Country music star Jason Aldean announced Thursday that he’ll make stops at Great American Ballpark, Nationals Park, PNC Park and Citizens Bank Park during his upcoming tour, with more ballpark venues possibly to come.

Fans can expect to see a lot of the Dodgers right away at the beginning of the 2014 season. There is so much excitement surrounding that club right now, it is about to be featured in three Opening Day extravaganzas, including ESPN’s Sunday night opener, March 30, in San Diego against the Padres.

The Big Hurt felt like a big kid on Thursday. Frank Thomas, one of baseball’s all-time great hitters, sat on the dais of the Vanderbilt Room at the Waldorf Astoria with an ebullient grin and a slowly dawning realization. Thomas, elected to the Hall of Fame on Wednesday, will spend the rest of his life in the glow of baseball immortality.

Reacting to the calendar and the apparent lack of communication between the Pirates’ front office and A.J. Burnett, pitching coach Ray Searage’s latest expectation is that the right-hander is “gonna retire.” In a Thursday morning interview on Pittsburgh’s 93.7 radio, Searage said he personally has reached “the point that he’s not gonna come back. I’ve got to prepare my guys to pitch with no A.J.”

Austin Hedges’ combination of tools behind the plate could lead him to him being the top defensive catcher in the Majors one day. That’s why his future is brighter than that of the Mets’ Travis d’Arnaud.

Six years after retiring due to shoulder injuries, former All-Star Mark Mulder is hoping a new throwing motion can fuel his comeback bid.

Japanese star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka arrived in Los Angeles on Wednesday and could meet with as many as a dozen interested big league clubs by Friday.

In the latest Pipeline Perspectives, the debate is over the Mets’ Travis d’Arnaud and the Padres’ Austin Hedges. Both catchers show plenty of promise, but d’Arnaud has more upside because of his combination of prowess at the plate and sound defense.

When the Dodgers extended the contract of manager Don Mattingly, it was a sound move on two fronts: First, it provided the players and the organization stability in the clubhouse. And second, Mattingly deserved to keep his job.

In his 15th and final appearance, Jack Morris’ controversial bid to reach the Hall of Fame ended with him again falling short of entry. The Tigers, Blue Jays and Twins star pitcher will be eligible to be voted in by the Expansion Era Committee beginning in 2016.

On July 27, when Atlanta icons Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Bobby Cox will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, expect to see lots of Braves caps in attendance, writes columnist Marty Noble.

Roger Clemens remained silent on Wednesday after not gaining entry into the Hall of Fame in his second year on the ballot. In fact, he received less support than he did the first time around.

“It’s truly an honor and a privilege to be inducted to the Hall of Fame,” Greg Maddux said on Wednesday. “It’s exciting for me to go in with my teammate Tom Glavine as well as Frank Thomas. I’m just looking forward to the experience down the road.”

If 2013 was one of the darkest moments for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, 2014 will be one of its brightest. Circle July 27 on your calendar, writes Hal Bodley.

The D-backs are confident that they will get an opportunity to make their case to free agent Masahiro Tanaka. When that will happen and what they will say when they do speak with him, well, that’s not something they are willing to discuss at this point.

As he traveled to New York to participate in a Hall of Fame news conference on Thursday morning, Tom Glavine had more time to reminisce about the great journey that carried him toward two National League Cy Young Awards, 305 career victories and, ultimately, Cooperstown.

Appearing on the Hall of Fame ballot for a seventh time, Tim Raines received 46.1 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Wednesday, falling short of the 75 percent needed for induction. The total was down from last year, when he appeared on 52.2 percent of the ballots.