Cards 'comfortable' Glaus not on steroids

Before acquiring Troy Glaus in a trade with Toronto for Scott Rolen on Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals looked into allegations the third baseman used steroids.

New Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said Wednesday he was "comfortable" with baseball's investigation into the matter.

"We did our due diligence on that," Mozeliak said at a news conference to discuss the trade. "We spoke with Major League Baseball. Obviously, it was a concern to us moving forward. Our understanding and how it was explained to us is they did a thorough investigation. He cooperated fully. At the end of the day, they felt there was not enough to warrant any disciplinary action. With that said, it made us very comfortable with the direction we were going."

Set those alarm clocks: Red Sox fans will have to get up early to watch the World Series champions start their title defense. The major-league season opener against the Oakland Athletics in Tokyo will start at 6:07 a.m. EDT on March 25. The teams also play the following day.

Contract updates: Pitcher Mark Hendrickson agreed to a $1.5 million, one-year contract with the Florida Marlins. performance bonuses. The 6-foot-9 left-hander, a former NBA player, went 4-8 with a 5.21 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers last year. … The Arizona Diamondbacks and right-hander Juan Cruz avoided arbitration, agreeing to a $1,937,500, one-year contract. … Pitcher Nate Robertson and the Detroit Tigers avoided salary arbitration when they agreed to a $21.25 million, three-year contract. … Outfielder Marlon Byrd and the Texas Rangers avoided arbitration when they agreed on a $1.8 million, one-year contract. … Right-handed pitcher Jeremy Guthrie agreed to a one-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles that will pay him $770,000 if he remains on the big league roster for the entire season. … Right-handed pitcher Claudio Vargas and the Milwaukee Brewers agreed on a $3.6 million, one-year contract, avoiding an arbitration hearing.