Tom Glavine was a go-to guy for reporters, columnists and those in pursuit of sound bites, so it was almost startling to hear Glavine speak on Wednesday and Thursday morning. He seemed off balance, uncertain, almost guarded.

The battle to secure Masahiro Tanaka’s services is underway, and as the right-hander begins to negotiate with Major League clubs, one of his former teammates is confident that the hurler will be successful on this side of the Pacific Ocean.

The White Sox have confirmed, through a statement, their meeting with Masahiro Tanaka and his representatives in the Los Angeles area on Thursday. Executive vice president Ken Williams, general manager Rick Hahn and manager Robin Ventura were present at the meeting.

Thanks to their regular-season opening series in Sydney, Australia, on March 22-23, the D-backs will open Spring Training before any other Major League team.

That disheartening, yet eerily familiar feeling felt in Oakland following another Game 5 loss to Justin Verlander and the Tigers was compounded by news that Sonny Gray had broken his left thumb. That was three months ago. Gray has since relived that game through video. He’s also had surgery to repair the fracture in his thumb, undergoing 10 weeks of rehab.

Tom Glavine has taken the hill in the World Series, but he’s never done an interview at the top of a skyscraper before. Glavine and his Hall of Fame peers Frank Thomas and Greg Maddux visited the top of the Empire State Building on Thursday as part of their celebration tour.

New Rockies outfielder Drew Stubbs brings intriguing physical tools. He is listed at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, has the speed to steal bases and the muscular build that sparks dreams of rocket shots off his bat. But the numbers that measure his career since he broke in with the Reds in 2009 don’t give such a clear picture.

Fans will have the opportunity next Saturday, Jan. 18, to pay their respects to iconic Padres broadcaster Jerry Coleman at a free public memorial service at Petco Park. Gates will open at 9:30 a.m. PT, and the service is scheduled to begin one hour later.

Greg Maddux is a Hall of Famer now, elected this year along with former Braves starting staff mate Tom Glavine and slugger Frank Thomas. On Thursday, the trio gathered together for the first time during a news conference at the Waldorf Astoria New York on the east side of midtown Manhattan.

Winter Training Day, in support of Jays Care Foundation, is a new initiative launched in an effort to continue fan engagement throughout the offseason, and former Blue Jays were hard at work for a great cause. Alumni, including Hall of Famer Roberti Alomar, Jesse Barfield, Lloyd Moseby and Pat Tabler, ran numerous hours of on-field instruction for fans who had raised a minimum of $500 in support of Jays Care Foundation.

Kyle Zimmer, the Royals’ 22-year-old top prospect, is on a list of 16 non-roster invitees to Major League Spring Training camp that was released by the club on Thursday.

Do the White Sox have a legitimate shot at signing Japanese star Masahiro Tanaka? Will Trevor Hoffman be a first-ballot Hall of Famer? MLB.com columnist Phil Rogers answers these questions and more in his Inbox.

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America has suspended ESPN host and longtime newspaper columnist Dan Le Batard from the organization for a year and has revoked his right to vote for the Hall of Fame “from this point on.”

Durability has been a keystone for Justin Verlander’s success on the mound, but even the Tigers ace has his limits. A preexisting abdominal injury finally resulted in surgery on Thursday, shelving the pitcher for at least the next six weeks.

New Hall of Famer Greg Maddux is a cinch to be wearing an Atlanta Braves cap when his plaque is unveiled in Cooperstown on July 27. Maddux won 194 games and three National League Cy Young Awards during 11 years pitching for the Braves, but it almost was different. The cap might have had an NY on it.

Major League Baseball on Thursday announced the 2014 Spring Training schedule and first workout dates for all 30 clubs, paving the way for the first sounds of balls popping into mitts and those trips to Florida and Arizona.

Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas were at the podium of a news conference for the first time together as electees to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Thursday at the Waldorf Astoria New York.