Royals manager Ned Yost spends most of his year directing the fortunes of the Kansas City baseball club. But for as much of the offseason as possible, and certainly during the holidays, his farm in Georgia is the center of his life.

It has been a life-changing year for Jason Motte. One that opened with the birth of his first child and the signing of his first multiyear contract closed with a Caribbean vacation and wisdom teeth surgery. In between, Motte lost a baseball season due to an elbow injury but gained perspective through new relationships and his cancer outreach efforts.

On Christmas Day, Javier Baez will gather with his family to celebrate, just as others do, but for them, every day is a holiday because of his sister, Noely.

Tornadoes devastated the city of Washington, Ill., where Randy Thome, one of Jim’s brothers, currently resides. Thome visited the town, donated $100,000 to the relief efforts and helped raise more.

When Mark Trumbo called the Angels’ public-relations department shortly after a three-team deal sending him to Arizona was announced, the 27-year-old slugger had just one question: Can I still attend the holiday party?

No epic encore was required. Miguel Cabrera had put his greatness on display in 2012, becoming the first hitter in 45 years to win the Triple Crown. No one could have expected him to top it.

Christmas week isn’t just time for joyous celebration with family, egg nog, visions of sugarplums and yuletide carols. In fact, when it comes to The Week Ahead in Major League Baseball, the Hot Stove is more about cooking up winter deals than figgy pudding. That’s because there’s still a lot left to be resolved this offseason.

Pipeline Perspectives: Jonathan Mayo argues that allowing trades at the First-Year Player Draft would help teams fill their needs, all while making the Draft itself a can’t-miss event.

The Dodgers could be adding another high-profile piece to their roster, nearing a deal with former Indians closer Chris Perez.

As the list of unsigned impact players continues to shrink, the big question hanging over the Hot Stove is whether Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka will join the fray.

Sandy Leon raised his average in the Venezuelan Winter League to .354 with three hits, and Zulia built an early five-run lead and held on for a 7-3 victory Sunday.

Former Major League catcher Ed Herrmann, who played seven of his 11 seasons with the White Sox, died on Sunday morning at age 67 after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer.

Alex Cabrera, 41, broke the Venezuelan Winter League’s 33-year-old record for most home runs in a season on Sunday, smacking his 21st for Tiburones de La Guaira.

Gordon Beckham had three primary reasons in wanting Paul Konerko to return to the White Sox for a 16th and final season. The White Sox second baseman didn’t want the captain to end his stellar career with the 99-loss White Sox debacle of 2013. He wanted a healthy Konerko to have another shot after battling issues with his back last year. And the third one was a little more personal.

On Sunday morning at the Bulls/Sox Academy some 40 minutes outside of Chicago, Jim Thome was another instructor at a hitting clinic for 61 boys and girls between the ages of 7-14.

There are as many as four teams interested in signing Grant Balfour — and one offer on the table — the free-agent reliever told MLB Network Radio on Sunday.

It’s not often that a Major League Baseball game comes to a complete halt so that one player’s teammates can emerge from the dugout to congratulate him on the field. Yet that’s exactly what happened to Ichiro Suzuki on Aug. 21.