Michael Brantley, reaching new heights for the Cleveland Indians

Does  Brantley would develop more power, whether he could be effective enough to remain in the middle of the lineup, whether he could make Indians fans forget about Matt LaPorta and CC Sabathia.

To respond to those inquiries, he needed a push from two people: his outfield companion, Michael Bourn, and his baby daughter, Mariah.

A four-year, $25 million extension didn't hurt, either.

"We all said when that deal came out that that was a bargain for us," said first baseman Nick Swisher.

May be no game exemplifies Brantley's progression into a five-tool player better than Wednesday's 11-10 win against Detroit. The left fielder collected four hits, stole two bases, scored two runs, tallied three RBIs, went 2-for-3 with runners in scoring position, drove in a pair of runs with two outs and socked a game-tying RBI single in the 13th inning.

Anew deal for Lionel Messi

Barcelona have reached an agreement with Lionel Messi over an extension to his contract. The Argentina forward has been in negotiations for several weeks. However a statement on Barcelona's website on Friday confirmed that they have agreed terms.

"Barcelona has reached an agreement to adjust the terms in the contract binding Leo Messi to the club as a professional first team player," it read. "The revised and updated contract will be signed over the next few days."

No details of the contract were disclosed, but the deal follows lengthy negotiations during which it was reported that the 26-year-old wanted to surpass Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo as the best-paid player in the world.

According to the Barcelona-based newspaper Sport, the contract is worth a record €20m per season (£16.3m), plus further incentives, while tying Messi to the club until 2019.

Securing Messi's future is a major piece of business for Barcelona as they shape up for a crucial summer. The club were hit with a one-year transfer ban for violations of the rules on signing minors earlier this year. That ban has been suspended on appeal and Barça need to make a series of moves in order to guard against the possibility that they are reinstated for both the winter transfer window and next summer.

The news was announced on the eve of Barça's title decider against La Liga leaders Atlético Madrid, who will travel to Camp Nou on Saturday. Barcelona need a win to take the title, with a draw enough for Atlético.

Messi has scored 28 goals in 30 league appearances to lead Barça's charge once again, and has 41 in all competitions this season. In all the Argentinian has scored 354 goals in 424 matches for Barca, the highest scorer in the club's history