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Johnson brings superb resume to Hall ballot Big Unit tallied 303 wins, 4,875 strikeouts, five Cy Youngs in 22 seasons By Corey Brock / MLB.com http://m.dbacks.mlb.com/news/article/102272792/randy-johnson-brings-superb-resume-to-hall-of-fame-ballot Postseason heroics bolster Schilling's HOF case Right-hander pitched in World Series with Red Sox, D-backs and Phillies By Ian Browne / MLB.com http://m.dbacks.mlb.com/news/article/102186970/postseason-heroics-bolster-curt-schillings-hall-of-fame-case Trio of aces poised to lead Hall of Fame class of 2015 By Howie Rumberg / Associated Press http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/01/05/trio-of-aces-poised-to-lead-hall-of-fame-class-of-2015/21312747/ Big Unit a Cooperstown shoo-in as call from Hall looms By Jack Magruder / FOX Sports Arizona http://www.foxsports.com/arizona/story/randy-johnson-baseball-hall-of-fame-election-arizona-diamondbacks-010515 10th Inning Vault: Randy Johnson's Cooperstown cap By Todd Walsh / FOX Sports Arizona http://www.foxsports.com/arizona/story/randy-johnson-baseball-hall-of-fame-arizona-diamondbacks-seattle-mariners-010515 Diamondbacks and Pennington agree at $3,275,000 contract, avoid arbitration By Associated Press http://www.foxsports.com/arizona/story/arizona-diamondbacks-cliff-pennington-agree-to-3-275-million-contract-010515 Will Gosewisch emerge as the Diamondbacks number one catcher? By Mark Brown / Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/article/will-gosewisch-emerge-as-the-diamondbacks-number-one-catcher

HOF voting percentages: What to look for By Buster Olney / ESPN.com http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/buster-olney/post/_/id/9086

The real Hall of Fame debate: Pedro or the Big Unit? By Paul White / USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/01/06/hall-of-fame-pedro-martinez-randy-johnson/21316081/ A digital alternative: Looking at baseball's other Hall of Fame vote By Mike Oz / Yahoo! Sports http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/the-digital-alternative--a-look-at-baseball-s-other-hall-of-fame-vote-234307897.html FOX Sports Fan Vote: Only Big Unit worthy of Hall induction By Ken Rosenthal / FOX Sports http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/baseball-hall-of-fame-randy-johnson-pete-rose-pedro-martinez-smoltz-hall-of-fame-fan-vote-010615

MLB NEWS January 6, 2015 • MLB.com http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news_index.jsp ASSOCIATED PRESS January 6, 2015 • Sports.yahoo.com http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/morenews MLB TRANSACTIONS January 6, 2015 • MLB.com http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/transactions

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Johnson brings superb resume to Hall ballot Big Unit tallied 303 wins, 4,875 strikeouts, five Cy Youngs in 22 seasons By Corey Brock / MLB.com http://m.dbacks.mlb.com/news/article/102272792/randy-johnson-brings-superb-resume-to-hall-of-fame-ballot There were certainly a lot of notable milestones in Randy Johnson's 22-year career in the big leagues -- being named to 10 All-Star teams, winning MVP of the World Series and five Cy Young Awards, tossing a perfect game and winning 303 games pitching for six different teams. With that success, though, came a lot of responsibility, Johnson said. And there was never a tougher critic in terms of his performance than Johnson himself. "Obviously in the moment I would dwell on bad games," Johnson told MLB.com in May. "... I felt like I let the fans and the team down because obviously I still had the responsibility and everybody was assuming that there was going to be a certain type of game pitched -- whether it was a dominant game or not, it was going to be a victory. "That was what came along with what I established in my career." To be sure, Johnson accomplished a lot in time with the Mariners, D-backs, Expos, Yankees, Giants and Astros, a career that has brought him to the doorstep of baseball's shrine to the greatest players to play the game -- a potential spot in the Hall of Fame. Johnson joins John Smoltz, Pedro Martinez and Gary Sheffield as part of a formidable list of players who are a part of the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time this year. A candidate must receive 75 percent of the vote from Baseball Writers' Association of America members to gain election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Second baseman Craig Biggio (74.8 percent), catcher Mike Piazza (62.2 percent) and first baseman Jeff Bagwell (54.3 percent) are the top returning vote-getters from last year's ballot. Results of the 2015 election will be announced today at 2 p.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.com, with coverage beginning at 11 a.m. ET. Johnson stands tall among this group for a lot of reasons -- the 6-foot-10 left-hander who came armed with a blazing fastball, devastating slider and a fiery demeanor tamed hitters in both leagues and had success while being slowed only by back difficulties during his career. Drafted and developed by the Expos, Johnson was sent to the Mariners in a five-player deal in May 1989 in a deal that saw Montreal land pitcher Mark Langston. Believe it or not, Johnson was not the marquee player the Mariners landed -- it was first believed to be reliever Gene Harris. It soon became apparent that the Mariners had a steal in the pitcher that later earned the nickname "The Big Unit." He went 7-9 with a 4.40 ERA in 22 starts for the Mariners in 1989 but hit

his stride in 1990 as he won 14 games and made his first All-Star team. Johnson went on to lead his league in ERA four times and in strikeouts nine times. He currently stands as baseball's all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings (10.6). He finished his career in 2009 with the Giants when he won his 300th game. He finished with a career 3.29 ERA with 4,875 strikeouts. Johnson's career highlight came in 2001 when he and Curt Schilling led the D-backs to the World Series title in seven games over the Yankees. Johnson said he tried not to get caught up in milestones during his career, always looking forward and not back. He worked to get better each season, even if that meant trying to improve even the smallest of details of his game. It worked. He has the resume to show for it. Soon enough, he could have a spot in Cooperstown, too. "As soon as you can realize your deficiencies and you work on them and try to bring those things up a little bit, then you get better," Johnson said. "And you want to keep getting better at the things you already do well. "So it was a never-ending process and that's what I enjoyed about the ride. I never looked back, I never dwelled on the good games, but always took stuff from the bad ones and always took multiple things from my season and looked at those things."

Postseason heroics bolster Schilling's HOF case Right-hander pitched in World Series with Red Sox, D-backs and Phillies By Ian Browne / MLB.com http://m.dbacks.mlb.com/news/article/102186970/postseason-heroics-bolster-curt-schillings-hall-of-fame-case BOSTON -- Curt Schilling, the consummate student of pitching, was able to marvel and learn from Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez. He also won a World Series championship with both of those pitchers, who are top candidates to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The results of this year's ballot, which will be released today, could include Johnson and Martinez as first-ballot Hall of Famers. This is Schilling's third year of eligibility, but he doesn't expect to get in this go-around, especially when he knows who else is on the ballot . Electees from the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot are set to be announced today at 2 p.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.com, with coverage beginning at 11 a.m. ET. A candidate must receive 75 percent of the vote from BBWAA members to gain election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Second baseman Craig Biggio (74.8 percent), catcher Mike Piazza (62.2 percent) and first baseman Jeff Bagwell (54.3 percent) are the top returning vote-getters from last year's ballot. "They are all first-ballot guys," Schilling said last year of not only Martinez and Johnson, but also John Smoltz.

