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To spend time with Ernie Banks was to gain entrance into an endless summer.

He was employed by the Chicago Cubs, but he belonged to all of us. Nobody, anywhere, could possibly represent either his profession or his calling with any more joy and grace than Banks did during 83 marvelous Hall of Fame years on this baseball diamond of an earth.

The Cubs announced Banks died Friday night but didn't include a cause.

Legendary Chicago Cubs player and Baseball Hall of Famer Ernie Banks has died at the age of 83. 

According to Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune, Banks' wife Liz confirmed the news of her husband's passing.

The Oakland Athletics have jettisoned more than a few players integral to their recent success, but losing Sean Doolittle wasn't a part of the plan.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the A's closer has a small tear in his left rotator cuff and will likely miss the beginning of the 2015 regular season:

Joe Stiglich of CSN reports on the setback:

Former Major League Baseball pitcher Ted Lilly has been charged with three felony counts of insurance fraud in the state of California.

According to a report by Alexandra Pierce of KSBY News, Lilly pleaded not guilty to the charges, which stem from an insurance claim he filed following an accident with his RV:

In the modern age of baseball, there are two types of teams when it comes to the offseason. Those looking to make an immediate run to the World Series, and those willing to offload talent to get a jump-start on a rebuild.

Ichiro Suzuki isn't done with Major League Baseball just yet.

The 41-year-old outfielder reportedly signed with the Miami Marlins, according to Craig Mish of MLB Network Radio, via Jon Heyman of CBS Sports:

Ryan Vogelsong's performance regressed in his past two years with the San Francisco Giants, but that didn't stop the reigning World Series champions from bringing the veteran starting pitcher back on a one-year deal.

Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News reported the deal is official:

Free-agent outfielder Jonny Gomes is the type of blue-collar, veteran player who can play a key role on the field and in the clubhouse. The Atlanta Braves coveted his valuable traits enough to sign Gomes on Thursday, Jan. 22.

Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports first reported Gomes' signing:

In an attempt to make a comeback after suspensions and injuries have essentially kept him out of baseball for the past two years, New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez has reportedly enlisted the services of another controversial superstar in his day, Barry Bonds.

After splitting time between the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics in 2014, free agent Jonny Gomes is reportedly attracting interest from the Atlanta Braves.      

MLB.com's Mark Bowman provided the news:

Gomes hit a combined .234/.327/.330 with six home runs and 37 RBI in 112 games between the Red Sox and A's last season.