Mariners, Giants, Padres Will Meet With Shohei Ohtani — At Least 14 Other Teams Out Of The Running  —  7:22pm: The Nationals won't be receiving a meeting, the Washington Post's Chelsea Janes reports (Twitter link).  —  6:58pm: The Braves are out, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports (via Twitter).

Inside how Aaron Boone won over the Yankees  —  Aaron Boone couldn't hide his lack of in-uniform credentials.  It was not as if he could tell Yankees officials he had managed three years at Double-A and been a bench coach for two in the majors.  —  His résumé was his résumé …

Padres extend A.J. Preller through 2022  —  The Padres have extended General Manager A.J. Preller's contract through the 2022 season.  (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune)  —  The Padres waded through reconstruction in 2017, auditioning and, in some cases, committing to youth.

Heyman |  Skepticism remains that Stanton would go to Cardinals  —  A contingent of St. Louis Cardinals power brokers traveled to Los Angeles and — like the San Francisco Giants — will make their case that Miami Marlins superstar slugger Giancarlo Stanton should consider playing for their team for the next 10 years.

On the Royals, rebuilding and the value of losing  —  In the weeks before a franchise-defining trade, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn sequestered himself inside his office and formulated an informal checklist.  Point by point, the text doubled as an argument.