MLB Capsules: Pence, Phillies agree to $10.4 million deal

The 31-year-old Keppinger who plays shortstop as well as second and third base split last season between the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants, combining to bat .277.

A .281 career hitter in seven seasons with the Mets, Royals, Reds, Astros and Giants, the right-handed batting Keppinger has a .324 lifetime average against left-handed pitching. Last year, he hit .307 in 43 games for the Astros before being traded to San Francisco on July 19. He batted .255 in 56 games with the Giants.

The Rays announced the deal on Friday, but did not release details of the contract.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, speaking after his basketball team's game Friday night, refused to say whether he was in or out. The Los Angeles Times reported he did not advance.

Initial bids were submitted Monday to the financial firm handling the sale by Frank McCourt, and people affiliated with process said Friday they were notified they will be advancing in the process. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because no public statements were authorized.

Cohen and the Torre and Johnson groups surviving the cut was first reported by the Times on its Web site.

It was unclear whether more groups also advanced to the next stage. At least one bidder, also speaking on condition of anonymity, was part of a group that had not received a notification from Blackstone Group. More than 12 groups submitted initial bids on Monday.

McCourt put the team in bankruptcy last year and reached an agreement with Major League Baseball to sell the team by April 30, the deadline for him to make a $131 million divorce payment to former wife Jamie McCourt.

The team and Dodger Stadium are expected to sell for more than $1 billion, although it remains uncertain whether 240 acres of land surrounding the ballpark, which include the parking lots, will be included in the sale.

McCourt's agreement with MLB calls for him to forward up to 10 bidders to MLB for background checks, which cost each group $25,000 to cover baseball's costs.

"The preliminary round of bidding has underscored the robust nature of the sales process, the significant purchase opportunity which the Dodgers represent, and the enormous value that the sale of the Dodgers, including their media assets, will generate," the team said in a statement.

"Each of the preliminary bids has been reviewed carefully by the Dodgers and its financial adviser Blackstone. Blackstone is notifying all of the bidders as to which ones will and which ones will not advance in the sales process."

The identified surviving groups have ties to baseball:

— Cohen is represented by Steve Greenberg, the son of Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg, a former agent and deputy commissioner and frequent banker for baseball team sales.

— Torre, a former Dodgers and New York Yankees manager, quit as an MLB executive vice president to join a group headed by real estate developer Rick Caruso.

— Johnson, the Hall of Famer and former Los Angeles Lakers star, is part of a group that includes former Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals president Stan Kasten and Mark Walter, chief executive officer of the Guggenheim Partners financial services firm.

-- Ronald Blum

Pierre agrees to minor league deal with Phillies

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum has passed his physical and officially signed his $40.5 million, two-year contract.

The two sides reached a verbal agreement on the deal on Tuesday and the Giants said Lincecum signed the contract Friday after taking his physical.

The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner gets a $500,000 signing bonus and salaries of $18 million this year and $22 million in 2013.

Lincecum had asked for a near-record $21.5 million in salary arbitration and had been offered $17 million by the Giants. He remains eligible for free agency following the 2013 season.

Lincecum was plagued by poor run support last season and went 13-14 with a 2.74 ERA last year for his first losing record.

Tuiasosopo agrees to minor league deal with Mets

The former American League MVP, been beset by all kinds of injuries the last two years, said on Friday night he's "hopeful" he'll be fully healthy in 2012. Last year, he had four surgeries and a concussion and hit only four home runs in 69 games.

"It's impossible to know what the future's going to hold, but I've just got to listen to what my body's telling me that day," Morneau said at the team's annual fan festival. "So far everything's gone good."

He had operations on his neck, left knee and right foot during the season and his left wrist right after it. After returning from the concussion that knocked him out of action for the last half of the 2010 season, he suffered a recurrence diving for a ball late in the year.

He said he still has headaches "once in a while" but that he's felt great since 2012 began. His wrist is still tight when he swings, but he said it shouldn't limit him once spring training starts next month. Morneau was so determined to come back healthier this year that he changed his diet after discovering his body doesn't handle gluten well. He dropped 20 pounds.

Before July 7, 2010, when a knee-to-the-head collision at second base spawned the concussion that kept him out until the following year, Morneau was hitting as well as he ever has, producing at a similar rate as he did during his MVP season in 2006.

Since then he's been a shell of his old self, and he doesn't shy from thinking back to his pre-concussion form.

"There were a lot of things going right so when I kind of need to remind myself that it can be good again and it will be good again, I think back to that and when stuff was good," Morneau said. "I'm not 38 going on 39. I'm 30 going on 31. So it's not like I'm in that danger zone where everything slows down. There's still a lot of time for me to become that player that I expect out of myself."

