, as has been alleged by Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Randy Galloway.

"To my knowledge there was nothing made in reference to Ron's situation," team president Nolan Ryan told the Dallas Morning News. "I don't know of any kind of threat that was made against him or his situation."

Galloway, however, wrote:

'A blackmailer had the goods on the team's manager, and he was making strong demands, using the manager's "situation" as his hammer. Numerous sources within the team have confirmed that.' [READ]

Vin Scully was hospitalized Thursday night due to an undisclosed ailment, a family representative has said.

He was transported from his home in Hidden Hills to West Hills Hospital and Medical Center.

The family spokeswoman said “he’s going to be okay.” No other details were given. [READ]

The Rockies are interested in free-agent reliever Joe Beimel, according to a major-league source.

Colorado closer Huston Street is expected to begin the regular season on the disabled list, leaving the team with a thin bullpen. [READ]

The Mariners on Thursday announced that they sent right-handed pitcher Miguel Celestino to the Red Sox to complete the January trade for first baseman Casey Kotchman.

[READ]

The Marlins have released reliever Derrick Turnbow.

Turnbow was hoping to resurrect his career in Florida, but those plans went out the window with his shoulder setback earlier this week.

"I'm not going to call it quits until my body just can't do it anymore, or other teams don't want to give me a shot," Turnbow said. [READ]

Athletics closer and reigning American League Rookie of the Year Andrew Bailey has been shut down for five to seven days with tennis elbow.

"It's just a little discomfort," Bailey told MLB.com. "I felt something after my last outing [Sunday], so I figured I should have it checked out. I'll just be doing some therapy and give it some rest.

"Last year was probably the heaviest workload on my arm, so this is probably just from kicking it back up and my arm trying to get used to it again." [READ]

Rangers manager Ron Washington told ESPN's Pedro Gomez that he used amphetamines during his playing career.

Washington apologized for using cocaine last season.

After learning he failed the drug test in 2009, Washington informed the Rangers of his amphetamine use.

"I wasn't the only one, but I'm not going to name names," Washington told Gomez. "Amphetamines were prevalent throughout baseball."

Washington's 10-year career in the majors ended in 1989. [READ]

Mets' prospect Fernando Martinez is now batting .538 in spring training, with 3 home runs. His 14 hits and 29 total bases are among the most in exhibition baseball this March, and he is one of a number of young Mets who have excelled in spring training and given the team, and its fans, some genuine cause for encouragement.

“Last year, I tried to do too much,” Martinez said, referring to his 29 games with the Mets in 2009, when he hit .176 with a home run before going on the disabled list.

Yet because Martinez is still just 21 years old, and needs to play every day, Manager Jerry Manuel seems reluctant to keep him on the team come April. He is more likely to start the season at Class AAA Buffalo, where he is guaranteed a lot of at-bats and plenty of chances to improve his skills as an outfielder, particularly in center.

“The center-field part is very important right now,” Manuel said, referring to the need for the Mets to have a good anchor in Citi Field’s cavernous outfield. [READ]

Buster Posey said Wednesday he is "about a seven" in terms of comfort playing first base, where he is seeing a lot of action this spring.

"I'm fairly comfortable," he said. "There are also some unknowns. It's like (bench coach Ron) Wotus was telling me, there are situations that arise you can't prepare for. Then it's that old cliche: You just try to be a baseball player." [READ]

Toyota has agreed to sponsor an illuminated sign rising high above the Wrigley Field bleachers. The proposed sign is an advertising intrusion that may run afoul of the ballpark’s landmark designation.

Sports marketing expert Marc Ganis estimated that the deal could bring the Ricketts family up to $2.5 million-a-year because Wrigley has no advertising “clutter” and the Cubs are the only team in baseball with its own “national broadcasting network.”

Wally Hayward, Cubs executive vice-president for sales and marketing, refused to reveal specifics of the multi-year deal.

He would only say, “We are at a big competitive disadvantage if we cannot generate incremental sponsorship revenue in a tasteful manner that helps preserve Wrigley Field. We’re not looking to add a whole wall of signage out there like other stadiums across the country.”

Rising from a base at the back of the bleachers, the new sign would feature the automaker’s familiar logo and the word, “Toyota” in block letters underneath. [READ]

Kevin Gregg expects to be Toronto's closer this season.

“I’d like to believe so,” he said. “It’s Cito's choice. But they know what I’ve done in the past. I’ve come into camp and shown how I can throw."

The Jays hope Scott Downs and Jason Frasor can be Gregg's setup men.

“The good thing about this team is that with Downs, Frasor and myself, we’ve got three viable arms for the spot and we’ll see hat happens at the end of spring training.” [READ]

The Indians drafted Tim Lincecum in the 42nd round of the 2005 MLB Draft.

Cleveland made him a $700,000 offer, much to the chagrin of Frank Coonelly, who was in charge of the draft's unofficial slotting system for MLB. Coonelly is now president of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Indians had already gone over slot specifications with a couple of other players and Coonelly was unhappy with the offer.

Lincecum said no after asking for $1M and went to the Cape Cod League that summer and pitched well. He returned to college for the 2006 season and was the 10th player taken in the draft. The Giants paid him $2.025 million.

The Indians weren't the only team that drafted Lincecum and failed to sign him. The Cubs took him with the 48th pick in 2003. [READ]

Former Mets and Phillies star Lenny Dykstra has sued JP Morgan Chase & Co. Inc. for $100 million.

Dykstra claims he didn't get the loan he needed when he bought hockey great Wayne Gretzky's California home.

He filed for bankruptcy protection in July, saying he owed more than $31 million and had about $50,000 in assets.
[READ]

Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman struck out five and allowed a one-run home run to Milwaukee's Richie Weeks on Wednesday.

Chapman has allowed just one run in seven innings this spring and is making a strong case for Cincinnati's starting rotation. [READ]

A majority of Ron Washington's players came to his defense on Wednesday as the Rangers reacted to news that the manager tested positive for cocaine last season.

Josh Hamilton, who has dealt with drug and alcohol addiction problems, offered love and support.

"I told him I loved him," Hamilton said. "Everybody makes mistakes. I respect him as a man, as a coach and as a man of high integrity. When he was speaking to us in here, you could tell he was broken and really felt remorse about it."

Rangers third baseman Michael Young said Washington's apology was "well received."

"Going forward, I don't see it being a big issue at all," Young said. "He made a mistake. He admitted it. He talked to the team about it. Guys were able to say their piece. He gave an open-door policy for guys to answer whatever question they wanted. You can't ask for much more than that. It won't be a distraction for the guys. We'll get ready for the season." [READ]