Now that the Yankees have lost Greg Bird, their backup at first base and DH, it’s worth wondering what they’ll do to replace him — if anything.

Of the many newcomers dotting the Mariners’ roster for the upcoming season, the one with the most pressure to perform might be Steve Cishek. And that’s just fine with the sidearming right-hander, who leaped at the chance to sign with Seattle once he heard it wanted him to fill the closer’s role.

With Spring Training quickly approaching, let’s examine five potentially pivotal pitchers in what promises to be another wild American League West race this upcoming season.

President George W. Bush spoke on Monday about meeting Edward W. “Rusty” Rose for the first time back in 1989.

Phillies chairman David Montgomery figures he has been to nearly every Philadelphia Sportswriters Association dinner since 1972. On Monday night, the PSWA honored him.

Imagine the narrative this winter if the Red Sox hadn’t signed David Price? Price was the arm the Red Sox had to have, and landing him was the best deal of the Hot Stove season.

Officials from the Caribbean Series are finalizing an alternative set of participants for the tournament’s first Home Run Derby to be held on Wednesday because it appears Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera, Seattle’s Robinson Cano, and Boston’s David Ortiz will not be allowed to participate for what officials are describing as “insurance reasons.”

Kennys Vargas says he is in the Dominican Republic with Puerto Rico’s Cangrejeros de Santurce because he wants to be here, but the reality is that he has no other choice if he wants to show the Twins he can be a consistent big league player.

On one side of second base, the Angels have one of the premier defensive players in the game. On the other side, well, not so much.

The Giants and right-hander George Kontos avoided salary arbitration by reaching a compromise Monday on a one-year, $1.15 million contract.

The Nationals have made some solid acquisitions this offseason. They added two left-handed hitters to balance the starting lineup, signing free-agent second baseman Daniel Murphy and trading for outfielder Ben Revere from the Blue Jays. By getting Revere, the Nationals have their leadoff hitter to replace Denard Span, who signed with the Giants.

Yankees first baseman Greg Bird, who belted 11 homers in his first taste of big league action last year, will undergo surgery on Tuesday to repair a right shoulder labrum tear and is expected to miss the entire 2016 season.

Talented White Sox southpaw Chris Sale is not concerned with the trappings of fame, but he does seem amused and often touched by those who recognize him, as happened recently when picking up his 5-year-old son and his friend from jujitsu class.

The Dodgers’ Justin Turner is still recovering from October left knee microfracture surgery. He and the team insist he’s right on schedule in his recovery, with the expectation he’ll be 100 percent ready to go by Opening Day.

Royals All-Star left fielder Alex Gordon tends to be pretty agreeable to hitting anywhere in the batting order. But if he had a preference? “I always like hitting more toward the top of the order,” Gordon said at Royals FanFest. “Would I rather hit second? Yeah, probably.”

The Blue Jays have several intriguing roster decisions to make when Spring Training gets under way later this month, but perhaps the most interesting one of all will take place at the back end of the bullpen.

In honor of Black History Month, here are nine notable achievements or contributions by African-Americans to Major League Baseball behind Jackie Robinson’s entry into the game.