The signing of free agent Billy Butler shows that the A’s are loading up for another run at the AL West title in 2015, but they have other holes to fill.

Giancarlo Stanton has made a long-term commitment to the Marlins and the city of Miami, and the slugger hopes to eventually see the market embrace the organization that has ranked low in the standings and at the gate since he made his debut in 2010.

With the Red Sox in high pursuit of Jon Lester and Pablo Sandoval, the club seems to view this offseason as a chance to reload and regroup and get back to where it once belonged.

The 23rd edition of the Arizona Fall League wrapped up with Salt River’s win in the championship game over Peoria on Saturday. Once again, the AFL was jam packed with elite-level prospects. That made putting together a top prospects list fairly easy. There were so many good players, it was decided to expand the list to a Top 25, up from the typical 20.

There’s still more than two weeks to go before the Winter Meetings, and history tells us that there will be some more eye-opening wheeling and dealing afoot in the coming weeks. Here’s are the biggest trades of the past 10 offseasons.

Lucas Duda had three hits and Evan Longoria capped an impressive trip with his third home run in seven games as the MLB All-Stars wrapped up their tour of Japan with a 6-4 loss in an exhibition game against Samurai Japan at Okinawa Cellular Stadium on Thursday.

While they’d have preferred to have won the the Japan All-Star Series, the Major Leaguers who made the trip were thankful for the once-in-a-lifetime cultural experience that they enjoyed.

For the handful of fathers and sons who spent their trip to Japan bonding in a way that life almost never allows, the All-Star Series was a throwback to simpler times.

The Marlins may not have to look outside of their own division to find a middle-of-the-order hitter. Miami reportedly has a two-year, $20 million offer on the table to free agent Adam LaRoche, according to the Miami Herald.

The early days of Spring Training workouts might last a little longer for the D-backs this year under first-year manager Chip Hale.

Despite Billy Beane’s early splash in free agency with Wednesday’s three-year signing of designated hitter Billy Butler, the A’s general manger’s ensuing offseason plans appear a bit clouded.

Voting for the GIBBYs (Greatness in Baseball Yearly Awards) ends soon, with polls closing on Friday at 11:59 p.m. ET. There’s still time to cast your ballot, however, and make yourself heard as the baseball world tabs champions in a host of categories.

On Wednesday night, Major League Baseball Properties announced that the Mariners had become the first two-time winner of the “Club Retailer of the Year” award, based on the club’s commitment to driving merchandise sales through creative marketing and merchandising efforts.

While there’s certainly no nebulous area in regards to the Padres’ biggest offseason need — offense — the team might be rethinking the way it goes about addressing it. Instead of trading starting pitchers Tyson Ross or Andrew Cashner to upgrade the offense, the Padres are giving strong consideration to keeping both arbitration-eligible players, a baseball source told MLB.com.

The A’s moved swiftly in their pursuit of a right-handed power bat, reeling in free-agent designated hitter Billy Butler on a three-year, $30 million deal, which was made official on Wednesday.

There are five empty spots on the Royals’ 40-man roster, but that doesn’t mean they’ll fill them all on Thursday, the deadline for teams to set their rosters and protect players from the Rule 5 Draft in December.

Before making it to the big leagues, the obvious ultimate goal for any prospect, there is another milestone each hopes to reach: being added to his organization’s 40-man roster. For many, that decision will be made on Thursday. All 30 teams have to decide which players deserve to be added to their 40-man rosters by 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday. Those eligible and left unprotected were thus left exposed to selection in December’s Rule 5 Draft.