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After getting 38.8 percent of the votes in his first year on the ballot, Schilling slipped to 29.2 percent last year. There will come a time when Schilling's candidacy probably gains more steam. In the meantime, he will appreciate his time pitching with and against so many greats. "I played with Randy Johnson," said Schilling. "And Pedro wasn't at his best when I played with him, but he should be a unanimous choice. I played with a hobbling Dale Murphy. The guy was the most dominating player in the '80s for a while. I don't understand how he's not in the Hall. If it doesn't work out, I can look at some guys who don't have plaques and say, 'Wow, I'm all right.'" Schilling's regular-season numbers -- 216-146, 3.46 ERA and 3,116 strikeouts -- make him a bubble candidate for the Hall. However, throw in what he did in October, and it isn't hard to imagine Schilling one day in the middle of an induction ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y. In 19 postseason starts, Schilling went 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA. The righty pitched in the World Series four times (1993, 2001, '04 and '07) and for three different teams (the Phillies, D-backs and Red Sox). Three out of those four teams won it all, while the '93 Phillies were sent home on a walk-off homer by the Blue Jays' Joe Carter. "You know what, the fact that I was considered on that many ballots is cool," said Schilling. "Whether I believe [I belong] or what I think is irrelevant. I know what I did. At the end of the day, when I think about my career, the thing I always tell people that I wanted when I started was, I wanted to have a career where the 24 guys I suited up with, if their life depended on a win or a loss, who would they want to have the ball? I wanted to be that guy." Schilling is 15th on baseball's all-time strikeouts list. He is just two slots behind Martinez, and one ahead of Smoltz, another indication that Schilling's Hall of Fame candidacy is more legitimate than some people think. Whether Schilling winds up in Cooperstown, he had a career filled with indelible moments. Who could forget Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series against the Yankees, when Schilling had a loose ankle tendon sewn back into place so he could pitch? With blood leaking through to his sock, he won that game, keeping the Red Sox alive in their quest to become the first team in history to recover from down 3-0 in a postseason series. "We literally were the most focused I'd ever been as a team, or I'd ever seen anyone as a team for that period of time," Schilling said. "And that's why we won." In 2001, he teamed with Johnson to dethrone the Yankees, who had won the World Series the three previous seasons.

"October gave you something you didn't have, from an adrenaline perspective. But I think there was a sense of accountability and responsibility I wanted," Schilling said. "I wanted everything to matter on me. I wanted that. ... There's a couple of statistics or things I walked away from that I remember. And I know stats. I know my stats. I believe the number is five. "I pitched in five win-or-go-home games. My team was 5-0 in those. I never lost a game that would end my team's season. Every game I took the ball, we won those games. I loved that." Though Schilling's heroics for Philadelphia in '93 are overshadowed by what he did for Arizona and Boston, that's where his postseason lore started. "I remember my first postseason game against Atlanta in '93. We weren't supposed to beat them," Schilling said. "[Greg] Maddux and Smoltz and [Tom] Glavine and [Steve] Avery. [Terry] Pendleton, [Ron] Gant. We were the scruffy dudes from Philly. And I went out there and struck out the first five hitters of the game. In five hitters, the entire momentum of the series, I thought, changed. I realized what I was capable of doing by myself on the mound. I realized -- that's powerful." While some players have fuzzy memories of their accomplishments, Schilling remembers everything down to the smallest detail. "In the '93 World Series, we're down [in games], 3-1," Schilling said. "[The Blue Jays] scored 15 runs the night before; this offense had the top three hitters in the American League -- [John] Olerud, [Roberto] Alomar and [Paul] Molitor -- and we win [Game 5], 2-0. I learned in those games that, as a starting pitcher, it's just like being a quarterback. I can change everything based on my actions." His peak, Schilling remembers clearly, was 2001. "I still believe that the '01 postseason, those were the best 48 innings I ever threw," Schilling said. "I threw 305 innings that year, and my best 48 were at the end."

Trio of aces poised to lead Hall of Fame class of 2015 By Howie Rumberg / Associated Press http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/01/05/trio-of-aces-poised-to-lead-hall-of-fame-class-of-2015/21312747/ (Video embedded on webpage) NEW YORK (AP) — Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz appear to be shoo-ins for election to the Hall of Fame in what is shaping up as the baseball writers' biggest class of inductees in 60 years. When the Hall of Fame reveals the results Tuesday at noon (Arizona time) live on the MLB Network, holdover Craig Biggio and perhaps Mike Piazza could join those three first-ballot pitchers who were utterly dominant in a hitters' era of artificially bulging statistics. Here are some things to know about the balloting, conducted again in a period when who's elected is as intriguing as whose

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names were not checked by Baseball Writers' Association of America voters: The three aces Johnson, Martinez and Smoltz stand out among the 17 newcomers to the ballot. The reed-thin, scraggly-haired Johnson is a five-time Cy Young Award winner — four in a row from 1999-2002 — with 303 wins and 4,875 strikeouts. The Big Unit came up big in the postseason, too, sharing MVP honors in the 2001 World Series with Arizona Diamondbacks teammate Curt Schilling. Martinez's antics off the field were nearly as enthralling as an ever-elusive changeup that helped him to three Cy Youngs — two AL, one NL — and a 2.93 ERA in 18 years. He helped bring the Boston Red Sox their first World Series championship in 86 years. Smoltz was a steady presence on the Atlanta Braves' staff for 20 seasons — including 14 straight division titles from 1991-2005 — winning the 1996 NL Cy Young. A career starter, Smoltz smoothly moved into the closer role for three full seasons and earned 154 saves. He should join former teammates Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, last year's inductees along with Frank Thomas. The induction ceremony in Cooperstown will take place July 26. Ballot logjam Not since 1955, when Joe DiMaggio, Gabby Hartnett, Ted Lyons and Dazzy Vance all gained entrance into the Hall, have four players received the necessary 75 percent of the vote from the BBWAA. Five were elected at the same time on just one occasion, and that was the initial Hall class of 1936. With the ballot jammed by big names from the Steroids Era, the BBWAA has recommended to the Hall's board of directors that it increase the number of players each voter can select from 10 to 12. That change could come as soon as 2016. The PED factor Suspected and admitted users of performance-enhancing drugs have been on the ballot since Mark McGwire was a first-timer in 2007. But the real debate over PEDs and players' credentials heated up when otherwise certain locks Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens became eligible three years ago. Both glamour stars severely tarnished by steroid use accusations received about 35 percent of the vote last year, a slight dip from their first ballots. Piazza, who received 62.2 percent in his second year on the ballot, and Jeff Bagwell (54.3 percent) are two players who have fallen under suspicion of use but were never caught up in any investigation. Will one more year on the ballot help them get closer to the threshold? Perhaps an enhanced ballot of up to 12 votes per writer next year will give them the nudge they need if they fail this year.

