Baseball-Major League Baseball roundup

Jan 21 (The Sports Xchange) - The Washington Nationals introduced right-hander Max Scherzer on Wednesday after the two sides officially finalized the seven-year, $210 million contract. Scherzer agreed to terms on the deal Monday, a contract that is the second largest for a pitcher in the major leagues behind Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw's $215 million. - - Major League Baseball suspended five minor league players on Wednesday for violations of the minor league drug policy. - - The San Francisco Giants designated second baseman Marco Scutaro for assignment on Wednesday. The 39-year-old Scutaro is recovering from back surgery that could be career-ending. - - New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who sat out last year due to a season-long steroids suspension, has been getting tips from Barry Bonds. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the 39-year-old Rodriguez has been training for a few weeks and recently posted two photos on Instagram of him swinging a bat with the caption: "Starting the year in the cage." The photos were taken in San Rafael, Calif., at the Future Prospects facility owned and run by Charles Scott, who is Bonds' friend and former Arizona State teammate. Rodriguez met with Bonds multiple times to get hitting tips as he prepares for his return to the major leagues, spokesman Ron Berkowitz confirmed on Wednesday to ESPN. - - Major League Baseball and the umpires union ratified a five-year labor contract agreement Wednesday. MLB and the World Umpires Association, the bargaining representative of all full-time Major League Umpires, both agreed to the pact covering the 2015-2019 seasons. - - Right-handed reliever Gonzalez Germen is headed to his third team in a month after the Texas Rangers acquired him from the New York Yankees in a cash transaction. Germen, 27, was acquired by the Yankees from the Mets in a cash deal on Dec. 19. - - As part of its effort to speed up games, Major League Baseball is looking to decrease the length of inning breaks, ESPN.com reported. Baseball is also looking at setting a clock to speed up the time between pitches. A pitch clock will be implemented at the Triple-A and Double-A levels during the 2015 season, but not the major leagues. (Editing by Frank Pingue)