The D-backs have reportedly granted the Blue Jays permission to talk to third-base coach Matt Williams about Toronto’s vacant managerial job.

The D-backs declined 2013 options on catcher Henry Blanco and reliever Matt Lindstrom on Wednesday, making both players free agents.

Sandy Alomar Jr. has agreed to stay on as the bench coach for Terry Francona in Cleveland, but that doesn’t mean he has been ruled out for a possible job in Toronto.

The Blue Jays exercised their team option on left-hander Darren Oliver while also re-signing outfielder Rajai Davis to a one-year contract prior to Wednesday night’s deadline.

Though the American League has seemed to be the more dominant in recent years, the last three World Series have been won by National League teams, and those three championships speak volumes about the components that go into constructing a winner.

One candidate may be out of the running for the Marlins managerial job, but another has emerged.

Orange and black scream Halloween every year, but on this day in San Francisco, it screamed something different.

The celebratory parade through Market Street and the ceremony that followed on the steps of City Hall allowed the Giants to spend one final day together before heading their separate ways into the offseason.

Driven out of New York after failing to live up to a hefty contract and back to the depths of Double-A after almost a decade of Major League service, Oliver Perez faced a crossroads in his professional life last year.

Angels right-hander Ervin Santana, who had a $13 million club option on his contract, was traded to the Royals on Wednesday for Minor League left-handed pitcher Brandon Sisk.

As expected, the Pirates on Wednesday exercised Pedro Alvarez’s 2013 contract option for $700,000 and declined an option for next season on catcher Rod Barajas for $3.5 million.

While the Giants paraded through the streets of San Francisco to celebrate their 2012 World Series championship on Wednesday, right-handed reliever Brandon League celebrated his new three-year contract by declaring his Dodgers the favorites to dethrone the Giants and win the National League West in 2013.

On Wednesday, the Indians announced that they had declined Travis Hafner’s $13 million club option for the 2013 season. Given the aging designated hitter’s decline in production, and his lengthy history of injuries, the price was simply too much for Cleveland to pay.

It is difficult to know how seriously to take the Hot Stove hype, but we do know that certain clubs will make significant strides toward bumping the Giants off the pedestal.

The Yankees have announced that they will donate $500,000 to the American Red Cross to support the relief efforts in the Tri-State area associated with Hurricane Sandy.

Reds left fielder Ryan Ludwick on Wednesday declined his end of a $5 million mutual option for 2013 and became a free agent. However, the door remains open for Ludwick to return to the Reds.

Tendinitis in his left elbow caused Padres pitching prospect Robbie Erlin to miss three months of the 2012 season, so it only makes sense that the left-hander is in a hurry to make up for lost time.