Mike Trout and the Angels celebrated the superstar’s record contract extension before thousands of fans on Saturday, each elated with the six-year, $144.5 million deal. “We met in the middle,” team owner Arte Moreno said.

Clayton Kershaw could not complete a long-toss session on Saturday without feeling some discomfort in his upper back, so the Dodgers decided to play it safe and put their ace on the disabled list, knocking him out of Friday’s home opener against the Giants.

A.J. Ellis thought the fans were going bonkers for him when he came to bat at Dodger Stadium on Friday night. It was only later that the catcher learned there had been an earthquake at that very moment.

Cleveland has signed catcher Yan Gomes to a six-year contract extension worth $23 million, pending the completion of a physical exam.

If there was ever any doubt that review of instant replay would change the face of Major League Baseball, those doubts were eliminated at Chase Field on Saturday.

Major League Baseball has embraced expanded instant replay for the upcoming season and empowered managers with the right to challenge calls they disagree with. All systems are go after a spring during which each team had several test games to acquaint themselves with the process.

Houston native Mark Appel always imagined his first Major League start coming in Minute Maid Park. While he is making his Minute Maid Park debut Sunday, it’s not quite the full picture yet, as he’s still a Minor Leaguer. Last year’s No. 1 overall pick in the First-Year Player Draft will take it anyway.

Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish, who is expected to start the season on the disabled list with stiffness in his neck, had a productive and painless throwing session at Globe Life Park in Arlington on Saturday.

Chris Young will slide into Seattle’s rotation as the fifth starter, facing the A’s on Friday in Oakland. So Saturday’s outing was big for him on several fronts as he made his longest start of the spring after never going more than four innings for the Nationals before his release.

Former Braves manager Bobby Cox returned to manage the Future Stars against the Braves for the third consecutive year. After two straight losses, Cox was eager to propel the Minor Leaguers into the win column this year.

Opening Night for the Padres at Petco Park comes with an unusual twist. Their familiar rivals to the north, the Dodgers, already have a lead in the NL West after taking a two-game series against the D-backs in Australia.

Royals second baseman Omar Infante passed his final playing test in a Minor League game on Saturday at Surprise, Ariz., and is almost certain to avoid being on the disabled list when the season begins on Monday afternoon.

Less than 24 hours after being drilled by a line drive in his lower left leg, Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum sounded optimistic that he’ll be able to make his first start of the season on Thursday in Arizona.

Red Sox right fielder Shane Victorino will undergo an MRI on his right hamstring in Boston and it’s unknown if he’ll be ready for Opening Day.

Carlos Quentin will open the season on the disabled list with a bruised left knee, and Kyle Blanks will start the year at Triple-A El Paso, the Padres confirmed Saturday as they finalized their roster. Those moves cleared room for veteran Xavier Nady and youngster Tommy Medica.

The inaugural Big League Weekend in 2013 featured two games between the Rangers and the Padres, with the tie being that San Diego’s Double-A team is located in San Antonio. This year’s series between the two Texas franchises made the event a little more special for a lot of native Texans, including one of the Lone Star State’s most decorated athletes — Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan.

With the Montreal Expos consigned to baseball’s historical archives, the fate of the 1994 team that fashioned the best record in baseball at the time of the players’ strike remains one of the all-time great what-ifs. Members from that team were honoured in a ceremony at Olympic Stadium on Saturday prior to the game between the Mets and Blue Jays.