Chris Coghlan makes the Oakland Athletics better. That’s the easy part of this thing. As for where he’s going to play and how much he’s going to play, we’ll have to get back to you on that one. Let’s just say the A’s are going to have an interesting Spring Training.

Don Mattingly is right: He’s still better off where he is. Maybe here, a long way from Dodger Stadium and Yankee Stadium, the guy who will always be known as Donnie Baseball will end up in the World Series, at last.

Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish is getting ready to throw off a full mound, his next step after throwing 25 pitches off the half-mound on Friday.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said he will choose either Kevin Pillar or Michael Saunders to become the club’s everyday leadoff hitter, while Troy Tulowitzki will hit fifth behind Edwin Encarnacion.

Edwin Encarnacion is doing his best to remain optimistic that this will not be his final season with the Blue Jays and that instead he will be able to sign a long-term contract extension to remain with the organization.

Though he is just 25-years-old as he prepares for his fourth full Major League season, Julio Teheran has already earned an impressive level of trust with the Braves’ coaching staff.

Since arriving to Reds camp on Wednesday, former Reds manager Lou Piniella has been a presence on the field. Piniella, who was hired earlier this month as a senior advisor to baseball operations, has been watching drills, speaking with coaches and helping out where he can.

A day after Major League Baseball updated its rule regarding slides in the vicinity of second base, Ruben Tejada — the victim of Chase Utley’s takeout slide during the 2015 National League Division Series — said he’s focused more on learning the new rule than comparing it to the old one.

Michael Morse knows the very specific situation in which he might be called into action at third base for the Pirates.

When it comes to conducting infield practice on the big league level, few can match the proficiency of Red Sox coach and ground-ball guru Brian Butterfield, with Friday morning’s workout on Field 3 a classic case in point.

Legendary left-hander Sandy Koufax is no longer a member of the Dodgers front office, the club confirmed to MLB.com on Friday. The 80-year-old Koufax, who returned to the organization in 2013 as special advisor to the chairman, made his first appearance at Spring Training on Friday.

After a breakout season that saw him post a 1.57 ERA in 57 1/3 innings with the A’s in 2014, lefty reliever Fernando Abad struggled last year. He saw his walk rate and home run rate rise, leading to a 4.15 ERA in 47 2/3 innings. Abad believes he knows why he struggled in 2015.

Manager Mike Matheny may have intentionally kept the Cubs out of his annual spring address this week, but he couldn’t keep the rivals in blue entirely out of conversation. A day after the Cubs shocked more than just the Orioles by re-signing Dexter Fowler, Matheny found himself cornered for comment.

Chris Coghlan claims one position is of no priority, and he fully embraces the kind of multifaceted role former Athletic Ben Zobrist is making popular.

Zack Wheeler will cruise past another milestone in his Tommy John rehab on Saturday when he throws off the slope of a mound for the first time since surgery. The Mets expect Wheeler to toss a dozen or so pitches.

Nationals reporter Bill Ladson answers fan questions in this week’s Inbox.

This spring is so different for prospect Bubba Starling, the Royals’ first-round pick (fifth overall) from 2011.