Closing in Biggio, the Houston Astros second baseman-outfielder with 3,060 hits, fell two votes shy of election last year. Piazza, who has more homers than any other catcher in big league history, went up about 5 percent from the previous year. According to research by Baseball Think Factory, Biggio was up to 82.9 percent of the vote on 158 public ballots sourced by the website — that's about 27.7 percent of the vote, based on last year's totals. Piazza was at 76.6 percent late Monday afternoon. Several others on the ballot of 34 candidates are hoping to get a better look. Tim Raines (46.1 percent last year), hit .294 with a .385 on-base percentage in a 23-year career for six teams. The prototypical leadoff hitter scored 1,571 runs and stole 808 bases. Career designated hitter Edgar Martinez received 35.9 percent, Curt Schilling got 29.2 and Mike Mussina 20.3 percent in 2014. These players get only 10 years on the BBWAA ballot, recently reduced from 15 years maximum. Next year Next year's ballot should open up some after the election of this year's expected jumbo class and the amended voting rules. There is one sure thing in the 2016 group: Ken Griffey, Jr. He will be joined by Trevor Hoffman, Billy Wagner and Jim Edmonds as the chief newcomers.

Big Unit a Cooperstown shoo-in as call from Hall looms By Jack Magruder / FOX Sports Arizona http://www.foxsports.com/arizona/story/randy-johnson-baseball-hall-of-fame-election-arizona-diamondbacks-010515 PHOENIX — When Jerry Colangelo brought Randy Johnson to the Diamondbacks in the second year of the club's existence, he believed the most dominant pitcher of the age not only would change the course of franchise history but also would pay bottom-line dividends. It was hard to argue with the logic that attendance would bump in the games Johnson started. Johnson already had an AL Cy Young Award, a no-hitter, a 20-victory season and a reputation as the game's most intimidating presence. For a then-record — but now pocket-change — $53.4 million four-year contract, the D-backs created an attachment with a pitcher whose fastball/slider combination made hitters wince and the improbable seem altogether likely. Johnson once recorded a swinging strike on a slider that hit a right-handed batter in his back foot. Although attendance did not pop as much as expected, Johnson did, and there seems little doubt that he will be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday in his first year of eligibility after a career that overflowed with personal achievement and team success, much of it enjoyed during his time with the D-backs. "He had god's gift of a left arm," said Mike Paul, who was the Mariners' pitching coach in Johnson's first three seasons and later worked as an advance scout for the D-backs.

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Johnson won consecutive NL Cy Young Awards in the first four of his eight seasons with Arizona. His D-backs resume also includes a perfect game at Atlanta, a 20-strikeout game, his 3,000th and 4,000th career strikeouts and a co-World Series MVP award that he shared with fellow Hall of Fame nominee Curt Schilling. The legend of his 99-mph fastball grew when he struck an unsuspecting bird in a freak accident during a 2001 spring training game. The bird swooped across the field as Johnson was releasing the ball and was struck by the pitch, landing amid a sea of feathers. Though Johnson was 35 when signing with Arizona, it was quickly evident he was in the prime of his career. He struck out 364 batters in 1999, posting 294 more strikeouts that walks, the second-highest differential in major-league history behind Sandy Koufax's plus-311 season in 1965. "Every time he took the mound was exciting — exciting for the game of baseball, exciting for our team and exciting for our city," said former teammate Luis Gonzalez, now a D-backs special assistant to president/CEO Derrick Hall. "It was almost like going into a game knowing that you have a one-nothing lead because of the intimidation factor. Absolutely. Whenever he took the mound, you always felt like you had a great chance of winning that game because you knew he was going to give you everything he had." Johnson, one of 24 300-game winners in MLB history, ranks second with 4,875 career strikeouts, trailing only Nolan Ryan. It was Ryan's encouragement and advice that helped Johnson gain command of his overpowering stuff during his mid-to-late-20s while with Seattle, a team Johnson also led to the playoffs. Johnson averaged 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings during his career, the highest rate among starters in major-league history. Johnson could even pass Ryan in one category. Ryan was elected with 98.79 percent of the vote in 1999, the second-largest percentage among position players or pitchers behind Tom Seaver (98.84 percent) in Hall of Fame history. Johnson has been named on all but one of the 140 ballots that 2015 voters chose to make public, according to research conducted by Ryan Thibs. Johnson seems a good bet to surpass the record percentage for a left-hander currently held by Steve Carlton, who gathered 95.82 percent of the votes when he was elected in 1994. Tom Glavine received 91.94 percent of the 571 ballots received when he was up for the first time last year. Gonzalez said Johnson's eventual inclusion among baseball's all-time greats was apparent to all who played with and against him. "When guys are playing with him, they realize what a special breed the guy is," Gonzalez said. "You know when you face guys like (Greg) Maddux and Glavine and Smoltzie (John Smoltz) and guys like that. When I played with Ryne Sandberg in Chicago, you knew you were playing with a Hall of Fame guy. The numbers and the credentials that he put up, you knew he was going to be there sooner or later."

The only question seems to be what Johnson will wear at his induction. He and Ken Griffey were instrumental in reviving baseball in Seattle when the Mariners were trying to build a new stadium. He did his best work in Arizona, and won his only World Series here. "He was an intimidating stature out on the field, and he thrived on that when he played," Gonzalez said. "He wanted the ball every fifth day. He took it and he was successful in striking guys out and making a living while he was doing it."

10th Inning Vault: Randy Johnson's Cooperstown cap By Todd Walsh / FOX Sports Arizona http://www.foxsports.com/arizona/story/randy-johnson-baseball-hall-of-fame-arizona-diamondbacks-seattle-mariners-010515 From FOX Sports Arizona's 2009 10th Inning archive: Host Todd Walsh ponders whether Randy Johnson will go into the Hall of Fame as a Diamondback or a Mariner. (Video embedded on webpage)

Diamondbacks and Pennington agree at $3,275,000 contract, avoid arbitration By Associated Press http://www.foxsports.com/arizona/story/arizona-diamondbacks-cliff-pennington-agree-to-3-275-million-contract-010515 PHOENIX -- Infielder Cliff Pennington and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a one-year contract worth $3,275,000 and avoided salary arbitration. Pennington played 68 games with the Diamondbacks last season, hitting .254 with two homers and 10 RBI. He missed two months of the season with a sprained thumb. The 30-year-old was primarily a shortstop with Oakland but filled a utility role in three seasons with Arizona, also playing second and third base. He has hit 248 with 27 homers and 190 RBIs in seven big league seasons. Pennington made $2.75 million last season, completing a $5 million, two-year deal. Three Diamondbacks remain among approximately 180 players eligible for arbitration: pitchers Jeremy Hellickson and Addison Reed, and first baseman-outfielder Mark Trumbo.

