Cubs Fire Manager Rick Renteria  —  The Chicago Cubs today announced that the club has fired manager Rick Renteria.  Renteria, the 53rd manager in franchise history, led the club for the 2014 season after being named to the position on November 7, 2013.  —  Cubs President Theo Epstein released the following statement:

Dick Allen makes it onto Hall of Fame ballot  —  Dick Allen could finally be headed to Cooperstown.  —  The BBWAA's Historical Overview Committee selected 10 Golden Era finalists for entry, with “Golden Era” referring to those who made significant impact during their careers in Major League Baseball between 1947 and 1972.

2015 New York Yankees Top 10 Prospects With Scouting Reports [VIDEO]  —  Want More?:  Complete 2015 Top 10 Prospects Rankings  —  Get it all: Subscribe to Baseball America  —  Go 30 deep: Order the 2015 Prospect Handbook!  —  The 2014 season represented the closing of two eras in Yankees history …

GM Daniels emphasizes club will keep ‘resources free’ for starting pitching  —  9/25/14: Colby Lewis pitches seven innings of one-run ball, allowing six hits and striking out seven in a tough no-decision  —  ARLINGTON — The Rangers, having set starting pitching as their top priority for the offseason …

Athletics Claim Andrew Brown From Mets  —  The A's announced that they've claimed outfielder Andrew Brown off waivers from the Mets.  Additionally, minor league shortstop Tyler Ladendorf has been added to the club's 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft in December.

Tribe picks up 2015 option on Aviles  —  9/26/14: Mike Aviles runs and dives to make a great stop on a ground ball and fires to first to record an impressive out  —  CLEVELAND — After Terry Francona became manager two offseasons ago, one of the Indians' first targets was utility man Mike Aviles.

Free Agency Contract Calculator  —  How to predict the contracts free agents will receive this offseason based on previous seasons' data.  —  Free Agency is almost upon us yet again.  The hectic time of the year often features dozens of multi-million dollar contracts being handed out within a span of only a few days.

MLB Future Power Rankings  —  A detailed breakdown of the future of every major league franchise  —  The FPR “forecast” how well each team is set up for sustained success over the next five years.  —  Free agency is right around the corner, and we at ESPN Insider decided we'd steal a page …

Kansas City Royals will need to make tough choices — and tough trades — to stay on top; Could Alex Gordon ever be a Met?  —  People of Kansas City and America: Did you enjoy that Royals run?  Did you feel galvanized by the team's first march through October since 1985?

deGrom, Lagares and Duda among those cited on the ballot  —  Celebrate greatness in baseball with MLB.com's 2014 GIBBY Awards — the ultimate honors of the industry's awards season  —  A 79-83 season still featured several bright spots for the Mets, whether it was Jacob deGrom's sparkling debut …

Tigers To Exercise Joakim Soria's Option  —  The Tigers will exercise their $7MM club option on right-hander Joakim Soria, reports Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter).  —  Soria, 30, was acquired from the Rangers at the trade deadline for the steep price of right-handers Corey Knebel …

Alex Gordon Barely Had a Chance  —  Imagine if, for some reason, you completely missed Game 7.  Not only did you miss it — you didn't hear anything about it, from friends or from family or from the Internet.  You get home, and this is the first thing you see:  —  What on earth has to be going through your mind?