2015-16 Free Agent Spending By Team To Date  —  There's certainly still some work left to be done in the free agent market, so it's too soon for any grand pronouncements, but the vast majority of the money has probably already been spent.  It's long been clear that this year would include …

Greg Bird Requires Shoulder Surgery, Will Miss 2016 Season  —  2:22pm: During an October check-up on Bird's shoulder, two different doctors recommended against surgery, tweets Chad Jennings of the Journal News.  However, the injury flared up in the past 10 days or so, he adds.

Braves To Hold Private Workout With Lazarito  —  The Braves are among the teams expected to make a strong push for young Cuban prospect Lazaro Armenteros — better known as Lazarito — according to a report from MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez.  He'll be eligible to sign on February 10 after being declared …

The Brewers' Quiet Upside Play  —  There's a lot to talk about with any five-player trade.  And with the trade that sent Jean Segura from the Brewers to the Diamondbacks, there are plenty of noteworthy angles.  There's the matter of Segura's offensive upside vs. Segura's offensive reality.

Rebuilt Cubs ready to take the next step  —  Let's say his Chicago Cubs win the World Series for the first time since 1908.  —  That would make Theo Epstein a Hall of Fame executive.  To win three championships with two of the most storied franchises while ending epic title droughts would give Epstein …

MLB owners take a look at issues involved with tanking  —  The question of whether some teams are intentionally building bad rosters in order to improve their standing in subsequent drafts — tanking, to borrow the parlance of the NBA — was raised at the most recent Major League Baseball owners meetings, according to sources.

Rotation drags down offseason score  —  We've entered the month of February and the Orioles aren't receiving rave reviews for their offseason  —  Various outlets have given them failing grades.  They're picked to finish in last place in the American League East.  They aren't the winter darlings within the industry.

Brandon Phillips will be Reds' second baseman, Bryan Price says  —  FLORENCE — Brandon Phillips, despite the Reds' front office's attempts to trade him this offseason, will most likely be a Cincinnati Red this season — and he'll be the starting second baseman.

Woman Who Gets Waferless KitKat Demands Lifetime Supply  —  A woman is demanding a lifetime supply of KitKats after she bought a packet of the chocolatey treats without any wafer.  —  Saima Ahmad, 20, a law student from Enfield, north London, purchased a multipack of eight KitKat bars from a supermarket for £2 last month.

Angels are wasting the best years of Mike Trout  —  Ty Cobb played in three World Series by the time he was 22, lost them all, and never made it back.  —  Ted Williams played in one World Series, hit .200 in a seven-game defeat, and never made it back.  —  Ernie Banks never made one at all.

The subtle changes that helped the small-money Royals spend big  —  They are World Series champions mostly because of their players and front office  —  But baseball's financial landscape is also different than it used to be  —  Some of the changes have been critical in the Royals' rise