As usual, Yankees' priority is to improve their pitching staff  —  Dealing Brian McCann to the Astros last month put the Yankees in the market for a bat.  —  A player quite familiar to them, and in whom they had some interest, came off that market Saturday afternoon when Carlos Beltran agreed …

Phillies near agreement with veteran reliever Joaquin Benoit, source says  —  OXON HILL, Md. — The rebuilding Phillies are expected to bolster their bullpen by signing veteran reliever Joaquin Benoit, with a formal agreement sometime this week, a source said late Sunday night.

Source: Matt Holliday agrees to 1-year, $13M deal with Yankees  —  Former St. Louis Cardinals slugger Matt Holliday and the New York Yankees have agreed to a one-year deal worth $13 million, a source told ESPN's Jim Bowden, confirming multiple reports.  —  The Cardinals informed Holliday …

Bud Selig, John Schuerholz Elected To Hall Of Fame  —  Bud Selig, credited for shepherding baseball into a new modern era as commissioner from 1992-2015, and John Schuerholz—who helped build the Royals and Braves into world champions-were elected to the Hall of Fame Sunday by the Today's Era Committee.

Rangers' place winter meetings focus on rotation upgrade  —  If the talk from Texas Rangers Inc. heading toward the winter meetings sounds familiar — with their focus is on a starting pitcher — well, it should.  —  Only five months ago, in the weeks leading to the Aug. 1 trade deadline …

Heyman: Pedro Alvarez emerging on Red Sox radar  —  Pedro Alvarez, who spent his 2016 season with the Baltimore Orioles, has emerged as another name on Boston Red Sox radar, along with Mike Napoli and Matt Holliday.  All would be considered to play first base or designated hitter …

Miguel Cabrera likely to stay in Detroit  —  The Detroit Tigers have made no secret of their willingness to trade nearly anyone and everyone on their roster for the right price in an attempt to cut payroll, including longtime franchise stalwarts Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera.

Kelly: Blue Jays pushing their luck by not opening their wallets  —  As we prepare for the baseball bazaar at next week's winter meetings, the Toronto Blue Jays are steadily nudging the public toward accepting a large step backward.  —  After losing a half-dozen guys, the team's …

Tyson Ross, Ben Revere among 35 new free agents  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Tyson Ross, an All-Star pitcher for San Diego two years ago, was among 35 players who became free agents when their teams declined to offer them 2017 contracts on Friday.  —  Washington outfielder Ben Revere …