Mets, Yoenis Cespedes Agree To Amended Contract  —  4:29pm: Much but not all of the guarantee can be recouped via performance and awards bonuses, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.  —  3:58pm: There's more to this story (and more sure to come).  The Mets stopped paying his salary …

Cubs set up to be darlings of January after Winter Meetings  —  SAN DIEGO — These were the winter meetings dominated by Scott Boras.  His clients Stephen Strasburg ($245 million), Gerrit Cole ($324 million) and Anthony Rendon ($245 million) agreed to three of the 10 biggest contracts in history …

MLB threatens to walk away from Minor League Baseball  —  Major League Baseball threw a high, hard brushback pitch at Minor League Baseball late Friday night: Shut up and negotiate, or we'll run our own minor league system without you.  —  The tension is so high and the trust so low between …

Brewers Sign Brett Anderson  —  The Brewers have announced a one-year deal with lefty Brett Anderson.  The GSE Worldwide client will be guaranteed $5MM with up to $2MM in potential incentives, per ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter).  —  Anderson, who his closing in on his 32nd birthday …

Rays finalizing deal with Japanese slugger Yoshitomo Tsutsugo  —  It's a 2-year, approximately $12M deal for lefty who has power and patience at plate, can play outfield, corner infield, DH.  —  ST. PETERSBURG - The Rays appear to have found the power bat they were looking for …

Analyzing Each 2019 MLB Rule 5 Draft Pick's Chances To Stick  —  Here is analysis of the 11 players selected in the MLB phase of the 2019 Rule 5 draft.  —  To see full results from the draft, including the minor league portion, click here.  —  To see a full preview (with scouting reports) of available players, click here.

Detroit Tigers leave winter meetings with solid catcher in Austin Romine  —  SAN DIEGO, Calif. — They came here wanting a catcher, and as the baseball world departed the Manchester Grand Hyatt during Thursday morning's Rule 5 Draft, they finally found one.  —  The Detroit Tigers …

Marlins Met With Yasiel Puig  —  As they continue to pursue outfield pop, the Marlins held a meeting recently with free agent Yasiel Puig, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter).  That adds another intriguing possibility to the club's widespread search.

SunTrust Park name will change ‘sooner rather than later,’ Braves CEO says  —  SunTrust Park will get a new name “sooner rather than later,” after the first of the year but before the start of the 2020 baseball season, Braves president and CEO Derek Schiller said.

Phillies to sign Matt Szczur, according to sources  —  The Phillies are about to sign a player with a resume chock-full of impressive — and important — accomplishments.  —  According to sources, Matt Szczur, the 30-year-old outfielder from South Jersey, has agreed to sign a minor-league contract with the Phils.