We salute you, Greg Maddux. You, too, Tom Glavine. And you, Frank Thomas. Here’s to soaking in every moment of this wonderful day, breathing it deeply and appreciating that you have been bestowed your sport’s highest honor.

Results of 2014 voting for the Hall of Fame confirmed Rafael Palmeiro’s worst fears: The architect of one of the top batting resumes in baseball history fell off future ballots.

The 2014 Hall of Fame ballot featured 36 candidates, with 17 returnees and 19 newcomers. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas were elected in their first year on the ballot, and Craig Biggio fell two votes shy of earning induction in his second year.

It’s early January and Nelson Cruz is still a free agent. And unfortunately for the slugging outfielder, as columnist Tracy Ringolsby points out, there is a long list of reasons why no team has signed him.

Like almost every other team in baseball, the D-backs covet Masahiro Tanaka. The first few weeks of the New Year figure to be all about attempting to sign the 25-year-old right-hander.

In the latest Pipeline Perspectives, the debate is over the Astros’ Carlos Correa and the Athletics’ Addison Russell. Both shortstops were first-round picks in 2012. Russell has a better chance at sticking at the position, but Correa has a higher offensive ceiling and will be a better overall player in the long run, even if he has to move to third base.

Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner has been announced among the honorees for the 34th annual Thurman Munson Awards dinner, which is scheduled to be held on Feb. 4 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York.

The Royals have agreed to terms with former All-Star catcher Ramon Hernandez on a Minor League contract that includes an invitation to big league Spring Training, according to a report.

The Angels, in need of one more starting pitcher to round out their rotation, would love to land Japanese pitching sensation Masahiro Tanaka. But there’s a lot of competition from other teams, a lot of unknowns and a lot of money already tied to the payroll. The question is: Do the Angels have another offseason stunner left in them?

General manager Mike Rizzo is hoping that Frank Thomas will be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Why is this important to Rizzo? He is the man who signed Thomas to his first professional contract, in 1989. At the time, Rizzo, then 28, was a Midwest and Southeast territorial scout for the White Sox.

The Pirates announced Tuesday that they have signed veteran infielder Robert Andino to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training.

With the remainder of the Class of 2014 set to be revealed on Wednesday, the National Baseball Hall of Fame appears to be heading toward one of its grandest induction weekends ever July 26-27 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Addison Russell’s combination of tools, combined with how well he handled aggressive assignments — he more than held his own in the Arizona Fall League as well — puts him ahead of the Astros’ Carlos Correa

James Ramsey, a Cardinals first-round pick in the 2012 Draft, adds to the organization’s quality at the outfield position. But the team would also be well-served, as would Ramsey, by giving him reps at second base.

Seventeen writers on the staff of MLB.com have met the requirements to cast ballots in the annual Hall of Fame vote conducted by Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Here’s how they voted.

Rangers outfielder Engel Beltre went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, an RBI and two runs scored as Licey topped Escogido, 7-3, on Monday on Dominican Winter League action.

In Monday’s Hot Stove news, the Reds will try to hang on to Homer Bailey, however difficult that may be, while the Orioles have interest in a former Cincinnati pitcher, Bronson Arroyo, and the Twins could be heading toward a reunion with longtime ace Johan Santana.