Despite losses, Orioles still perched on top in AL East  —  As January nears, has any AL East team separated itself from the pack?  —  Improvement?  Certainly.  The Red Sox, Blue Jays, and possibly the Rays (through injured players returning) have improved.

Tigers SS Jose Iglesias makes progress toward return  —  Jose Iglesias has one hurdle left to clear.  —  And it's the same hurdle the Tigers' shortstop couldn't clear last season, a season that was lost to stress fractures in each of his lower legs.  —  Iglesias has progressed positively …

Pierce's future plans include visiting Celts  —  Photo by:  —  TWO ON ONE: Washington's Paul Pierce and Kris Humphries team up against Jared Sullinger during the C's loss Saturday night to the Wizards.  —  By:  —  Boston hasn't seen the last of Paul Pierce, and it's quite possible the Celtic organization hasn't, either.

Byrd Trade Between Phillies, Reds Fell Through  —  The Phillies are in clear rebuild mode, having dealt Jimmy Rollins and Antonio Bastardo this offseason, and they appear to have had a third trade in the works before it fell through.  Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the Phillies and Reds …

Padres Acquire Shawn Kelley  —  The Yankees announced on Monday that they have sent right-hander Shawn Kelley to the Padres in exchange for minor league righty Johnny Barbato.  —  The 30-year-old Kelley posted a 4.53 ERA in 51 2/3 innings for the Yankees last season, though metrics such as FIP …

How will Tim Raines and the other contenders do on the 2015 HOF ballot?  —  We can split up the ballots submitted into 4 types of voters:  —  1. Did the ballot include Bonds and/or Clemens?  2. Otherwise, did the ballot have the full 10 slots?  3. Otherwise, did the ballot have 7-9 slots?

Guillen ready to get back in the game of baseball  —  Frank Thomas tabs Ozzie Guillen as his favorite manager to play for, praising him for being direct and creating a positive atmosphere  —  CHICAGO — Ozzie Guillen was an accomplished manager.  —  That portion of his near-decade …

Sergio Santos Nearing Minor League Deal With Dodgers  —  17:37pm: The Dodgers are the team in on Santos, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.  —  15:57pm: Sergio Santos is nearing a deal with an NL West club, reports Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith (Twitter link).

Mind over matter: Bauer goes high-tech in offseason regimen  —  7/13/14: Trevor Bauer pitches 6 2/3 shutout innings, striking out a career-high 10 batters while allowing eight hits and three walks  —  CLEVELAND — Trevor Bauer craves information.  He enjoys diving head first into data …

Last Slide  —  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota's Pohlad family has acquired majority ownership of Polaroid in a $70 million deal.  —  Minnetonka-based Polaroid is best known for making instant cameras but the name can be found on a variety of electronic goods, including tablets, cameras and flat-screen TVs.

Police question Cubs' Castro about shooting  —  Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro is being questioned by police in the Dominican Republic in connection with a shooting at a nightclub early Saturday morning that left six people injured, including one in serious condition.