Colby Rasmus To Accept Astros' Qualifying Offer  —  Outfielder Colby Rasmus will become the first player ever to accept a qualifying offer, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that he'll take the one-year, $15.8MM deal extended to him by the Astros.  —  Rasmus, 29, slashed a productive .238/.314/.475 …

Angels Acquire Andrelton Simmons  —  The Angels have officially agreed to acquire shortstop Andrelton Simmons from the Braves, along with catcher Jose Briceno.  Lefty Sean Newcomb and righty Chris Ellis are going to Atlanta in return, along with long-time Halos shortstop Erick Aybar.

GM MEETINGS NOTEBOOK: WILL INDIANS SOLVE RED SOX PITCHING CONUNDRUM?  —  BOCA RATON, Fla. — It's about that time to start figuring this thing out.  —  While it still might be a bit before we get to uncover which pitcher becomes that top of the rotation piece Dave Dombrowski has prioritized bringing …

Marco Estrada Nearing Two-Year Deal With Blue Jays  —  9:14am: The contract will pay Estrada $26MM in total, if finalized, according to Sherman (Twitter link).  —  NOV. 13, 8:05am: Estrada “appears ready” to take a two-year deal with Toronto, per Sherman (links to Twitter).

Don Mattingly tips his hat to Mets  —  NEW YORK — The last game of Don Mattingly's tenure as Dodgers manager came in a loss against the Mets in the NLDS, and as he takes over as the Marlins manager he's not looking forward to 19 games each season against the Mets and their vaunted pitching rotation.

Baseball getting defensive when it comes to player evaluations  —  Royals' success increases defensive value Improved metrics help clubs measure defense Five Rangers regulars rank below average … BOCA RATON, FLA.  —  Defense has always been an important part in determining a baseball player's value.

Still waiting for a tryout, Monte Gaddis meets with Cleveland Browns GM Ray Farmer, supplies team with game tape  —  Monte Gaddis stands outside of the Browns' facility, hoping for a tryout.  (Courtesy of Gaddis' Instagram account, @MonteGaddis)  —  Zack Meisel, cleveland.com By Zack Meisel, cleveland.com

Mariners Acquire Joaquin Benoit  —  The Mariners announced that they've acquired right-hander Joaquin Benoit from the Padres in exchange for minor league right-hander Enyel De Los Santos and infielder Nelson Ward.  —  The 38-year-old Benoit, presumably, will serve as a ninth-inning option for rookie manager Scott Servais in Seattle.

Scott Boras expects Tigers to spend on pitching  —  BOCA RATON, Fla. - The storm that is Scott Boras hit the general managers meetings just before 4 p.m. on Wednesday, sending baseball writers scurrying as they assembled to hear the biggest agent in baseball.

Arenado hit an NL-high 42 home runs, with Gonzalez right behind with a career-high 40  —  The Denver Post  —  Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, left, talks with third baseman Nolan Arenado in the dugout at Coors Field on September 27, 2015 in Denver, Colorado.  It was the last game of the season.

Nationals Notes: Strasburg, Zobrist, Ramos, Desmond  —  Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg had a non-cancerous growth surgically removed from his back shortly after the season ended, agent Scott Boras told reporters, including James Wagner of the Washington Post, at today's GM Meetings.

Yankees Acquire Aaron Hicks From Twins For John Ryan Murphy  —  The Yankees and Twins have announced a two-player deal involving important young players.  New York will add center fielder Aaron Hicks in the swap, while Minnesota receives catcher John Ryan Murphy.