Will Gosewisch emerge as the Diamondbacks number one catcher? By Mark Brown / Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/article/will-gosewisch-emerge-as-the-diamondbacks-number-one-catcher With just over five weeks until pitchers and catchers gather at Salt River for the commencement of spring training, the Diamondbacks still have a considerable opening among position players. Emphasis so far this off-season has been improvement in the starting rotation. There’s little argument about this critical need and general manager Dave Stewart has been busy in his attempt

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to re-tool the starters. A series of trades brought two potential starters in right-hander Jeremy Hellickson and lefty Robbie Ray along with a plethora of prospects. In his quest to resolve the protracted starters dilemma, Stewart dealt starting catcher Miguel Montero, and the burden of his $40 million contract, to the Chicago Cubs for Zack Godley and Jeferson Meija, still another pair of pitching prospects. Now, that leaves the 2014 back-up Tuffy Gosewisch as the number one catcher on the depth chart. While the consensus on Gosewisch is that the former Arizona State back-stop turned in a creditable job a year ago, there is little to suggest the Diamondbacks would be comfortable in settling in on Gosewisch, going forward, as their everyday catcher. In the Rule 5 draft last month during the winter meetings, the Diamondbacks took catcher Oscar Hernandez from the Rays’ organization but Hernandez competed last season at the Single A level. He is not expected to make a quantum leap to the major leagues. Should he fail to make the 25-man Arizona roster at the end of spring training, Hernandez must be returned to the Rays’ organization. In search of a possible, everyday catcher, some rumors suggest the Diamondbacks may go after Dioner Navarro, a 32-year-old from Caracas, Venezuela. That would have to be in a trade. According to the web site Baseball Reference, Navarro is not a free agent until the 2016 season. Currently on the Toronto roster, Navarro could be pushed aside because the Jays signed free agent Russell Martin in the off-season and have Josh Thole, a left-handed bat, as Martin’s back-up. At best, the Diamondbacks appear in a waiting mode until prospect Peter O’Brien is ready for The Show. Acquired from the New York Yankees last July for Martin Prado, O’Brien was injured almost immediately. He slammed a foul ball off his shin in the fourth game with Double-AA Mobile and appeared in only four games with the BayBears. His reputation suggested a big stick and, defensively, a work in progress. A second round selection by the Yankees in the 2012 draft, O’Brien, at 6-3, 220, instantly hit for distance. In 2013, he combined for 39 home runs between Single-A Charlestown and Single A Tampa and slammed 14 home runs for Double-AA Trenton last season before the trade to Arizona. Despite the rap, O’Brien, a 24-year-old out of Miami Gardens, Fla., said his defense is not in question. “I know I can call a good game and have a good command of the game,” he said at the conclusion of the Arizona Fall League this past November. “My throwing has improved and I think I showed what I can do.” In the Fall League, O’Brien displayed a strong throwing arm and set his sights on base runners. During one game on Oct. 28 against the Glendale Desert Dogs, O’Brien tossed out three

runners attempting to steal second and pitcher Archie Bradley picked off one runner from first base. By the conclusion of the Fall League, O’Brien pronounced he was ready to compete but this remains uncertain if that means for a job at the major league level. For now, the Diamondbacks have Gosewisch penciled in at number one on manager Chip Hale’s depth chart. The issue with Gosewisch, going forward, could be longevity and durability. As Montero’s back-up last season, Gosewisch appeared in only 41 games and hit .225 with nine extra-base hits in his total of 29 hits. He contributed seven RBIs in 129 plate appearances. Since Gosewisch broke into professional baseball in the Phillies organization as an 11th round pick in the 2005 draft, the 31 year-old has never appeared in more than 109 games in any season. That was for the Reading Phillies during the 2011 season. He also appeared in 102 games for Advanced A Clearwater in 2006. Just after the season ended, Stewart talked about the Diamondbacks’ coaching situation and said Montero was “penciled in” to catch around 135, 140 games. That number is about average for a starting catcher in the majors and if the Diamondbacks decide to go with Gosewisch, his durability will be one of the more significant issues at the Salt River training camp.

HOF voting percentages: What to look for By Buster Olney / ESPN.com http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/buster-olney/post/_/id/9086 The headlines Tuesday will be about those players who have been elected to the Hall of Fame. Presumably, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez will gain easy election, and perhaps they will be joined by Craig Biggio, who came within two votes last year, and John Smoltz. But as with all elections, some of the most interesting information beyond the results will be found in the exit polling, the specific numbers generated from the voting. That data will provide insight into the collective mindset of the voting body. Here's what to look for: 1. Will Randy Johnson and/or Pedro Martinez surpass the record voting percentage of Tom Seaver (98.8)? Johnson is arguably the greatest left-handed pitcher in history, and among starting pitchers, Martinez ranks No. 1 all time in adjusted ERA+, a statistic that helps to compare players relative to their generations and ballparks. They are all-time great players, unquestionably, and if there were no "Rule of 10," there really would be no excuse for not voting for them. But there has always been a small group of voters who don't like to cast ballots for first-time candidates, and the final results will give us some inkling of whether those who ascribe to that philosophy are becoming scarcer.

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Mike Berardino explains why he left Johnson and Martinez off his ballot, which was a direct result of the Rule of 10 quandary that has vexed the voters. Randy Johnson could lead the class Tuesday. 2. Mike Piazza's percentage progression As written here in the past, I've always thought that the candidacy of Piazza and Jeff Bagwell could represent the tipping point in the whole conversation about players linked to PEDs, either through suspicion or specific information. Piazza's production, in a vacuum, would merit the same type of voting percentage that Johnson and Martinez will get. Piazza is unquestionably the greatest-hitting catcher of all time, with 427 homers, a lifetime .308 average and seven top-10 finishes in the Most Valuable Player award voting. But a number of voters have stated in their ballot explanations that they have questions about whether Piazza used performance-enhancing drugs, and that this is a disqualifier for them. That goes a long way toward explaining why Piazza hasn't gotten close in his first two years of being on the ballot, polling at 57.8 and then 62.2 percent. Bagwell has been viewed the same way despite overwhelming numbers: Because of steroid suspicion, he has polled at 41.7, 56.0, 59.6 and 54.3 percent. If Piazza and/or Bagwell gets into the Hall of Fame, this could represent precedent for a lot of the voters, because if the Hall inducts one candidate strongly suspected of PED use, what's the logic in keeping out Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and many others? The election of Piazza could -- and should -- alter the voting philosophy for many of the writers. Piazza is waiting at the door to learn whether the writers have set their steroid suspicions aside, writes Bill Madden. 3. The voting percentage of Bonds and Clemens. They will forever be tied together because of their stature as performers, because they are the two most prominent players named in the Mitchell Report, and because they were placed on the ballot in the same year. By any statistical measure, they are two of the greatest players of all-time, but they haven't been close to being elected. Clemens got 37.6 percent in his first year on the ballot and 35.4 percent in his second year; Bonds got 36.2 percent and 34.7 percent, respectively. (It's inexplicable that their numbers aren't identical, because any support or objection to one of them would seem to apply to the other). Some voters made the decision this year to leave Bonds and Clemens off their ballots to help cope with the Rule of 10 quandary, because they are unelectable, and neither is going to get close to election this year. But the trend in their voting percentage will give us a peek inside the collective mindset of the writers. 4. The voting percentage of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa

