The Chicago Cubs are confident that Addison Russell can thrive at shortstop in the Major Leagues.

Ryne Sandberg, Chicago's new community ambassador, is a Hall of Fame second baseman and has given Russell his seal of approval.

"His potential is very good," Sandberg said. "He reminds me of a young Barry Larkin, maybe. He has that kind of look and feel. He's very athletic, and he can improvise on making throws when he gets to balls. There's a little bit of an acrobat in there. But there's some steadiness with him too, which is what you want at the position."

Billy Beane, who traded Russell to the Cubs, has also invoked the Larkin comparison, whileJoe Maddon flashed back to a certain 14-time All-Star the first time he watched Russell field grounders with technical precision.

"He's one of the more efficient young infielders I've ever seen, when it comes to his movements," Maddon said. "I can only compare him to Derek Jeter. For me, Jeter had the perfect method of picking up a ground ball -- like a Gary DiSarcina. It was very simple, very boring. I think Addison fits in that category."

The Texas Rangers have signed Drew Stubbs to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training.

Stubbs, 31, finished last season with the Rangers after being released by the Colorado Rockies.

He will make $1.5 million if on the Major League roster.

The Chicago White Sox reportedly made a two-year contract offer to Dexter Fowler before he re-signed with the Chicago Cubs.

The White Sox have been linked to a number of trade targets in the outfield this offseason.

Mike Piazza plans to talk with Yoenis Cespedes at New York Mets camp about how to handle being a star in the city.

"I told him that when I talk to him, I'm going to tell him that there's going to be a lot of pressure on him this year. He's going to be expected to do a lot. And I have a little bit of experience knowing that pressure," Piazza said. "And I hope he's able to discipline himself and really refine his strike zone and realize that when the pitchers are not pitching to him, he's got to take his walks. I think you saw that in the World Series a little bit. He just got too anxious and was trying to do too much and was just swinging, trying to hit the ball out of the stadium. I would tell him, 'Look, you don't have to hit the ball out of the stadium. You just have to hit it over the wall. Or hit it off the wall is fine.' That happens sometimes.

"Here's a kid, he came from Cuba. He grew up completely different than what we did. So handling all that and coming to the States, it's culturally different for him. I think we need to be patient and understand."

Cleveland Indians outfielder Abraham Almonte has been suspended for 80 games by Major League Baseball after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug Boldenone.

Almonte accepted responsibility for the failed drug test, but said he did not know how the substance got into his system.

"It's hard, because you have to go in front of all the guys that are always pushing for you and helping you," Almonte said. "To me, the team is like a family. A big part of the game, or a small part of the game, I'm part of the team. The part that I see is that they have a missing part right now, and it might hurt the team. I hope not.

"My responsibility now is to work as hard as I can to get ready and help my team whenever they need me back."

Over the last several years, the Orioles often celebrated victories with center fielder Adam Jones smashing a pie in the hero's face.

But the team has decided to end the practice for safety reasons, according to an ESPN.com report.

New Dodgers manager Dave Roberts joked it was a tough call, but Clayton Kershaw will be the opening day pitcher for Los Angeles for the sixth year in a row.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner will help the Dodgers open the season on April 4 opener against the Padres.

Pirates starting pitching ace Gerrit Cole, coming off a 2015 season that included his first All-Star nod, says he is disappointed by the contract he signed for the 2016 season.

Cole signed for $541,000 on Saturday, the same amount he made last year when he went 19-8 with a 2.60 ERA and finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting. His 2015 base salary was $531,000, and he earned $10,000 for making the All-Star team.

The Rangers have agreed on a one-year, $8 million contract with former Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond pending a physical, sources told ESPN.

The Nationals extended a $15.8 million qualifying offer to Desmond, but he elected to test free agency. The Rangers must surrender a first-round draft pick to the Nationals for signing Desmond.

The D-Backs have signed infielder/outfielder Rickie Weeks to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

The 33-year-old Weeks spent his first 11 big league seasons in Milwaukee as a second baseman before playing outfield with Seattle last season.

Weeks struggled at the plate with the Mariners, hitting .167 in 37 games before being designated for assignment in June.