Jerry Blevins gets minor league deal  —  Left-handed reliever Jerry Blevins has agreed to a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics, a source confirmed to ESPN.  —  The deal includes an invitation to major league spring training.  —  The news was first reported by the New York Post.

Lowdown: Reeling in Realmuto  —  Reeling in Realmuto  —  While Bryce Harper and Manny Machado continue to languish on the free agent market with no apparent end in sign, it looks like the multitude of trade rumors surrounding Marlins' catcher J.T. Realmuto could finally be gaining traction.

Meet the bargain free agents the Detroit Tigers missed out on so far  —  Pitchers and catchers report in less than a week across MLB.  (The A's open camp Sunday, the Mariners open Feb. 11, and the Detroit Tigers, among many others, open Feb. 12.)  —  And yet, there are more than 90 players waiting …

Indians acquire reliever Nick Wittgren from Marlins  —  The Cleveland Indians have acquired relief pitcher Nick Wittgren from the Miami Marlins.  —  CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians have bolstered their bullpen less than two weeks before pitchers and catchers report to Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear …

Keith Law's 2019 ranking of all 30 MLB farm systems  —  While these rankings are ultimately subjective — this is, after all, my opinion of each system's relative merits — I base them on as broad a collection of information as I can.  I've seen many of these prospects …

Astros, Chris Devenski settle arbitration case  —  Reliever Chris Devenski settled his arbitration case with the Astros on Sunday night, agreeing to a one-year contract with a club option for 2020, The Athletic reported.  —  According to the report, Devenski will make $1.525 million in 2019.

MLB trade rumors: Yankees' Jacoby Ellsbury to Giants?  Could Brian Cashman get back a starting pitcher in return?  —  Here's some news which is sure to make Yankees fans smile.  General manager Brian Cashman could be working on a deal to get rid of outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury.

Why isn't Gallo playing third for Rangers?  Allow the outfielder to explain  —  Joey Gallo came up through the minors and made his MLB debut as a third baseman.  Despite the Rangers' needs for 2019, Gallo will be playing in the outfield.  —  Throughout the off-season …

Bob Friend, Pirates leader in innings, starts, K's, dies at 88  —  PITTSBURGH — Bob Friend, who pitched more innings than anyone else in Pittsburgh Pirates history, died Sunday.  He was 88.  —  The Pirates said Friend died at his home in Pittsburgh.  —  Friend holds Pirates record for innings …

2019 ZiPS Projections - Pittsburgh Pirates  —  After having typically appeared in the hallowed pages of Baseball Think Factory, Dan Szymborski's ZiPS projections have now been released at FanGraphs for more than half a decade.  The exercise continues this offseason.  Below are the projections for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Ball from Jose Bautista's bat flip sells at auction for $28,252  —  The home run ball that prompted Jose Bautista's notorious bat flip in 2015 has sold at auction for more than $28,000.  —  According to the Lelands auction house website Saturday, there were 17 bids.  The winning one went for $28,252.