Short of bipartisan endorsement -- perhaps a Presidential pardon and a letter of commendation from the incoming House and Senate leadership -- it's hard to see that anything is going to alter McGwire's fate in the balloting. The writers are not going to vote the slugger into the Hall of Fame this year or next year, which will be his last on the ballot. He has never gotten even a quarter of the votes, and the sheer hopelessness of his candidacy is urging voters not to check the box next to his name; McGwire was named on only 11 percent of the ballots last year, or less than half of what he got in his first year of eligibility. Will McGwire, who ranks 10th all-time in homers, achieve the five percent needed to remain on the ballot for next winter? And what about Sosa, who received just 7.2 percent of the votes on the last ballot? 5. The voting percentage of Curt Schilling He's not going to be elected this year, but based on a ballot reading of those that have been posted by voters, I think there's a good chance his percentage might climb markedly this year. He'll be on our 4:30 p.m. (ET) panel show today on ESPN2 after the Hall of Fame announcement, and we'll get to see his reaction -- unvarnished, as always -- to the results. 6. The voting percentages of Mike Mussina, Tim Raines, Alan Trammell, Jeff Kent and Edgar Martinez They seem to be the most likely to be damaged by the antiquated Rule of 10. Each had a career worthy of Hall of Fame consideration, undoubtedly, while not necessarily being seen as a slam-dunk candidate such as a Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson or Pedro Martinez. But as a lot of writers have struggled with the ballot limitations, it's evident that these candidates generally considered to be borderline were squeezed off by the problematic rules and not by their Hall of Fame worthiness. Trammell's vote percentage plummeted from 33.6 to 20.8 last year, while that of Raines dipped from 52.2 percent to 46.1 percent. Kent is one of the greatest-hitting second baseman ever, with almost 1,000 extra-base hits, and last year he got just 15.2 percent of the vote. He could be in jeopardy of dropping off the ballot entirely as some writers make strategic choices with their votes. 7. The vote total of Aaron Boone He'd be the first person to tell you he's not a Hall of Famer -- and is not even close -- but we care because he's our colleague and we love him. That's all. Speaking of colleagues, Jayson Stark explained his Hall of Fame ballot Monday. This could be a large class of inductees. From ESPN Stats and Info: Hall of Fame voting by number of players elected in a given year Five players: Has happened once, in 1936 (Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner)

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Four players: Happened twice. Most recent: 1955 (Joe DiMaggio, Gabby Hartnett, Ted Lyons, Dazzy Vance) Three players: Happened eight times. Most recent: 2014 (Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas) Two players: Happened 25 times. Most recent: 2011 (Roberto Alomar, Bert Blyleven) One player: Happened 26 times. Most recent: 2012 (Barry Larkin) Zero players: Happened eight times. Most recent: 2013 The hypocrisy in the voting must end, writes Bob Nightengale. Barry Svrluga writes about the Hall of Fame's broken process. Marc Topkin writes about his ballot. These are the selections of Bob Klapisch. This year Tom Haudricourt says he wasted no Hall of Fame votes. Pedro Martinez's drive could end at the Hall of Fame today. Craig Biggio takes his third swing at the Hall this year, writes Jesus Ortiz. Around the league • The Orioles spend far less in payroll than the Yankees and the Red Sox, and the backbone of the organization is their pitching. With their everyday lineup, they seem to have become in the free-agent market of position players what the Padres have always been to free-agent pitchers: a place of opportunity. Last year Nelson Cruz signed a one-year deal with the Orioles to rebuild his value, had a huge season in a great hitters park in slugging an MLB-leading 40 homers, and cashed in with a four-year, $57 million deal with the Mariners. This is what Colby Rasmus might think about as he considers his options. He's coming off a terrible season in which his OPS dropped more than 100 points, but he's still only 28 years old and is regarded as a phenomenal athlete. If he signs a one-year deal with the Orioles and has a big year while playing home games in Camden Yards, he could land a significant contract next winter. It would make sense for him to pick the Orioles, who need corner outfield help following the departures of Cruz and Nick Markakis. Camden Yards: Where hitters go to rebuild their production … and their careers. The Orioles will see their young pitchers in a mini-camp next week. They will need to identify a leadoff hitter, as Roch Kubatko writes. • The Phillies are constricted in their efforts to trade Ryan Howard, as Jerry Crasnick writes. There is an expectation among rival officials that Philadelphia will dump Howard sometime before Opening Day.

• There may be teams willing to pay James Shields $20 million annually on a long-term deal, but the Blue Jays are not one of them. • The Reds might have a little room to add in their budget, writes John Fay. • The White Sox signed the versatile Emilio Bonifacio, as Colleen Kane writes. Moves, deals and decisions 1. The Phillies signed Aaron Harang. 2. The Rangers re-signed Adam Morales. 3. The Red Sox signed Mitchell Boggs. 4. The Marlins have given up on the idea of Dan Haren pitching for them this year. AL East • Willie Randolph spoke to the Yankees about a coaching spot, writes Dan Martin. • Pawtucket will do everything possible to keep the PawSox. AL Central • Holes could doom the Tigers, writes Anthony Fenech. • A strange source serves as an inspiration for the Indians' 2015 resolutions, writes Zack Meisel. NL Central • Cubs pitchers and catchers will report Feb. 19. NL West • Travis Ishikawa inspires church worshipers. Lastly • There is sad news about Stu Miller. In this interview, Miller tells his side of the All-Star Game balk story. Miller was remembered as a good friend, writes Henry Schulman. • A suspect was arrested in the shooting death of a former Angels prospect, writes Mike DiGiovanna. • Bob Elliott writes about the most influential Canadians in baseball. And today will be better than yesterday.

The real Hall of Fame debate: Pedro or the Big Unit? By Paul White / USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/01/06/hall-of-fame-pedro-martinez-randy-johnson/21316081/

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Randy Johnson's first-time Hall of Fame candidacy has prompted discussions of his place as possibly the best left-handed pitcher in baseball history. But the certain enshrinee when voting is announced today can't even claim with certainty to be the best pitcher on this year's ballot. Pedro Martinez joins Johnson as today's sure things – so much so that the specter has been raised again of a first-ever but still unlikely unanimous selection. The borderline candidacies, near-misses, PED connections and perceived slights will be debated all the way to next year's announcement and beyond. Meanwhile, welcome to the Hall of Fame, guys. What's left to debate – other than who was the better pitcher? Voting totals won't really provide a clue to Martinez and Johnson's ranking among the electorate. It's difficult to imagine anyone deciding either pitcher isn't eventually deserving of Cooperstown. If one of them gets more votes than the other today, it's more a matter of a couple of individuals assigning value to that old first-ballot argument. So what of the two greatest pitchers to ever be traded by the Montreal Expos? They provide a wonderful case of making numbers support whatever you believe in the first place. Martinez pitched 18 seasons, but longevity works against him in this discussion. Johnson was the most physically intimidating pitcher of his era, yet if it's dominance you desire – advantage Pedro. It's easy to close your eyes – as most of us would do if we ever stepped into a batter's box against him – and imagine Johnson glaring just over his glove before he went into the windup that seemingly would end halfway to home plate. He looked angry … mean … and wanted you to think so. Pedro might on one day proceed with an apparent indifference toward whoever might be batting. On another, you might think you perceive a smirk … just before he buzzed one under your chin. If anyone was likely to be angry with Martinez on the mound, it was the batter or the faux-brave folks chirping from the bench or the enraged masses screaming from the stands. "Nasty" has morphed into an adjective about stuff. These guys were old-school nasty, when the word described the pitchers, not the pitches. Don't forget, Martinez led the league in hit batters back when he pitched for the Expos – that is, when he batted. He once had Reggie Sanders rush the mound when Pedro hit him during the eighth inning of a perfect-game bid. But Pedro also rushed the mound one day when he was drilled by the Phillies' Mike Williams. In other words, bring it on.

