Entering Spring Training, Jayson Werth was the leading candidate to play center field for the Nationals. On Sunday, he'll see his first spring action at the position.

The more mysterious, the more seemingly ominous. David Wright provided half-answers and spoke vaguely, and with each word he spoke Saturday morning, the WhatEverItIs that caused him to be scratched from one of the intrasquad game lineups became more curious.

When it came time to mull over options from several clubs during the offseason, the deciding factor for Aaron Rowand came down to the duo of manager Ozzie Guillen and bench coach Joey Cora.

The Rangers have more qualified starters than they have openings in the rotation, which means top prospects like Martin Perez will have ample time to develop.

The Pirates signed 25 players to 2012 contracts on Saturday, including outfielder Andrew McCutchen and second baseman Neil Walker.

In the last of three games played on Friday in the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park, home of the Astros, Texas defeated fifth-ranked Rice, 11-8, to hand the Owls their first loss of the season after nine straight wins.

There is hardly a shortage of storylines for Cleveland as the club prepares to open its Cactus League slate on Saturday afternoon against the Reds. The Tribe has a hole to fill in the outfield, one vacancy in the rotation, two openings in the bullpen, an unsettled situation at third base and a mix of bench roles up for grabs.

Chris Bourjos, a longtime scout who doubles as the father of a speedy center fielder, has refused to write evaluations on Peter Bourjos during those nights when he has drawn the Angels as an assignment.

Blake Beavan is in a battle to land a rotation spot this spring with the Mariners, and the 23-year-old Texan made a good first impression as he picked up the win in Friday's 8-5 victory over the A's.

The D-backs open their Cactus League schedule Saturday with a split-squad matchup against the Rockies at 1:10 p.m. MST at Salt River Fields. Half of the team will travel to Scottsdale Stadium to take on the Giants at 1:05 p.m. MST.

Perhaps it wasn't the most inspiring performance, but by day's end Manny Ramirez was satisfied with his showing in Friday's Cactus League opener, his debut in an A's uniform.

Now that the D-backs and catcher Miguel Montero have agreed not to talk about a contract extension until the end of the season, might the club turn its attention to getting deals done with pitchers Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson?

Indians closer Chris Perez is dealing with a case of cabin fever after spending the past week shuffling between the training room and the clubhouse.

It's difficult to imagine Jose Valverde doing anything quietly, let alone something quietly on the field.

Rookie catcher Jesus Montero was hit in the side of the jaw twice by foul balls in the fifth inning of Friday's Cactus League opener against the A's and was taken out of the game in his Mariners debut.

Third baseman Adrian Beltre and right fielder Nelson Cruz were in the lineup for the second intrasquad game on Friday. They can hit and they can play defense, the Rangers just want them to be careful running the bases.

The Nationals begin their exhibition season against the Astros on Saturday afternoon in Kissimmee, Fla.