Which Shohei Ohtani is the most fun Shohei Ohtani?  —  A couple weeks ago, Dan Syzmborski laid out the ZiPS projections for Shohei Ohtani as both a hitter (pretty good!) and a pitcher (close to great!).  This lines up with how we talk about Ohtani, how we plan for him, how we game out the best way for a team to use him.

Giants, Cards front-runners to acquire NL MVP from Marlins, according to source  —  MIAMI — The Giancarlo Stanton trade derby has become a two-team race, with the Giants and Cardinals established as the front-runners, according to a source, while the Dodgers continue to monitor the situation.

10 questions for new Yankees manager Aaron Boone  —  The Yankees used to hold press conferences to introduce a new — or in Billy Martin's case, returning — managers every couple of months, or so it seemed.  On Wednesday, Aaron Boone will become just the third man to be so feted since 1996 …

Rafael Palmeiro: 'There's No Doubt' I Can Make MLB Comeback at Age 53  —  Longtime MLB first baseman Rafael Palmeiro is considering a comeback at age 53, 12 years after his last game in the major leagues.  —  On Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic passed along comments from the four-time All-Star …

Cards sign starter who found success in Japan  —  The route to a game at Roger Dean Stadium was a lot shorter when Miles Mikolas was a kid growing up in nearby Tequesta, Fla., but after a detour through Japan, he has found his way back to that ballpark.  —  As momentum starts to build …

Rogers Evaluating Sale of Blue Jays, Cogeco Stake, CFO Says  —  Rogers Communications Inc. is considering selling assets such as baseball's Toronto Blue Jays and a stake in media company Cogeco Inc. to free up capital for other investments, Chief Financial Officer Tony Staffieri said.

Cashman looks to reinforce roster in hopes of another postseason appearance  —  NEW YORK — The five weeks immediately following Game 7 of the American League Championship Series were an impressive balancing act for Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who conducted an intensive managerial search …

Leonys Martin agrees to one-year, $1.75 million deal with Tigers  —  DETROIT — The Tigers have agreed to terms with outfielder Leonys Martin on a one-year, $1.75 million contract.  —  Martin, who hit .172 in 49 games last season with the Seattle Mariners and the Chicago Cubs …

Royals To Sign Wily Peralta  —  The Royals became the latest team to strike on the pitching market, adding righty Wily Peralta on a one-year deal, as Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star first reported (Twitter links).  Peralta will receive a $1.525MM guarantee, $1.5MM of which will go to his 2018 salary.

No Babe Ruth of Japan?  How about the King Kong of Slug?  Breaking down Boston's winter wish list  —  BOSTON — Five weeks since it began, this offseason has been brought to Boston Red Sox fans everywhere by Debbie Downer.  —  Shohei Ohtani is coming to the United States!

Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger:Ryan Shazier injury will ‘make you evaluate things’  —  The next time Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger talks about retiring, no one should be surprised.  —  Not when the game's violence continues to strike him and those close to him with greater and greater fury.

Angels Agree To Terms With Kevin Maitan, Livan Soto  —  9:07pm: The Halos have also landed another former Braves shortstop, according to Baseball America's Ben Badler.  Youngster Livan Soto is also heading to the Los Angeles organization after striking a $850K deal.  That's nearly as much as his original $1MM bonus.