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.

The Red Sox have extended an offer to lefty Jon Lester, and they are close to making one to third baseman Pablo Sandoval, sources tell MLB.com.

Ray Sadecki, a left-handed pitcher who won 20 games for the Cardinals in their 1964 championship season, died Monday due to complications of blood cancer. He was 73.

Signing Giancarlo Stanton long term finally effectively puts to rest endless speculation that the slugger will eventually be traded. Although the Marlins repeatedly stated they never intended to move their two-time All-Star, with or without a multi-year contract, the rumors persisted. Had they continued, it could have been disruptive to the rest of the Miami players.

The Tigers took care of two of their most pressing needs last week by re-signing Victor Martinez and trading for Anthony Gose. They likely have a waiting game ahead of them if they’re going to make any move on retaining Max Scherzer. That leaves some time to address other parts, such as the bullpen, even if it’s not the major move many might pine for.

While Cardinals manager Mike Matheny shied away from speaking publicly in the days after Oscar Taveras’ accident, he has been perhaps the most active behind the scenes. Seeking to be, as he describes it, “a leader of men,” Matheny recalled his initial reaction to that Sunday evening news in late October as being, “What do I have to do for my guys?” What he’s done, quite simply, is try to be there.

Not only is Giancarlo Stanton a two-time All-Star, a National League home run champion and a Silver Slugger Award winner, but the Marlins intend on using the new face of their franchise as a recruiter for potential free agents.

The Angels have hired Johnny Narron, Josh Hamilton’s former accountability partner, to be the new hitting coach at Triple-A Salt Lake, an industry source confirmed on Wednesday.

The Red Sox claimed infielder Juan Francisco off waivers from the Blue Jays on Wednesday.

Giancarlo Stanton was smiling on Wednesday morning as he sat alongside Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria to announce the biggest contract in the history of American sports. But he hardly wore the look of somebody who had beat the system.

The Marlins introduced their $325 million man at a news conference Wednesday, ushering in a new era in Miami with slugger Giancarlo Stanton as the centerpiece and building block of their team.

It was time for the Royals to say goodbye to Billy Butler after eight years in a Kansas City uniform. The Oakland A’s confirmed on Wednesday the signing of the designated hitter to a three-year contract, believed to be worth $30 million.

After pitching a no-hitter on the last day of the 2014 regular season, Nationals right-hander Jordan Zimmermann said he would give outfielder Steven Souza Jr. anything he wanted. On Wednesday, Souza revealed to MLB.com that Zimmermann gave him a gift certificate.

If there’s a lower-priced reliever on the free-agent market that could fall into the low-risk, and potentially high-reward, category, there’s a very good chance the Reds will at least be taking a look this winter.

Blue Jays catcher Dioner Navarro proved a lot of his critics wrong in 2014, but now he’ll have to do it all over again.

New hitting coach Kevin Long wasted little time immersing himself in video of the Mets’ hitters this offseason.

As we speak, the most balanced, deepest and quite possibly toughest division in baseball is the National League Central. No other division can claim to have this much talent, established or youthful, spread throughout its five clubs.