Brandon Phillips blocked a trade from Cincinnati to Atlanta, sources say  —  Even as Brandon Phillips faces a possible loss of playing time, he still is not ready to leave Cincinnati.  —  The Reds' second baseman used his no-trade protection in November to block a trade to the Braves, according to major-league sources.

Orioles, Mariners Swap Yovani Gallardo For Seth Smith  —  12:30pm: Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun tweets that the Orioles will save about $4MM in total on the deal.  That would suggest that about $2MM is headed to Seattle alongside Gallardo, who is guaranteed $13MM ($11MM salary + $2MM option buyout) to Smith's $7MM.

N.J. aunt of Ft. Lauderdale airport shooting suspect: ‘He lost his mind’ in Iraq  —  UNION CITY — The suspect in the Fort Lauderdale shooting was a U.S. military veteran who “lost his mind” after a tour of duty in Iraq, his aunt said Friday.  —  Maria Ruiz Rivera, of Union City …

MLB's tracking technology puts McCutchen, Marte and Polanco's play under microscope  —  PITTSBURGH — How did Andrew McCutchen stack up among center fielders last year?  What makes Starling Marte such an elite defender?  How is Gregory Polanco developing in the outfield?

Sources: Cavs agree to deal for sharpshooter Kyle Korver  —  The world champion Cleveland Cavaliers have reached an agreement on a deal to acquire guard Kyle Korver from the Atlanta Hawks, league sources told The Vertical.  —  The Cavaliers and Hawks are still finalizing the terms of the trade …

UFC 208 in Brooklyn adds Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza vs. Tim Boetsch … UFC 208 fight card for Brooklyn  —  Holm trying to be first woman to win gold in two UFC divisions

White Sox Claim Willy Garcia, Designate Jason Coats For Assignment  —  The White Sox announced on Friday that they've claimed outfielder Willy Garcia off waivers from the Pirates and designated fellow outfielder Jason Coats for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

Did the Blue Jays misread the market on Edwin Encarnacion?  —  The one thing that remains puzzling about the Blue Jays' handling of Edwin Encarnacion is the team's quick pivot to Kendrys Morales in free agency.  —  If Encarnacion's agent, Paul Kinzer, made a questionable decision by failing …

Rangers' Elvis Andrus honored after career-year in 2016  —  Elvis Andrus, who set career highs with a .302 batting average, 8 homers and 69 RBIs in 2016, was awarded the Richard Durrett Hardest Working Man Award by the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Heyman: MLB winter winners and non-winners  —  The winter isn't quite over, and there are still some big-time players left (Matt Wieters and a bevy of sluggers come to mind), but enough moves have been made to put together a reasonable list of MLB winners and losers.