Organization Talent Rankings: How They Line Up  —  As we continue our offseason prospect rankings, we line up the minor league talent in every organization from 1-30.

After alcohol rehab and family time, CC Sabathia ready for Yankees return  —  October was one of the most challenging months of CC Sabathia's life, as the Yankees' star pitcher addressed his alcohol problem with a stint in rehab.  —  With pitchers and catchers set to report to Tampa on Thursday …

Royals Reach Two-Year Extension With Mike Moustakas  —  The Royals are closing in on a two-year deal with third baseman Mike Moustakas, MLB.com's Jeffrey Flanagan reports (Twitter links), with Jon Heyman tweeting that it's a done deal.  He is expected to be guaranteed $14.3MM in the contract …

Developing The baseballr Package For R  —  When this package is finished, it will hopefully be a mighty tool for baseball researchers and analysts.  —  Introduction  —  Late in 2015 I wrote a piece here at The Hardball Times that walked through some of my favorite R packages for gathering and analyzing baseball data.

Jacob deGrom to Mets: ‘Willing’ to do long-term deal now  —  PORT ST. LUCIE — The deGrom door is open.  —  Last week, Sandy Alderson said there was a chance the Mets could lock up all of their young starters.  Though Matt Harvey may be impossible to keep for a variety of reasons …

The Wow Factor … ILLUSTRATION BY LINCOLN AGNEW  —  O … One NFL owner called the meeting a “s— show.”  A “nightmare,” another said.  Yet another described it as “the most contentious and polarizing” in decades.  On Dec. 2 at the Four Seasons in Irving, Texas …

Pirates To Sign Eric O'Flaherty To Minors Deal  —  The Pirates have agreed to a minor league deal with lefty reliever Eric O'Flaherty, Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports tweets.  He'll receive an invitation to MLB camp.  —  It has become cliche at this point, but the Bucs do have a record of helping to turn around once-productive pitchers.

AP Interview: Union Head Tony Clark Pitches for More Jobs  —  NEW YORK — With spring training approaching and dozens of players still seeking jobs, union leader Tony Clark concluded baseball's current system needs change.  —  Among those still on the free-agent market are pitcher Yovani Gallardo …

2016 ranking of all 30 farm systems  —  To kick off my look this week at the best prospects in the minor leagues, I've ranked all 30 MLB farm systems from top to bottom, considering only the players who are currently in the systems and have not yet exhausted their rookie year of eligibility.

Corey Dickerson expects to add ‘thump’ to Rays  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Corey Dickerson made his first appearance Wednesday with the dozen or so Rays who have been working out at the Trop, but he needed no formal introduction.  The sound of the ball coming off his bat and rattling around …

The rarest pitch in baseball … You might think the rarest pitch in the game is the knuckleball — only two pitchers regularly throw it right now.  But there is a pitch that only Brad Ziegler throws often.  —  Ziegler throws a changeup — out of a submarine arm slot.