The Pirates' decision to option Endy Rodríguez feels less like a reaction to spring training—and more like a plan that was quietly locked in long before anyone reported to Bradenton.

Major League Baseball will expand its Spring Breakout of games involving top prospects into a tournament next year, when the big league exhibition schedule could be impacted by a possible lockout.

The date with the largest single-day attendance this year was Friday, March 20, when Phoenix was deep into a record heat wave ...