In two years, Rick Hahn has transformed the White Sox into one of the deepest, most-balanced rosters in the American League. And much of his work has come without giving up young talent, which could make the South Siders a factor in the AL Central for years to come.

The Mets have signed right-handed pitcher Buddy Carlyle to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training, the team announced Monday.

The holiday season has come to an end, but there are still at least a couple of items left on Alex Anthopoulos’ to-do list for the New Year.

The Astros and Nationals took another big step toward securing a Spring Training site Monday, when the West Palm Beach, Fla., mayor, Jeri Muoio, announced the city would negotiate a possible land swap with the county for a new complex to be built.

With a new year having arrived and the start of Spring Training on the horizon, the Cardinals find themselves in the enviable position of having completed all of their primary offseason objectives. They acted early so as to eliminate any desperation late, a method that has served the organization well in recent years.

There were certainly a lot of notable milestones in Randy Johnson’s 22-year career in the big leagues — 10 All-Star teams, MVP of the World Series, five Cy Young Awards, a perfect game and winning 303 games. Johnson joins John Smoltz, Pedro Martinez and Gary Sheffield as part of a formidable list of players who are a part of the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time this year.

Almost every Hall of Famer will tell you the same thing. At some point, the emotions will be overwhelming. Sometimes, it doesn’t happen until induction Sunday when they look around that stage for the first time and see Hank Aaron and Sandy Koufax and Frank Robinson and the others.

As the calendar flipped to January last week, the playoffs got underway in winter leagues throughout Latin America. While the stakes have been raised, many prospects continue to play key roles for their winter teams.

With the start of Spring Training just a few weeks away, anticipation is building for the 2015 season. MLB.com will go around the horn to break down each area of the Red Sox, starting with catcher.

Just under the wire before 2014 became 2015, the Reds addressed their left-field situation by trading for Marlon Byrd. But that didn’t mean their offseason efforts to improve ended there.

John Smoltz joins Randy Johnson, Gary Sheffield and Pedro Martinez to form an impressive list of players who are hoping to become first-ballot Hall of Famers when this year’s balloting results are announced Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET, on MLB Network and MLB.com.

The last time four players were simultaneously elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame was 60 years ago. The time to break that streak could be now. This year, both circumstance and achievement indicate that four candidates not only could be, but should be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Phillies added to their rotation on Monday, signing veteran right-hander Aaron Harang to a one-year contract, the club announced.

In hindsight, the Bucs recognize that they let their prized outfield prospect get run down in 2014. As a result, Gregory Polanco was asked not to participate in this Dominican Republic Winter League season.

Offense sells tickets. And it opens the doors to the Hall of Fame. When a position player becomes eligible for election to Cooperstown, the discussions center on his offensive production, where he ranks on all-time lists and how his offense compares to those already enshrined.

The White Sox continued their offseason build to postseason contention by adding super-utility player Emilio Bonifacio, as confirmed by a Major League source to MLB.com on Monday morning.

The holidays have come and gone, the calendar has changed and Spring Training is getting closer and closer. It’s January, and the Tigers still have some work to do. It could be as minor as relief help on Minor League deals. It could be as big as a Max Scherzer return.