Ellsbury getting close to a seven-year deal with the Yankees  —  Star free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is in serious talks with the Yankees and the sides appear to be close to reaching a seven-year deal. sources said.  —  The longtime Red Sox is said to be about to choose the Yankees …

A's acquire Gentry, Gregerson on another busy day  —  Oakland picks up outfielder, setup man in trades, also adds reliever Lindblom  —  OAKLAND — When he finally came up for breath after a 24-hour shopping binge — one of his biggest to date that netted him five players in four separate moves — Billy Beane began to laugh.

Rays acquire C Hanigan, RHP Bell in 3-team trade  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Catcher Ryan Hanigan and reliever Heath Bell are eager to try to help the Tampa Bay Rays get back to the playoffs.  —  Hanigan was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds and Bell from the Arizona Diamondbacks as part of a three-team trade Tuesday.

Mets, Curtis Granderson talks intensify  —  NEW YORK — Talks between the New York Mets and Curtis Granderson's representatives intensified late Tuesday, and a source familiar with the negotiations told ESPNNewYork.com the organization is negotiating to land the free-agent outfielder on a three-year deal.

Rockies To Sign Justin Morneau  —  The Rockies have agreed to sign Justin Morneau to a two-year deal worth roughly $13MM, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).  —  Morneau hit .259/.323/.411 with 17 homers in 2013, a slash line that is a slight improvement …

Mariners hitting coach Howard Johnson thinks Ike Davis can still be a hit  —  ‘I think Ike can still be a 30-home run guy,’ Johnson said.  —  Howard Johnson, dumped by Mets three years ago, says all is not lost with Ike Davis.  —  If the Mets are determined to trade Ike Davis this winter …

Phillies Acquire Brad Lincoln  —  The Phillies announced that they acquired right-handed pitcher Brad Lincoln from the Blue Jays in exchange for catcher Erik Kratz and minor league left-hander Rob Rasmussen.  —  Lincoln, 28, appeared in 22 games for Toronto in 2013 and posted a 3.98 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 6.3 BB/9.

Rosenthal: On ‘second’ thought, Reds unlikely to trade Phillips  —  For much of the offseason, many in baseball expected the Cincinnati Reds to trade second baseman Brandon Phillips.  —  A deal, however, appears increasingly unlikely, according to major league sources.

Giants' prospects injured in Arizona wreck  —  (12-03) 12:24 PST SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — A van carrying minor league prospects for the San Francisco Giants was involved in a traffic collision in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Tuesday morning, injuring four people affiliated with the club, authorities said.