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.

Mercer the latest quiet addition for busy Detroit Tigers  —  DETROIT (AP) Jordy Mercer found out quickly that the Tigers had him on their radar.  —  “They were one of the first clubs that we had talks with,” Detroit's new shortstop said Tuesday.  “It was early on in the process, so I know they were interested.

Bad news: Cincinnati Reds fail to sign Harvey; Good news: Reds didn't spend $11 million  —  So, Matt Harvey is off the board.  —  Harvey reportedly has agreed to a one-year, $11 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels.  That goodwill he built with the Reds wasn't enough to sway him to re-up.

Rangers add 4 bullpen options on minor-league contracts, including one with a 98 mph fastball  —  The Rangers, looking for creative additions to a bullpen lacking in bodies, have added four pitchers on minor-league contracts, league sources confirmed.  —  The most notable of the group …

Yankee target Manny Machado came, he saw, and now we wait  —  The big black Chevy Suburban carrying Manny Machado, destined to be baseball's next $300 million man, arrived at the steel gates of the player's entrance of Yankee Stadium, underneath the el on River Ave., at around 12:30 p.m. 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 …

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 …

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.

Daniel Descalso agrees to deal with Chicago Cubs  —  Infielder Daniel Descalso and the Chicago Cubs have agreed to a $5 million, two-year contract that includes a club option for 2021 and could be worth $8.25 million over three seasons.  —  He gets $1.5 million next year and $2.5 million in 2020.

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.