There’s no doubt about general manager Dayton Moore’s top priority when it comes to restructuring his World Series Royals for the 2015 season: Kansas City wants to lock up a strong starting pitcher.

The Astros acquired catcher Hank Conger from the Angels on Wednesday in exchange for catcher Carlos Perez and right-handed pitcher Nick Tropeano.

Former Major League left-hander Brad Halsey died on Tuesday at the age of 33, according to a tweet by Halsey’s agency, O’Connell Sports.

Preliminary contract talks between the Marlins and Giancarlo Stanton are underway, and the question now becomes whether the two sides can reach a multiyear deal.

Michael Young is returning to the Rangers organization to be a special assistant to general manager Jon Daniels.

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who was reinstated last week from a season-long suspension for his activities in connection with Biogenesis, reportedly revealed to federal authorities earlier this year that he purchased performance-enhancing substances from the now-defunct Coral Gables, Fla., clinic, according to the Miami Herald.

Major League Baseball formally acknowledged Tuesday what Mets observers and modern defensive metrics have long known to be true: Juan Lagares is the best center fielder in the National League — if not all of baseball.

There are many ways to evaluate free agents, but for this exercise we decided to let the numbers speak for themselves. What follows is a list of the top 50 free agents this offseason, as ranked by their wins above replacement over the last three years.

The Cubs may have made their biggest free-agent splash by signing Joe Maddon as their new manager. Maddon, who became available after exercising an opt-out clause in his contract, agreed to a five-year, $25 million contract with the Cubs on Monday, calling it a “once in a 107 years opportunity.” Who’s next?

The Royals and Orioles, who squared off for this year’s American League pennant, were front and center on Tuesday night as the 2014 Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners were unveiled. Three players from each club were honored with Gold Gloves, which have been handed out since 1957.

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America revealed their top three finalists in the American League and National League for Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, Cy Young and Most Valuable Player on Tuesday night on MLB Network.

The Angels have made a big splash on the international market, agreeing to an $8 million signing bonus with Cuban middle infielder Roberto Baldoquin, the player told MLB.com.

While the Twins officially named Paul Molitor as their new manager in a news conference at Target Field on Tuesday, the club is still working on hiring a coaching staff to join him. Twins general manager Terry Ryan is set to work with Molitor on finding that mix of seven coaches.

Not long after general manager Sandy Alderson picked Curtis Granderson’s brain about former Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long, the Mets hired Long as their next hitting coach, reuniting teacher with pupil. The Mets are hopeful Long can unlock the form that saw Granderson hit 84 home runs from 2011-12 with the Yankees. Granderson hit just 20 in his first season with the Mets in 2014.

The offseason has arrived, and general manager Mike Rizzo is looking to make tweaks to guide the Nationals toward a World Series berth in 2015. MLB.com caught up with Rizzo recently to talk about the club’s offseason plans.

Paul Molitor is now set to begin the next significant chapter of his baseball career in the same city where he capped his Hall of Fame playing career with three seasons that featured his 3,000th hit and other accomplishments. The 58-year-old was introduced Tuesday morning at Target Field as the new manager of the Twins.

The 2014 championship season is over, and the Giants are on top of the baseball world. But as of midnight ET on Tuesday, the free-agent season has officially begun, and the other 29 teams will start the process of trying to take the 2015 trophy from San Francisco.