Astros “Actively Pursuing” High-End Starters, Have Discussed Gerrit Cole With Pirates  —  12:27pm: Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports (via Twitter) that the Astros have had talks with the Pirates about a trade that would send Cole to Houston.  Young outfielder Derek Fisher's name has come …

Matt Garza To Undergo Shoulder Surgery  —  Free agent righty Matt Garza is set to undergo surgery for a torn right shoulder labrum, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.  It seems the injury was sustained in a mid-season collision that knocked Garza out of commission for a time but did not end his season.

White Sox new-look bullpen for '18 already brimming with appealing options  —  Chicago Tribune  —  At the top of Rick Hahn's to-do list for the White Sox this offseason was reconstructing a bullpen the general manager dismantled in 2017 while wheeling and dealing as part of the team's rebuild.

Zach Duke guaranteed $2.15M by Twins, can earn $1.5M more  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Left-hander Zach Duke is guaranteed $2.15 million as part of his one-year contract with the Minnesota Twins and can earn an additional $1.5 million based on pitching appearances.  —  Duke can earn $200,000 each …

Grass or fake stuff?  Here's what the Rangers are planning for new ballpark  —  The giant hole just south of Globe Life Park keeps getting deeper and deeper, and at some point in the not-too-distant future it will begin to be surrounded by steal and concrete and eventually covered by a retractable roof.

How Cleveland Browns were frozen out of Jimmy Garoppolo deal — Terry Pluto  —  Gallery: How Cleveland Browns were frozen out of Jimmy Garoppolo deal  —  CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Jimmy Garoppolo trade to the San Francisco 49ers never made much sense.  —  The 49ers traded a second-round pick …

Phillies want to develop starting pitchers.  Here are four to watch  —  “Maybe never in our history has it been more important to develop starting pitchers.”  — Phillies general manager Matt Klentak on Dec. 13 at the winter meetings  —  The Phillies have made it clear …

Phillies hire three men named Kevin (Frandsen, Jordan, Stocker) for radio broadcast team  —  For more than a decade, Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen formed an irreverent relationship as Phillies radio broadcasters.  With Andersen ready to reduce his schedule in 2018 to just home games …

Stammen guaranteed $4.5M by Padres in 2-year deal  —  Craig Stammen is guaranteed $4.5 million as part of his two-year contract with the  —  San Diego Padres and can earn an additional $1 million in performance bonuses annually based on pitching appearances.

Pitchers Carson Smith, Steven Wright agree to 1-year deals with Red Sox  —  BOSTON — Pitchers Carson Smith and Steven Wright, both coming off injuries, agreed to one-year contracts with the Boston Red Sox that avoided salary arbitration.  —  Wright gets a non-guaranteed salary of $1.1 million under …

Sammy Watkins uncertain about his future with Rams  —  Given the amount of young talent in place, the Rams should enjoy a bright 2018 season, but a few players left the Coliseum on Saturday night uncertain about whether they would return.  —  Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson has a six-year history …

Orioles notes: Buck Showalter ‘further along’ in deciding whether Manny Machado will play shortstop in 2018  —  Orioles manager Buck Showalter, like most everyone else in Baltimore and around the baseball world, is waiting for the short-term future of star infielder Manny Machado to be solidified before discussing him in absolutes.