Right-handed reliever Matt Belisle, an 11-year Major League veteran, has agreed to a one-year contract with the Cardinals, the organization announced on Tuesday. The addition further fortifies the Cardinals’ bullpen, which is expected to lose 2014 contributors Pat Neshek and Jason Motte to free agency.

The Nationals tendered contracts to all their arbitration-eligible players: Stephen Strasburg, Doug Fister, Wilson Ramos, Craig Stammen, Danny Espinosa, Jerry Blevins, Tyler Clippard, Ross Detwiler, Drew Storen and Jose Lobaton.

The White Sox declined to offer contracts to right-handed pitcher Scott Carroll and left-hander Scott Snodgress, leaving the two to become free agents.

Will Jon Lester go west and join the defending World Series champion Giants? Will he return to Boston? Or, will the free-agent pitcher pick the Cubs and rejoin Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer? Lester isn’t tipping his hand, and all the Cubs can do is wait.

Dale Scott represents not just gay men and women in a public profession, he represents a sport that prides itself on clubhouses in which players and coaches of different skin colors and different languages and different faiths routinely unite for the common goal of working together and accomplishing things.

Don Wakamatsu interviewed for the Rays’ manager job on Tuesday, as the club appears to be zeroing in on the man who will replace Joe Maddon and become the fifth manager in team history.

A game often said to “start with starting pitching” has not exactly worked that way this winter. Jon Lester is going to change all that, because so much of the Hot Stove activity this winter will fall in line after his situation is settled.

The Astros won’t have any huge decisions to make when it comes to Tuesday’s 10:59 p.m. CT deadline to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players, a group that consists of infielders Chris Carter and Marwin Gonzalez, catchers Jason Castro, Hank Conger and Carlos Corporan, outfielder Dexter Fowler and left-handed pitcher Tony Sipp.

Though there was plenty of excitement surrounding the Red Sox last week when they invested a guaranteed $183 million in free-agent hitters Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez, there was also a common wave of concern from media and fans. It went something like this: “Who will pitch?”

Should he, would he, could he have scored in the ninth inning of the seventh game of the World Series? The Royals’ Alex Gordon has heard the question often this offseason.

Free-agent left-hander Jon Lester has options spanning the country, as he was scheduled to meet today with the World Series-champion Giants, according to a report by ESPN.com.

The Rays have until 11:59 p.m. ET Tuesday to decide whether to tender 2015 contract offers to their six arbitration-eligible players. Outfielders Matt Joyce and Desmond Jennings, along with infielder Logan Forsythe, right-hander Alex Cobb and left-handers Jake McGee and Drew Smyly must be tendered a contract by the deadline.

The Phillies have some business to take care of before gearing up for the Winter Meetings next week. The club has until 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday to offer contracts to its three players eligible for salary arbitration: left-hander Antonio Bastardo and outfielders Ben Revere and Domonic Brown.

SEATTLE — General manager Jack Zduriencik made it clear from day one this offseason that the Mariners’ top priority was to acquire a big right-handed hitter to put behind Robinson Cano in the lineup. The club has filled that need by reaching an agreement with free-agent slugger Nelson Cruz.

Though both Mets outfielder Eric Young Jr. and shortstop Ruben Tejada are both vulnerable prior to Major League Baseball’s non-tender deadline, at least one of them is likely to remain a Met.

Teams have until 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday to tender 2015 contracts to all of their unsigned players. A player who is non-tendered is released from their club and becomes a free agent able to sign with any of the 30 Major League clubs. Among the Reds, the only two candidates for being non-tendered are outfielder Chris Heisey and reliever Logan Ondrusek.

The Pirates signed three players to Minor League contracts with invitations to Major League Spring Training on Monday. Gorkys Hernandez, an outfielder who was in the Pirates organization from 2009-12, hit a combined .280 with 19 doubles, 16 stolen bases and 40 runs scored in 75 games this past season between Triple-A Omaha, Triple-A Charlotte and the Tigres de Quintana Roo of the Mexican League.