The Mets hope that a mostly unchanged rotation combined with the addition of veteran right-hander Bartolo Colon will help overcome the loss of ace Matt Harvey in 2014.

If the kind of player who moves you is one who combines blinding speed with the power to send baseballs to distant places, this is a great time to be a fan. Led by Mike Trout, the new generation’s answer to Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente, we’re seeing the emergence of a whole fleet of under-30 power-and-speed athletes.

There are three holdovers from the 2013 list of Top 10 third-base prospects, with one of them — the Twins’ Miguel Sano — holding the top spot for a second year. The 2013 First-Year Player Draft contributed to the replenishing of the rankings, with four from that class hitting this Top 10. After some years of being a relatively weak spot prospect-wise, third base has become much deeper in talent.

Former Major Leaguer Bobby Abreu was the catalyst for Caracas, going 3-for-4 with a home run and six RBIs in its 14-13 win over La Guaira in Venezuela on Monday. It was Abreu’s two-run single in the final frame that sealed the victory.

When Clayton Kershaw signs a contract extension worth $215 million, or Japanese free agent Masahiro Tanaka chooses which Major League team will enjoy his services, there is no question the consequences will be significant.

Barring the unlikely possibility that they reach an agreement on a long-term contract within the next few weeks, Craig Kimbrel, Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward seem destined to experience separate arbitration hearings that will determine their respective salaries for the upcoming season.

Students from Arlington Sam Houston and Dallas Pinkston High School, joined by Rangers outfielder Michael Choice and former second baseman Mark McLemore, spent 2 1/2 hours on Martin Luther King Day preparing the grapefruit for distribution to families across North Texas.

While manager Bo Porter and third baseman Matt Dominguez joined Hall of Fame announcer Milo Hamilton and former Astros slugger Jimmy Wynn at the Urban Youth Academy, other players chipped in elsewhere around the community on the first day of the Caravan.

By all accounts (except fielding percentage), the Cardinals were a subpar defensive team last year. That prompted general manager John Mozeliak to seek ways to improve the club’s defense over the winter, and he arguably did so with one November trade. The acquisition of Peter Bourjos immediately turned center field into a position of strength for St. Louis.

The Blue Jays signed veteran outfielder Ricardo Nanita to a Minor League deal on Monday afternoon with an invitation to Spring Training. Nanita has spent the past four years in Toronto’s organization, but he has yet to make his Major League debut.

Lyle Overbay, who filled first base before Prince Fielder came to the Brewers, was signed by the club on Monday to a Minor League contract for 2014.

Devon Travis was the 14th college second baseman selected in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft. He’s now the fifth-ranked second-base prospect in all of baseball.

The Blue Jays’ affiliation with Triple-A Buffalo is barely a year old, but it can already be considered an overwhelming success for both sides. The Bisons’ attendance is on the rise while the Blue Jays have been able to take advantage of the close proximity between the two cities to make roster moves relatively easy.

Major League Baseball will pay homage to best-selling author and poet Maya Angelou, Motown founder Berry Gordy and NFL icon Jim Brown at the annual MLB Beacon Awards Luncheon as part of the 2014 Civil Rights Game festivities in Houston this May.

Unwilling to cruise on the coattails of his October success, Michael Wacha said he intends to come to Spring Training expecting to have to win a spot in the rotation.

Will Asdrubal Cabrera remain with the Indians? Will the Tribe trade Justin Masterson if the club can’t sign him to a long-term deal? Beat reporter Jordan Bastian answers these questions and more in the Inbox.

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter returned the field on Monday for the first time since missing all but 17 games in 2013, hitting off a tee and taking ground balls at the Yankees’ Minor League complex in Tampa, Fla.