These are guys with not only the stats but the personas that rank at the Hall of Fame level for baseball lore. What of those stats, though? Johnson is second all-time in strikeouts and No. 1 in strikeouts per nine innings, hardly shocking to anyone with even a cursory memory of watching him pitch. But Martinez is third all-time in strikeouts per nine. The difference is longevity. Johnson pitched 22 seasons to Martinez's 18, but the innings gap is gaping – 4,135 to 2,827. Obviously, there's something to be said for the durability of one man a foot taller than the other. But Martinez hardly comes up short on his peak period of dominance. In fact, this is where he thrusts himself into the discussion of the best pitcher … ever … for at least one significant chunk of time. Johnson has a clear advantage in career Wins Above Replacement, a cumulative number. He amassed a 104.3 pitching WAR, ninth-best all-time. Martinez is 17th at 86. Now, take ERA-plus, the number that compares a pitcher's performance with league averages for the period being measured. The adjusted version of ERA-plus even accounts for the pitcher's home park – certainly a factor for Johnson's years in Seattle's Kingdome. During the 2000 season, Martinez's ERA-plus was 291. That's the highest post-1900 number for a season. Martinez, Greg Maddux and Walter Johnson are the only pitchers with two of the Top 10 single seasons in ERA-plus. But Pedro has five of the 34 post-1900 seasons of 200 or better – something nobody else can match. That's more than enough time for a peak period of consequence. Sandy Koufax, the other modern product in the best-lefty discussion, had his career cut short after 12 seasons. That final year, he had a career-best 190 ERA-plus, one of two times he led the National League. Simply said, no pitcher dominated his era at his peak like Martinez. He led his league five times. Johnson? His highest ERA-plus was 195, but he did lead his league six times. And he produced one of the game's most amazing small-sample periods of dominance in 1998, when he was traded from Seattle to Houston for the stretch drive. Johnson was 10-1 with a 1.28 ERA for the Astros but his ERA-plus was a staggering 322 for those two months. In the end, though, Johnson's career ERA-plus was 135, well below the 154 that ranks Martinez No. 1 all-time among starters. As a bit of perspective, right behind Martinez on the career list is Clayton Kershaw at 151. Koufax is at 131. The only higher number among pitchers with at least 1,000 innings is the 205 by Mariano Rivera – still four years from Hall

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eligibility. Maybe that's when we can have that unanimous-vote discussion.

A digital alternative: Looking at baseball's other Hall of Fame vote By Mike Oz / Yahoo! Sports http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/the-digital-alternative--a-look-at-baseball-s-other-hall-of-fame-vote-234307897.html Each year, baseball writers decide which former players are worthy of being immortalized in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The road to Cooperstown includes a ballot vote in which players need 75 percent of the nearly 600 votes cast by qualified members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. On Tuesday, we’ll learn which of the players from this year’s ballot hit the magical 75 percent threshold, when results of the BBWAA ballot are announced at 2 p.m. ET on MLB Network. Public ballots point toward five players getting the nod, a large class by BBWAA standards. Of the 34 names on the ballot, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, John Smoltz, Craig Biggio and Mike Piazza appear to be getting enough love from the writers, though Piazza is toeing the line. Many fans and pundits will tell you these Hall of Fame elections aren’t perfect — heck, even the proudest BBWAA members will tell you their process could use some revision — but this is the system we have in place, so it’ll have to do. Well, there is another. The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America holds an election too. It’s not as prestigious or as decorated as the BBWAA vote. It doesn’t carry the same weight, doesn’t come with a bronze bust and a well-attended ceremony in July, but at the very least, it’s another way of distilling the MLB Hall of Fame ballot. It's a digital alternative. The IBWAA vote is open to a much wider group, since it allows entry to bloggers and Internet baseball scribes, plus doesn’t require 10 years of membership before getting a Hall of Fame vote like the BBWAA does. This year, 227 IBWAA ballots were cast, a record number for an upstart group that started with 20 voters in 2009. It’s just more than double the 113 ballots in 2013. (Disclosure: I’m one of the 227 voters). The organization — spearheaded by L.A.-based writer Howard Cole — has the same 75-percent threshold and has elected seven players so far, including Piazza in 2013 and Biggio in 2014, who are still hoping for Cooperstown. IBWAA voters, however, haven’t given their 75 percent yet to Barry Larkin, who was elected in the official vote in 2012. The IBWAA will announce the results of its Hall of Fame vote on Tuesday as well, at 12 p.m. ET. Ahead of that announcement and the actual Hall of Fame results, The Stew chatted with Cole about why the IBWAA exists, the mission of its Hall of Fame vote, the potential 2014 class and what he’s learned from this year’s rise in voting.

Question: IBWAA Hall of Fame votes are way up this year. Does that tell you something about interest in Hall of Fame voting in general, or are you just a really good recruiter? Answer: It’s the interest in Hall of Fame voting. Everyone’s excited about Cooperstown, and about participating in baseball any way they can. It’s interesting, though, that some prominent writers – national guys – are so receptive to the idea, and join the group almost immediately. Flattered, even. While others don’t respond at to multiple requests. Obviously you can't reveal the IBWAA results here, but as the caretaker of all the ballots, what have you learned about what voters think about this year's candidates? Well, I can tell you that we’ll have several winners this year, one or two more than the BBWAA will, I imagine. And players connected to PEDs do considerably better in our elections. There is no patience for the idea that if a player is suspected of using, and only suspected, that it’s a disqualifier. We elected Mike Piazza two years ago. I guess that’s a hint right there. A little more generally speaking, why was the IBWAA formed? Was a Hall of Fame always intended to be a part of it? Or was it something that comes up later? Like most fans, I saw certain players as obvious Hall of Famers, and I was frustrated with the results. So that was part of it. But the larger issue for me was the exclusive nature of the BBWAA, especially when we started. You can’t vote without first being in the BBWAA, and I couldn’t get a sniff to save my life, even though I’d been blogging for 10 years at the time. The BBWAA’s constitution stated very clearly that an applying writer’s work had to be tied to a print publication. Independent websites, no matter how successful, wouldn’t do it. The hoops a blogger had to jump through were too many and too narrow, and I wanted in. It’s changed since then, slowly. The BBWAA does everything slowly. But it’s still a rather arbitrary process for Internet writers trying to get in, and there’s politics. Hall of Fame voting was always half the plan. That and the season awards. So we’re active September through the beginning of the following January. By nature, this Hall of Fame vote is always going to the stepson to the BBWAA vote. Is there some value, though — aside from the fact that it's fun and it's brings new voices into the conversation — to having another vote? Well, I’m a stepson, so I get that. And we are having fun. It’s baseball, for God’s sake. What could possibly be better? And writing is a lonely profession, even if for most of us it’s not actually a profession. A sense of community is important, and I feel like I have 300 more friends than I did before, and they all love baseball. I wanted the IBWAA to be a digital alternative to the BBWAA, and it is. People can judge for themselves how valuable the whole thing is.

