Manny Machado, Bryce Harper are staring at same money decision  —  This is the quiet time in baseball.  In a sport that has become a 52-week-a-year endeavor, this is the one time when many offices go dark and executives try to play catchup with rest and family.

The Year That ... : What we'd bet baseball in 2018 will be remembered for forever  —  What you know about 1918: the flu pandemic, the end of World War I, and the Boston Red Sox winning their final World Series of the century.  —  The last one wouldn't have seemed historic to the average human in 1918.

Slugger Nelson Cruz, Twins agree to one-year deal  —  Free-agent slugger Nelson Cruz has agreed to a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins for $14.3 million, a source confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.  —  The deal also features a $12 million team option for 2020, according to the source.

Tommy Pham: Rays need a new stadium or a new city  —  Rays outfielder Tommy Pham said he missed playing in front of the fans of St. Louis and lamented the poor fan support he's seen since coming to Tampa Bay.  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Rays outfielder Tommy Pham said Thursday he thinks the team needs a new stadium or a new city.

Prioritizing the contract extensions for Boston's upcoming free agents  —  Baseball sucks.  In terms of free agency, baseball seems to make it worse on the fans than any other professional sport.  You get to watch these guys play for what feels like forever.

Yasiel Puig: ‘Merry Christmas!’ response to Cincinnati Reds fan opening photo as present  —  Cincinnati Reds outfielder Yasiel Puig appreciated a short video posted on Twitter of a Reds fan opening a present with Puig's photo - in which he's wearing a Reds cap - enough to Retweet it along with “Merry Christmas!” wishes.

How defense helps or hurts players on the Hall of Fame ballot  —  It would be inaccurate to say that a shelf full of Gold Gloves used to be easily converted into a golden ticket to Cooperstown, not when players such as 11-time winner Keith Hernandez, nine-timer Don Mattingly and a handful of eight-timers …

Cubs lose minor-league field coordinator Tim Cossins to Orioles, promote Chris Valaika to hitting coordinator  —  Chicago Tribune  —  Tim Cossins, the Cubs' minor-league field and catching coordinator since December 2012, left the organization Thursday to join new Orioles manager Brandon Hyde's staff.

Cards newcomer Robinson is a man of many gloves  —  As a kid in Las Vegas chasing playing time wherever he could find it, Drew Robinson had to learn to play almost every position because of the one position he was least likely to play.  —  Athletic but “undersized” compared to his peers in youth baseball …

Terry Pendleton to join Braves Hall of Fame  —  Long-time Brave Terry Pendleton will join the team's Hall of Fame next month.  —  Pendleton and Hugh Duffy, an outfielder who played mostly in the 19th century, will join 33 others in the Braves Hall during the Chop Fest Gala on Jan. 18 at the Coca-Cola Roxy within The Battery Atlanta.

Captaincy was everything to David Wright, but now baseball seems to be abandoning it  —  Over the course of 14 big-league seasons, David Wright was an All-Star seven times, a two-time Gold Glove winner and played in two National League Championship Series and one World Series.