A message to the Yankees and their fans from Alex Rodriquez: I'm not going anywhere.

"Alex has no plans at all to retire,'' one source with close personal ties to the third baseman told ESPNNewYork.com on Thursday.

Another source passed this along: "Alex says he's working diligently on his rehabilitation and is looking forward to getting back on the field as soon as possible.''

Just three months after becoming the first Venezuelan to win the World Series MVP award, Pablo Sandoval is celebrating a new feat, the championship win of his team in Venezuela.

Sandoval helped lead his team, the Navegantes del Magallanes, to an 11-9 win on Wednesday night in the final game of the championship series over the Cardenales.

Before the Yankees can actually move to void Alex Rodriquez's contract he'll have to be suspended for doping. And that is far from a sure thing, for Rodriguez or any of the players implicated in a growing performance-enhancing drug scandal.

The evidence published in Miami New Times linking Rodriguez to Anthony Bosch and the BioGenesis clinic in Coral Gables, Fla., is not enough for MLBl to suspend him.

Alex Rodriguez has had a number of missteps since the Yankees acquired him in 2004.

His best season came in 2009 when he performed well in the playoffs as New York won the World Series over the Phillies.

"Privately, the Yankees are thrilled with this latest mess," Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes.

"For if the allegations first made [Tuesday] in the Miami New Times that detail Rodriguez purchasing banned performance enhancers from 2009-12 turn out to be accurate — or worse — then a portal has been opened for the Yankees to accomplish a goal as large as winning the 2013 World Series because of what it means to their present and near future: Severing ties with Rodriguez and saving as much of the $114 million they owe him over the next five years as possible."

The reality is that the Yankees will need a miracle to void Rodriguez's contract.

Sources have confirmed that the Yankees have interest in signing Travis Hafner.

Hafner would serve as New York's left-handed designated hitter, filling the void left behind by Raul Ibanez.

He would likely be offered a one-year, incentive-laden major league deal, according to sources.

In the past five seasons, he has only played in more than 100 games once.

Bryce Harper was able to grant a request for Stan Musial before the Hall of Famer died earlier this month.

"He asked me for a jersey last year," Harper told Holden and Danny of 106.7 The Fan. "I was lucky enough to get one back for him. What a great ballplayer, great role model. What a tough loss for the baseball world. He's gonna be missed, of course."

Harper was surprised by the request which came through the Nationals.

"They just said, 'Hey, we need a jersey signed and we need you to personalize it' and whatnot, and I said 'OK, to who?' and they said [Musial] and I was like, whoa! What a great honor to sign a jersey for a great Hall of Fame guy like that. I was lucky enough and blessed to have him ask for my autograph," Harper said.

The Nationals reacted to Atlanta's acquisition of Justin Upton on Tuesday, largely believing that their National League East rival has improved considerably.

Washington will be looking to win their second-straight division title in 2013.

However, one member of the Nationals questioned why the Braves would trade Martin Prado as part of the deal with the Diamondbacks.

"I don't know why they got rid of Martin Prado, because he rakes," Bryce Harper said. "He was a killer horse against us last year and he is pretty unbelievable."

Last season, Prado was 23-for-69 (.333) with 12 runs scored and seven RBIs against Washington.

Justin Upton was introduced as a member of the Braves on Tuesday, holding up his new No. 8 jersey at a press conference.

"This is a special day for my family," Upton said. "It's a great opportunity. I'm excited to put this uniform on and play for this organization."

Before attending the news conference, the Upton brothers and their parents, Manny and Yvonne, spent some time in the home clubhouse at Turner Field.

"Nice, unbelievable, unbelievable," Manny Upton said.

There have been persistent rumors this offseason that the Dodgers are shopping Andre Ethier.

Ethier has called the rumors more "entertaining" than unsettling. He said his mind was set at ease early on when both Dodgers CEO Stan Kasten and GM Ned Colletti publicly shot down the rumors.

"I think Ned and Stan came out pretty quickly not only saying they weren't looking to trade me but they didn't know where the rumors were coming from," Ethier said. "I'm not going to let something bother me if they don't even know where it's coming from.

"I heard from both Ned and Donnie saying they weren't looking to trade me and the only way it happens is if a team blows them away (with an offer). That was enough to ease my mind. ... I understand that. That's just business."

Brian Schneider has decided to retire.

He caught 13 years with the Expos/Nationals, Mets and Phillies.

Schneider, 36, caught more than 100 games for six straight seasons from 2003-08.