Dee Gordon trade begins Marlins firesale, Mariners playoff aspirations  —  MLB awards season is here.  Take a look at all the 2017 winners.  USA TODAY Sports  —  CONNECT  —  The Seattle Mariners and Miami Marlins, separated by 2,732 miles and going in complete opposite directions …

Cubs Sign Tyler Chatwood  —  6:35pm: Jon Heyman of FanRag passes along further details on Chatwood's deal (Twitter links).  He'll earn $12.5MM apiece in each of the first two years and $13MM in the third.  —  By operation of an escalator provision, that $13MM salary for 2020 will climb …

Column: Caution makes sense when predicting stardom for Cubs target Shohei Ohtani  —  Photos of Japanese star free agent Shohei Ohtani.  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Stardom needs no interpretation.  —  You know it when you see it, and apparently everything about baseball import Shohei Ohtani …

Orioles pitcher Gausman changes number to honor Halladay  —  BALTIMORE (AP) Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman will wear No. 34 next season as a tribute to Roy Halladay, who was killed in a plane crash last month.  —  Gausman announced the switch Thursday on his Twitter account.  The right-hander wore No. 39 last year.

Cardinals' front office complete a series of promotions, name Morales int'l director  —  ST. LOUIS  • When players acquired by the Cardinals' international scouts arrive in Jupiter, Fla., to take the next step in their professional career, one of the people they get to know best is Luis Morales.

Joe Girardi wasn't hard enough on Gary Sanchez, Yankees sources say  —  The perception coming out of the Aaron Boone press conference is that the Yankees want the new manager to shower players with love as a way of getting the most out of them, none more so than Gary Sanchez.

Phillies remove two from 40-man roster  —  The Phillies cleared two spots on their 40-man roster to provide some flexibility ahead of next week's Winter Meetings.  The team, according to a source, placed outfielder Cameron Perkins and infielder Engelb Vielma on waivers.

Cubs' Theo Epstein: Leaner Kyle Schwarber looking to dominate ‘the controllables’  —  Photos of Cubs catcher and outfielder Kyle Schwarber.  —  Chicago Tribune  —  The photographs of a trimmer Kyle Schwarber that were posted on social media Wednesday weren't touched up.

Jerry Blevins excited to have Mickey Callaway, a former pitching coach, as the Mets manager  —  Jerry Blevins is excited to have a new manager and pitching coach.  The Mets lefthanded reliever, who appeared in a career-high 75 games last season, said Thursday that it will be a new experience …

Orioles getting calls on free-agent-to-be Machado  —  The Baltimore Orioles have received a couple calls of inquiry on superstar third baseman Manny Machado, and while the Orioles are not shopping — and love — Machado, word is that would be willing to listen on any player - even their best player.