Angels sign backup catcher Rene Rivera  —  The Angels signed Rene Rivera to a one-year, $2.8-million contract on Monday, adding a defensively savvy veteran to back up Martin Maldonado as catcher.  —  Rivera, 36, has played nine seasons in the major leagues, never getting 300 at-bats in a season.

Detroit Tigers agree to minor league deals with Brayan Pena, 5 others  —  The Tigers announced on Tuesday they have agreed to terms with six players on minor league contracts for the upcoming season.  —  Of the six, catcher Brayan Peña and infielder Pete Kozma were invited to Major League Spring Training camp.

Source: Mets still interested in signing Jay Bruce, Addison Reed  —  The Mets haven't made a big splash in the offseason, but that could change as the team remains interested in free-agent outfielder Jay Bruce and free-agent reliever Addison Reed, and is still speaking with the Pirates …

Tom Brady Gave a Filmmaker Unusual Access to His Private Life  —  Tom Brady was leading a tour through a set of fat binders that he keeps in his den, with each one devoted to one of the 18 seasons he has played in the N.F.L. This one, marked “2016,” began with a particular memento.

Report: Twins' great Justin Morneau returning as special assistant  —  Justin Morneau, who sat out the 2017 Major League Baseball season after partaking in the World Baseball Classic for Canada, will return to the Minnesota Twins as a special assistant to the team's front office, according to a report by the Canadian Baseball Network.

Meet Iggy Suarez, the new Greenville Drive manager  —  Iggy Suarez toiled for 11 seasons in baseball's minor leagues, including a handful in independent leagues.  That experience, he says, will help him tremendously as he takes over as manager of the Greenville Drive.

Avoiding Arbitration: Andrew Heaney, Ryan Rua  —  We'll use this post to track some of the day's arbitration agreements.  As always, you can reference MLBTR's 2018 arbitration projections and 2018 MLB arbitration tracker as needed.  — Lefty Andrew Heaney is in agreement on a $800K deal with the Angels …

Mets GM Sandy Alderson upbeat about Travis d'Arnaud's progress  —  The Mets' No. 1 catcher says he no longer lets himself be distracted by rumors about the free-agent market or possible trades.  —  Travis d'Arnaud ended 2017 with his best month of the season, and maybe that was enough …

Angels spring training primer: Starting rotation  —  As the Angels head toward the first workout of spring training Feb. 14, we are providing a weekly breakdown of how they stand with their roster by position groups.  Players acquired this winter include the method of their acquisition in parentheses.

Profile: Paul Goldschmidt … Twice this offseason, a pair of Diamondbacks officials were asked about the possibility of extending the contract of first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.  Both executives gave similar, unenlightening answers.  —  In November, CEO Derrick Hall talked about how glad …

What would happen if a baseball game went 50 innings?  —  On Sept. 5, Hanley Ramirez flared an 0-2 fastball into shallow center field.  Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar charged in but couldn't catch the ball, and Mookie Betts — who took off almost on contact — raced home from second to score.

Attention, Yankees: Astros reportedly engaged in Gerrit Cole trade talks with Pirates  —  The Astros are reportedly going after one of the Yankees' trade targets: Gerrit Cole.  —  Houston has engaged in talks with Pittsburgh about dealing the 27-year-old righthander, sources told Yahoo! Sports.