Is it really that crazy to think the Mets can win the NL East?  —  Hey, the New York Mets didn't hire Brodie Van Wagenen to be just another conventional general manager.  They could have gone with the latest 30-something prodigy from Harvard or Yale if they wanted to do that.

Baseball notebook: Beltran joins Yankees' front office as adviser  —  Longtime big leaguer Carlos Beltran has joined the New York Yankees as a special adviser.  —  His hiring, announced Tuesday, came shortly before prized free agent Manny Machado was expected to meet with the Yankees on Wednesday.

Three teams that know how to play the winter waiting game  —  The Tampa Bay Rays don't know where they will play in a decade.  The Milwaukee Brewers spent about $150 million less in payroll than the champion Red Sox.  The Minnesota Twins just announced they will retire the number …

Manny Machado will be in the driver's seat when he pulls up to Yankee Stadium Wednesday  —  Manny Machado will be coming to the Bronx on Wednesday as part of his attempt to hustle up a $300 million-plus free agent deal.  The likelihood is he will be greeted with open arms and open wallet by the Yankees …

Detroit Tigers, city fit broadcaster Joe Davis.  He should come home  —  Joe Davis needs to reconsider his interest in the Detroit Tigers' play-by-play job.  For many reasons.  —  You may have heard the Tigers and Fox Sports Detroit currently have an open chair — maybe even two — in their television broadcast booth.

The shift, 100 mph heat, near impossible odds: How hitters are fighting back  —  LAS VEGAS — From within, the conversation is less about evening the playing field and more about overcoming the odds.  It isn't about taking things back to the way they used to be; it's about uncovering something new.

Tigers' Jordy Mercer ready to bring leadership, contact hitting to Detroit  —  Who will start for the Detroit Tigers in 2019 after their offseason acquisitions  —  Jordy Mercer, the Detroit Tigers' new shortstop, has one connection on the team already.  —  He has met Michael Fulmer just once …

MLB proposal would allow Cuban players to sign with teams without defecting  —  Major League Baseball presented a proposal that would allow clubs to sign players out of Cuba beginning next year, rather than forcing them to first defect from the country and establish residency elsewhere …

Matt Harvey signs one-year, $11 million deal with L.A. Angels  —  Matt Harvey is heading to another city where he can party to his heart's content.  The pitcher formerly known as the Dark Knight is now an Angel.  —  Harvey signed a one-year deal for 11 million dollars with L.A. on Tuesday …

Time will tell what's next for Troy Tulowitzki after working out for nearly a dozen teams  —  LONG BEACH, Calif. — By late Tuesday morning, a half-dozen or so teams had told or hinted to  —  Troy Tulowitzki that he could be their next shortstop or third baseman or second baseman …