Proper perspective helps. He and some of his Twins teammates on Friday visited Jack Jablonski, the 16-year-old hockey player who was paralyzed by a hit into the boards last month.

"They said he'd never move his left arm, but we were in there watching him do rehab and he's moving his left arm and shaking our hands with his right hand. ... I think a lot of guys left there speechless just seeing everything he's gone through and how positive he was," Morneau said.

Morneau is by far from the only Twins player entering the spring who's eager to put a painful season behind him. Their 63-99 finish was caused by a number of factors, but the training room was crowded by the end of the summer.

"It was like we should've moved our lockers in there. Just make that the locker room," said right-hander Nick Blackburn, who had a postseason operation on his forearm to fix a nerve problem.

He added: "It obviously wasn't pretty, but I think everybody knows we have more talent than that. If we keep everybody healthy it should be a different story."

Catcher Joe Mauer, of course, will be watched closely after confounding soreness and weakness in his legs plus a couple of illnesses ruined his 2011 season. He looked as fit and lean as ever on Friday, and general manager Terry Ryan said Mauer is in good shape to start the spring. Ryan spoke of an ideal scenario for 140 games apiece from Morneau and Mauer, the franchise cornerstones.

Then there's center fielder Denard Span, who also dealt last season with concussion symptoms and migraine problems, albeit on a slightly less-publicized basis than Morneau. Span played in only 70 games last year, but he gave an upbeat update on his condition on the heels of what he called "one of the most depressing" seasons he's had.

"This is probably the best that I've felt in two years," Span said.

He started seeing a chiropractor, started a caffeine-free and supplement-free diet and has been participating in an eye therapy program on his laptop to strengthen his focus.

"I'm just ready to get out on the field, man, and test it out. Last year definitely was a tough year for me, a tough year for the team in general," Span said.

The Twins sure can't get any worse as a team.

"I can't speak for the other guys, but I think everybody's gone through the low-point and seen how bad it can be," Morneau said. "We haven't lost like that since any of us have been here, and I think everybody's doing everything in their body to be ready and take care of themselves and do everything that can be done to play the way we're capable of playing."

-- Dave Campbell

White Sox GM feels son's pain after 49ers' loss

Kyle Williams of the San Francisco 49ers muffed one punt and fumbled another in last Sunday's NFC championship game as the New York Giants earned a berth in the Super Bowl. His fumble in overtime set up Lawrence Tynes' winning field goal in New York's 20-17 victory.

"As a father, it was absolutely awful. Even if it weren't my kid, I'd still feel bad for what happened," Ken Williams said Friday night at the White Sox winter festival.

Kyle Williams not only stood up and answered reporters' questions about his mistakes, but was subjected to hateful, hurtful, even threatening comments via social media.

"Through it all, the young man has shown me exactly who I thought he was, which is a man of character, a strong-minded, tough son of a gun," Ken Williams said. "He's hurting right now ... Believe me, I'm not happy with some of the death threats and some of the things that are unfortunately part of our culture. I wish it weren't that way, but I have first-hand knowledge of it being that way.

"He grew up in a household where he knew exactly what to expect. He stood up in front of more media than I've ever stood in front of and told them exactly what he felt, and took responsibility. How can a father be anything but proud?"

Many of Kyle Williams' teammates came to his defense and rallied around him. And, Ken Williams took notice.

"They have put together something there where it's all for one and one for all," Williams said.

And he'd like the White Sox to hear about it first-hand.

Williams said 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, the former Chicago Bears quarterback, asked to come to spring training and throw out a first pitch and hang around baseball because he loves the sport.

But Harbaugh will have one chore when he comes to Glendale, Ariz., where the White Sox hold spring training.

"He has no idea, but he's going to stand up in front of the White Sox and talk about team leadership and togetherness," Williams said. "We need to tap into that a little bit."

-- Rick Gano

Red Sox tickets go digital to foil scalping

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox are going to a new digital ticketing system for the cheapest seats at Fenway Park to keep them out of the hands of scalpers.

Fans with seats in the $12 upper bleacher section for high-demand games will receive only digital tickets. They will be required to swipe the credit card used to purchase them at the gate.

Fenway Park is the oldest ballpark in baseball, and it is also among the most expensive. The Red Sox say they've left the upper bleacher seats below market price to help families get into the ballpark. But that also makes it a lucrative option for the resale market.

The rules apply for 30 games this season, including the home opener, series against the New York Yankees and interleague play against the Atlanta Braves.

Twins to retire ex-manager Kelly's No. 10