‘Things are still alive’ on Jonathan Papelbon trade front  —  Talks between the Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers involving closer Jonathan Papelbon have been portrayed as everything from “serious” to “dead” over the last week or so.  —  The fact of the matter, according to sources …

Dan Duquette puts Toronto in past, focuses on Orioles  —  BALTIMORE (AP) — Dan Duquette's job description includes making trades that will help improve the Baltimore Orioles.  —  This offseason, Duquette was in the middle of a potential blockbuster deal.  —  Duquette, the Orioles president …

Players Avoiding Arbitration: Tuesday  —  With more than 30 players still needing to settle arbitration situations (as of Tuesday morning, that is), word of agreements should continue to steadily pour in over the weeks.  All of the outstanding situations — as well as those that have already been settled …

‘Sad day’: 1984 Tiger Dave Bergman dies at 61  —  Bergman played first base, outfield for Tigers from 1984-92, won World Series in '84  —  Dave Bergman was asked Friday whether he still had some fight left.  —  “I do,” he said, according to a family friend.

Reds leadoff hitter improving strength, conditioning with Triple-A manager DeShields  —  NL Rookie of the Year finalist Billy Hamilton, who finished second in the voting, discusses his rookie season with MLB Network  —  CINCINNATI — Following his rookie year in the Majors last season …

Marlins slugger suffered facial fractures after being hit by a pitch in September  —  MLB Network Insider Peter Gammons checks in on Giancarlo Stanton, who is preparing for his toughest battle as a big leaguer  —  MIAMI — Physically and mentally, Giancarlo Stanton is ready …

If Shields' price has dropped, Yankees should open wallet  —  James Shields has thrown over 200 innings in eight straight seasons and made up for a dip in strikeouts by improving his control last year  —  The cumbersome contracts that helped pave the way to the Yankees' most recent (though …

Hall of Famer Will Assist Commissioner Manfred, Join N.L. Counterpart Giles  —  Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. announced today that he has named Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, currently Major League Baseball's Executive Vice President for Baseball Development …

Rockies To Sign John Axford To Minor League Deal  —  2:53pm: MLB.com's Thomas Harding reports that if Axford makes the Major League roster, he will earn a $2.6MM base salary (Twitter link).  That's a fairly significant base salary for a minor league deal and likely explains why Axford was willing to take a non-guaranteed contract.

Travis d'Arnaud and Bob Geren make a trade... for uniform numbers  —  Travis d'Arnaud will wear No. 7 this year, while bench coach Bob Geren will wear No. 15 (Rubin, Feb. 3).  —  The No. 7 is associated with d'Arnaud's uniform, instead of No. 15, when viewing custom jersey options at MLB's team store (MLB.com, Feb. 3).

Mets Press Releases  —  Due to overwhelming demand, the New York Mets and Live Nation have announced that the Foo Fighters will perform a second show at Citi Field, Wednesday, July 15.  Tickets will go on sale at Mets.com/FooFighters and by phone at (718) 507-TIXX this Friday, January 30 at 10:00 a.m.