Justin Smoak knows this will be a big Spring Training for him. He knows the Mariners acquired Kendrys Morales, Mike Morse and Raul Ibanez to compete at first base and designated hitter.

With news of Stan Musial’s death still raw on Sunday, there was a noticeable shift in tone at the Cardinals’ Winter Warm-Up. An event designed to spur excitement about the upcoming season turned largely into a gathering of folks paying tribute to one of the sport’s all-time greatest players.

Reaction to the Cubs’ five-year plan to restore Wrigley Field has been positive — once fans are assured the field itself will not change, the ivy will still be on the outfield walls, and the renovation does not call for a third deck to be added.

Describing Stan Musial as “the best that you can be as a person and a player,” former Cardinals manager Tony La Russa took time on Sunday to share some personal anecdotes from his time spent with the Cardinals legend, who died on Saturday at the age of 92.

Even with three different general-manager regimes, the Reds have made it almost an entire decade without going to an arbitration hearing against a player. But this could be the year that bucks the trend.

The announcement of Stan Musial’s death just before the Baseball Writers’ Association of America distributed its major awards for the 2012 season provided perspective, even elevating the honors bestowed on the big league’s elite.

Dodgers infielder Justin Sellers was arrested Saturday for driving recklessly in a West Sacramento residential neighborhood, police told a local television station.

Stan Musial and Earl Weaver couldn’t have been much different in some ways, or much more alike in others. What these two sides of baseball’s coin of competitive passion definitely had in common is that they were true icons, not only for their franchises but for the game itself.

A day that opened in celebration of the Cardinals’ upcoming season ended in sadness over the loss of the franchise’s greatest legend, Stan Musial.

The Rockies have agreed to a Minor League deal with veteran right-handed pitcher Miguel Batista and invited him to Spring Training, ESPN Deportes reported on Saturday night.

On a warm summer night in 2009, on a night when baseball was set to honor its best, the throng gathered around the Stan Musial statue suddenly went quiet. There without warning was an unimaginable treat. Riding in a golf cart, looking frail, was Stan Musial.

As one of the most respected and beloved players in baseball history, Hall of Famer Stan Musial made a major impact not only on the Cardinals organization, but on the game as a whole.

Earl Weaver, the Orioles’ Hall of Fame manager who was notorious for his run-ins with umpires, was remembered fondly by one of his former adversaries, Steve Palermo.

Saturday was a bittersweet day for Orioles fans, who mourned the passing of Hall of Famer Earl Weaver and also showed their support for the resurgence of Baltimore baseball.

Adam Wainwright sidestepped a lot of specifics regarding his contract status at the Cardinals’ Winter Warm-Up, but repeatedly gushed over his love for playing in St. Louis.

The White Sox bullpen looks complete before Spring Training has even begun following the reported addition of free-agent right-hander Matt Lindstrom as confirmed to MLB.com by a Major League source on Saturday evening.

Hall of Fame player and humanitarian. No matter which way you looked at him, Stan “The Man” Musial was an outstanding example of what an individual could achieve and could become.