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.

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.

Starlin Castro's agent denies arrest report in club shooting  —  Starlin Castro's agent refuted reports that the Cubs' shortstop was arrested in a nightclub shooting in the Dominican Republic, saying he voluntarily went to the police to be questioned.  —  According to a report …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Blue Jays await Takashi Toritani decision  —  Japanese media reporting the shortstop is mulling offers from the Jays and San Diego Padres, but decision not expected until new year.  —  Takashi Toritani is considering a jump to the majors at 33 after a lengthy career with the Hanshin Tigers of the Japan Central League.

Cardinals have a legion of lefties  —  It was fashionable and correct, to a large degree, to find fault with the Cardinals' offense last year when they hit just .254 with men in scoring position, compared to the remarkable .330 of the season before, and when they batted just .253 overall.

Mets, Marlins are mirror images, but which can match Nationals?  —  You know what is hard to find as teams configure for 2015?  Clubs in a rebuilding posture.  —  The Rockies, for example, are talking about holding onto Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez because historically …

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?

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 …