Winter Warm-Up: Grichuk back to speed after offseason knee surgery  —  Photo by Chris Lee, clee@post-dispatch.com … Cardinals outfielder Randal Grichuk need a little more than a month to recover from knee surgery he had at the end of the 2016 season to address soreness and inflammation that followed him throughout the summer.

Washington Nationals Legacy: Time For Tim Raines To Make Hall Of Fame  —  No Washington Nationals will make it into the Hall Of Fame in 2016, but its time for former Montreal Expo Tim Raines to be inducted into Cooperstown  —  We are days away from the announcement of who will be inducted …

Fans get up-close look at trophy, continue title celebration  —  CHICAGO — The buzz at the Cubs Convention on Friday seemed louder and livelier than in years past, as fans were eager to celebrate the World Series championship, the first for the franchise in 108 years.

Royals Extend Danny Duffy  —  The Royals have a number of key players hitting the open market next winter, but left-hander Danny Duffy will no longer be among them.  The Royals announced on Monday that they've signed Duffy to a five-year deal that runs through the 2021 season and will reportedly guarantee him $65MM.

Phillies Phodder: Jerad Eickhoff, a new bat, Montgomery and other matters  —  Jerad Eickhoff was in town the other day putting smiles on the faces of some special kids at CSN Philly's annual Shining Star Awards dinner, which benefits the March of Dimes.  —  Before the event …

Indians staying in touch with free agents, including Jose Bautista  —  The Indians might not be done.  —  While the signing of free-agent first baseman Edwin Encarnacion pushed the club beyond its expected payroll limit, team officials are staying in touch with a number of free agents, according to major-league sources.

Hal Steinbrenner has a 2017 payroll figure in mind for Yankees GM Brian Cashman  —  SCOTTSDALE — With the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire on December 1, a new deal between Major League Baseball and the players' union should result in a higher Competitive Balance Tax threshold number …

Veteran Chris Iannetta to join Diamondbacks' catching mix  —  The Diamondbacks agreed to terms on a one-year, $1.5 million deal with veteran Chris Iannetta on Friday, giving them the three-headed catching scenario they'd been contemplating since they non-tendered Welington Castillo in early December.

Neftali Feliz Nearing Deal With Brewers  —  Free agent righty Neftali Feliz is close to agreeing to a deal with the Brewers, Fan Rag's Jon Heyman writes (Twitter links).  BrewerFan.net's Jim Goulart was first to tweet a connection between Feliz and the Brew Crew.