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What sort of response has this gotten from the Hall of Fame and the BBWAA? I get about an email a year from someone or other with an edge to it. In September, a BBWAA member wrote to say that our “piggybacking” the BBWAA’s announcement was “annoying,” which led to a group discussion about just that. We decided to stick to our schedule. A year earlier a former BBWAA officer emailed a warning about using the trademarked Cy Young Award. Something about cease and desist orders and [BBWAA secretary/treasurer] Jack O’Connell supposedly following up with me, but he never did. We actually use the phrase, Cy Young; not Cy Young Award. That said, we have 15 or 20 writers who are in both groups, so that’s enough of an endorsement for me. What do you think it says about Hall of Fame voting that Barry Larkin is in the actual Hall of Fame but hasn't been elected by the IBWAA, while the situation is flip-flopped for Mike Piazza and Craig Biggio? It’s unfortunate. I vote for Larkin every year, but I’m just one guy. It’s confusing to have his name of the ballot, but we polled the members on that too, so there he is. No one’s talking about Barry Larkin now. Why would they? So there’s no momentum. But I like that we elected Piazza a year ahead of the BBWAA, and Biggio at least a year ahead. We also elected Bert Blyleven before the BBWAA. We’ll separate ourselves from them more this time. We've heard a lot recently about changes being made to the Hall of Fame voting process — some that have happened and some of that been proposed — having managed your own voting, how would you improve the BBWAA voting process? Just replace the BBWAA with the IBWAA. No, honestly, I don’t think the process needs all that much changing. It’s easy to criticize the BBWAA, and I’m guilty of some of that myself, but all things considered, I really do think they handle elections well. Obviously, the Deadspin thing last year was ridiculous, and turning in a blank ballot just to make a point is too. We don’t accept blank ballots, by the way. And while it may be difficult to weed out long-retired writers, or general sports columnists, that’s something worth considering. Give more Internet writers the vote, obviously, and more women. And go paperless, already. You shouldn’t need the United States Postal Service or a fax machine to vote in 2015. Do you think this will take greater form one day? Whether that be an actual Hall somewhere, a slicker presentation online or even a ceremony? Well, we vote on everything, so whatever the members want. But it’s not a goal of mine. I’m thinking more along the lines of AFL/NFL, ABA/NBA.

FOX Sports Fan Vote: Only Big Unit worthy of Hall induction By Ken Rosenthal / FOX Sports

http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/baseball-hall-of-fame-randy-johnson-pete-rose-pedro-martinez-smoltz-hall-of-fame-fan-vote-010615 3 Questions About the 2015 Hall of Fame Class with Ken Rosenthal With names like Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio on the ballot, there are a full run of locks, bubbles and long shots for Cooperstown this year. Ken Rosenthal sorts out who should be in on this year's Hall of Fame ballot. Only Nolan Ryan has more K's. Only Roger Clemens has more Cy Young Awards. No one has more strikeouts per nine innings. Oh, and he's the only guy to throw a perfect game in his 40s. So there's no doubt Randy Johnson belongs in the Hall of Fame. And you, the fans agree. In the second annual FOX Sports MLB Hall of Fame Fan Vote, only the Big Unit received the required 75 percent to receive induction into Cooperstown. The BBWAA (Baseball Writers' Association of America) will announce its inductees on Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET. — Click here for Ken Rosenthal's official ballot. From Dec. 19 to Jan. 4, FOX Sports.com fans voted up to 10 candidates from a 39-player list. Unlike the BBWAA ballot, FOX's ballot included Pete Rose (ineligible because of his lifetime ban) Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas (both inducted by the BBWAA last year, but short on the fans' ballot a year ago) and Moises Alou and Rafael Palmeiro (knocked off the BBWAA ballot in 2014, but remained on the FOX ballot because they received at least 5 percent of the votes a year ago). With 7,359 total FOX Sports.com voters, the magic number for election was 5,519 votes. The all-time leader in K's per nine innings at 10.610, garnered 6,073 of your votes, which was 82.5 percent. It will be interesting to see what percentage the 10-time All-Star and five-time Cy Young winner (Clemens won seven) scores from the BBWAA on Tuesday. Johnson went 303-166 with a 3.29 career ERA, pitching for the Expos, Mariners, Astros, D-backs, Yankees and Giants between 1988-09. He struck out 4,875 batters, ranking second behind Ryan's 5,714. The Big Unit pitched a perfect game for Arizona when he was 40 on May 18, 2004 vs. Atlanta, and was a World Series co-MVP with Curt Schilling when the D-backs beat the Yankees in seven games. Johnson went 3-0 with a 1.04 ERA (two earned runs in 17 1/3 innings) vs. New York. Johnson was one of 17 first-year eligible players on the ballot, but like last year when the fans only voted in Greg Maddux, you weren't going to let just anyone slide into the Hall.

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Rose received the second-most votes with 4,653 for a 63.2 percentage, nearly 12 percent below the required 75. Pedro Martinez, owner of three Cy Youngs, was third at 4,326 votes (58.8 percent), and John Smoltz, winner of one Cy, was fourth at 4,113 (55.9 percent). Craig Biggio, owner of the 3,060 hits, was sixth with 40 percent of the vote, and Mike Piazza was ninth (34.2). While Glavine and Thomas were voted into the Hall by the BBWAA last year, they didn't receive enough votes from the fans in 2014 and remained on the FOXSports.com ballot this year. And they came up short again with 51.4 percent and 34.6 percent, respectively. Steroid allegations continue to hinder Clemens (34.5 percent), Barry Bonds (27.6), Mark McGwire (15.2), Sammy Sosa (7.0) and Palmeiro (4.4). Fourteen players didn't receive the required 5 percent to stay on the ballot, including Palmeiro and Alou (3.4), who fell off the BBWAA ballot last year but were given another chance from the FOX Sports.com fans. Plus, Don Mattingly, who received 23.8 percent of your votes, is history, too, with this being his 15th and final year on the ballot. Below are the fans' final vote tallies.

