Nats sign veteran reliever Meek  —  6/29/14: Evan Meek strikes out Logan Forsythe to end a bases-loaded jam and keep the game tied in the 5th inning  —  WASHINGTON — The Nationals have signed right-hander Evan Meek to a Minor League contract with an invitation to big league Spring Training.

Brewers In Serious Talks To Acquire Papelbon  —  8:52am: Papelbon would want his $13MM option for the 2016 season to be guaranteed in order to waive his no-trade clause, Salisbury reports.  That presents an expensive obstacle in trade talks, but Salisbury hears that the Phillies are committed …

Mets' Michael Cuddyer looks to ease David Wright's burden, both on and off the field  —  Wright's longtime buddy has rolled into town as the team's lone major acquisition, and is poised to play a vital role.  Having an old friend around, and one who happens to be a people person, will be a relief.

Marlins To Sign Ichiro Suzuki  —  12:03pm: The two sides are still hammering out the specifics of the performance bonuses that will be built into the contract before the deal becomes official, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  —  11:26am: Ichiro's deal is expected to be a one-year pact in the $2MM range …

Red Sox's Swihart sits atop list, followed by Rangers' Alfaro and Cubs' Schwarber  —  MLBPipeline.com's 2015 Top 100 Prospects list will be unveiled on Friday, Jan. 30, on MLB.com, with the Top 50 revealed during a one-hour show on MLB Network at 9 p.m. ET.  Leading up to that …

Additional options include Almonte, Cunningham, Terdoslavich and Constanza  —  7/18/14: Jonny Gomes launches a pinch-hit home run to center field, scoring Stephen Drew to give the Red Sox a 5-4 lead  —  ATLANTA — Now that the Braves have restructured their organization through a flurry …

Price comfortable with Tigers, ‘all ears’ for extension  —  David Price is comfortable now.  —  And he was comfortable this afternoon, sitting on a cushioned chair behind a table bearing his name tag during the Detroit Tigers' winter caravan kickoff at Comerica Park.

Foul Territory Blog  —  Texas Rangers pitcher Martin Perez, who missed most of the 2014 season after surgery on his left throwing elbow last May, says he is on pace to return in July.  —  The left-hander played catch from 105 feet on Thursday after joining Jurickson Profar and Rougned Odor …

Why Jung-Ho Kang Doesn't Need to be a Brilliant Fielder  —  It's very rare for a Major League club to sign a presumed every-day starter to a contract that will total either 4 years/$17M (a sum that includes a 2019 buy-out plus posting fee) or 5 years/$21.5M (a sum that includes a 2019 team option plus posting fee).

Ranking the top five likeliest suitors for Shields  —  Now that Max Scherzer has signed, Jim Duquette discusses the current starting pitching market, including free agent James Shields  —  And then there was one: The top free-agent pitcher left standing is James Shields.

Scherzer pact: Gets $35M per last 3 seasons  —  Max Scherzer will be paid a salary of $35 million per year in each of the final three seasons of his contract with the Washington Nationals — except all $35 million will be deferred without interest, according to a source familiar with the contract.

Phillies have strong interest in Chad Billingsley  —  The Phillies are showing serious interest in free-agent right-hander Chad Billingsley, a major-league source tells CSNPhilly.com.  —  Billingsley, 30, is a former first-round pick of the Dodgers and was a mainstay in that team's starting rotation …