Breaking News

After an embarrassing 2012 campaign, the Boston Red Sox have been on a mission all offseason to retool their roster.

According to ESPN's Jim Bowden, that retooling will continue, as the Red Sox are close to a  trade that will send Pittsburgh Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan to Boston in exchange for a package that includes Jerry Sands:

It appears the comeback is complete. 

After spending time in the Independent Leagues with the Sugar Land Skeeters and more recently in the Winter Leagues honing his craft, Scott Kazmir is back. 

It looks like Cody Ross' career renaissance in 2012 has landed him a nice new contract. According to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News, the veteran outfielder has signed a three-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks:

The Arizona Diamondbacks signed outfielder Cody Ross to a three-year agreement, according to the Twitter feed of New York Daily News writer Mark Feinsand.

League source: Cody Ross has reached agreement with Diamondbacks on a three-year deal.

I would personally love to see a Pittsburgh Pirates player on the cover of MLB 13 the Show. With the announcement that Andrew McCutchen is one of the candidates for the game's cover vote, that thought may actually come to fruition.

In the coming weeks, one of the most impactful and controversial classes for the Hall of Fame will have judgment passed on them—at least for their first year of eligibility. One of those on the list is all-time home run leader Barry Bonds, whose career, despite being acquitted of any wrongdoing in a court of law, will forever be tied to the steroid era.

Veteran relief pitcher José Veras signed a one year deal with the Houston Astros, according to the Twitter feed of ESPNDeportes writer Enrique Rojas.

The right hander will be 32 next season as he enters his eighth season in the majors. The product of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays farm system made his debut with the 2006 New York Yankees and played in the 2007 Division Series.

The Kansas City Royals continued their offseason shopping spree with a minor move yesterday, picking up free-agent outfielder/first baseman Xavier Nady on a minor league deal. The signing was reported by MLB.com’s Dick Kaegel.

The groin injury recently suffered by Boston Red Sox pitching prospect Anthony Ranaudo will not prevent him from being ready for spring training, according to this report from the Providence Journal’s Tim Britton.

The Philadelphia Phillies have potentially signed two key pitchers in recent days.  According to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, the Phillies have likely reached a multi-year agreement with free-agent setup man Mike Adams.