January 6, 2015 • sports.yahoo.com/mlb/morenews http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/morenews January 6, 2015

Ryan Howard can be traded to nine teams without his approval 9:44 am EST (NBC Sports)

Wanna buy some Ted Williams condoms? 9:17 am EST (NBC Sports)

Ryan Howard and the Orioles seems an unlikely match 9:01 am EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Pedro Gomez: “it’s not journalism, it’s a Hall of Fame ballot.” 8:36 am EST (NBC Sports)

Must-Click Link: Joe Posnanski’s Hall of Fame ballot and column 7:44 am EST (NBC Sports)

Trio of aces poised to lead Hall of Fame class of 2015 1:45 am EST (The Associated Press)

Cavs, Thunder, Knicks in six-player trade 12:58 am EST (Reuters)

January 5, 2015

MLB owners to discuss new rule changes in meetings next week 11:20 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Rangers sign Juan Carlos Oviedo 10:37 pm EST (NBC Sports)

Report: Yankees have interviewed Willie Randolph for coaching position 9:16 pm EST (NBC Sports)

Nats take step towards leaving Viera spring site for West Palm Beach 8:41 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

The Rays “have had discussions” with free agent outfielder Colby Rasmus 7:58 pm EST (NBC Sports)

Cubs in 2015: The Year of Joe Maddon 7:54 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Chicago)

Nick Hundley and Rockies finalize $6.25 million, 2-year deal 6:50 pm EST (The Associated Press)

Stu Miller, longtime Orioles reliever, dies at 87 6:38 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Former Giants pitcher Stu Miller dies at age 87 6:33 pm EST (The Associated Press)

Rangers re-sign Adam Rosales 6:30 pm EST (NBC Sports)

Mr. Versatile: John Smoltz thrived as starter and reliever 6:09 pm EST (The Associated Press)

Adam Rosales, Juan Carlos Oviedo agree to deals with Rangers 6:06 pm EST (The Associated Press)

Former Giants All-Star Stu Miller passes away at 87 5:29 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Bay Area)

Red Sox sign reliever Mitchell Boggs to minor-league deal 5:10 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet New England)

The Mets sign Buddy Carlyle to a minor league deal 4:58 pm EST (NBC Sports)

AP source: Marlins have given up on keeping Haren 4:51 pm EST (The Associated Press)

Great Moments in Jon Heyman’s Hall of Fame inconsistency 4:35 pm EST (NBC Sports)

Randy Johnson could lead large class into Hall of Fame 4:30 pm EST (Reuters)

Carlyle agrees to minor league deal to stay with Mets 4:28 pm EST (The Associated Press)

Phillies sign RHP Aaron Harang, who pitched for Braves in 2014 4:22 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Red Sox sign Mitchell Boggs 4:16 pm EST (NBC Sports)

Orioles getting ready for next week's minicamp 4:13 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

AP source: Braves, Pierzynski agree to 1-year deal 4:02 pm EST (The Associated Press)

Royals assistant GM Taylor announces retirement 3:50 pm EST (The Associated Press)

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Arrest made in death of former Angels draft pick Ryan Bolden 3:47 pm EST (The Associated Press)

Cubs announce spring training reporting dates 3:43 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Chicago)

Hall-bound Martinez may have been the best pitcher ever 3:15 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet New England)

No criticism here: Amaro made smart move signing Harang 3:15 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia)

Cross the Rangers off the list of teams pursuing James Shields 3:05 pm EST (NBC Sports)

The Marlins have “checked on” Ichiro 2:43 pm EST (NBC Sports)

Phillies sign pitcher Harang to $5 million, 1-year deal 2:41 pm EST (The Associated Press)

AP Source: White Sox agree to $4M deal with Bonifacio 2:06 pm EST (The Associated Press)

What post should we put up when the world ends? 1:41 pm EST (NBC Sports)

Pennington, Arizona agree at $3,275,000 1:08 pm EST (The Associated Press)

Dempsey, Martinez, McGregor part of Peters' legacy 1:03 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Baseball America releases new Cubs prospects rankings 12:42 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Chicago)

Brett Anderson gets $5 million signing bonus from Dodgers 12:06 pm EST (The Associated Press)

Phillies sign Aaron Harang for $5 million 12:02 pm EST (NBC Sports)

Scooby-Doo and the case of the “Steroid Specter” 11:42 am EST (NBC Sports)

Krukow on Zobrist: 'He's a Sabean-type player' 11:14 am EST (Comcast SportsNet Bay Area)

Phillies sign Aaron Harang to 1-year deal 10:49 am EST (Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia)

Buster Olney’s Hall of Fame wisdom is spot-on, but will be roundly ignored 10:30 am EST (NBC Sports)

White Sox sign Emilio Bonifacio 10:15 am EST (NBC Sports)

White Sox add to depth with Emilio Bonifacio signing 10:08 am EST (Comcast SportsNet Chicago)

Great Moments in Public Financing of Ballparks 9:30 am EST (NBC Sports)

Experts knew that pitcher wins were b.s. the moment they began publishing them 8:53 am EST (NBC Sports)

How do you vote for Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire but not Barry Bonds? 8:30 am EST (NBC Sports)

A Rasmus in Orioles clubhouse could be fascinating 8:23 am EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Red Sox reportedly drop out of bidding for Shields 6:25 am EST (Comcast SportsNet New England)

Mike Trout thinks the fix was in on the Lions-Cowboys game 6:19 am EST (NBC Sports)

Report: James Shields has a five-year, $110 million offer from an unknown team 12:07 am EST (NBC Sports)

January 4, 2015

More details on Dan Uggla’s concussion symptoms 10:48 pm EST (NBC Sports)

Aaron Barrett intent on moving past playoff loss in 2015 10:27 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Marlins are in the hunt for James Shields 9:18 pm EST (NBC Sports)

Report: Uggla may have dealt with vision problems for several years 8:17 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

White Sox prospect Micah Johnson wants to be a GM 7:47 pm EST (NBC Sports)

MLB unlikely to institute a pitch clock in 2015 6:04 pm EST (NBC Sports)

Baseball executive Hank Peters dies 5:00 pm EST (The Associated Press)

Former Nats SP Haren informs Marlins he won't play for them 4:03 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Hank Peters, 1924-2015 3:38 pm EST (NBC Sports)

Royals sign veteran Madson to minor league deal 2:55 pm EST (The Associated Press)

Longtime ESPN sportscaster Stuart Scott dies at age 49 2:48 pm EST (Reuters)

Evans: Giants 'staying engaged' with Rays on Zobrist 2:43 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Bay Area)

Hank Peters, Orioles GM of '83 WS champs, dies at 90 1:29 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)

Orioles, Dodgers have discussed Andre Ethier trade 1:25 pm EST (NBC Sports)

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January 6, 2015 • MLB.com http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/transactions

Last updated: Tue, January 6, 2015, 03:31 EST

Monday, January 5, 2015

Team Player Transaction

Boston Red Sox

Mitchell Boggs

Signed to a Minor League Contract

Colorado Rockies

Chris Martin Designated for Assignment

Colorado Rockies

Nick Hundley

Signed as Free Agent, ( 2015-2016)(two-year contract)

New York Mets

Buddy Carlyle

Signed to a Minor League Contract

New York Slade Signed to a Minor League

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14

Yankees Heathcott Contract

Philadelphia Phillies

Aaron Harang

Signed as Free Agent, ( 2015)(one-year contract)

Texas Rangers

Juan Carlos Oviedo

Signed to a Minor League Contract

Texas Rangers Matt West Designated for Assignment

Texas Rangers Adam Rosales

Signed as Free Agent, ( 2015)(one-year contract)

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Team Player Transaction

Kansas City Royals

Ryan Madson

Signed to a Minor League Contract

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Team Player Transaction

Cincinnati Reds

Logan Ondrusek

Signed to Play in Japan, (Tokyo Yakult Swallows)