If you fail to see the logic in Paul Konerko accepting a limited role on a White Sox roster that already has Jose Abreu and Adam Dunn as first basemen/DHs, compare it to Tony Perez returning to Cincinnati to finish his Hall of Fame career with the Reds.

Fans have grown accustomed to the excitement Reds closer Aroldis Chapman brings when he emerges from the bullpen to lock down a game. On Wednesday, Reds general manager Walt Jocketty indicated that Chapman would likely remain the Reds’ closer in 2014. There had been speculation again over whether Chapman could move into the rotation.

When the baseball world converges for the annual Winter Meetings that begin Monday, almost every team will be looking to improve its pitching. That’s not unusual. The twist this time around is that two Asian pitchers — Japan’s Masahiro Tanaka and South Korea’s Suk-min Yoon — could help determine where and when the market moves.

With a two-year, $20 million contract, plus a club option for a third season, Joe Nathan becomes the veteran closer the Tigers hope will help bolster their next run at a World Series title.

For veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski, choosing the Boston Red Sox over the other teams who pursued him was one of the easiest decisions of his career. After all, only one team won the World Series last season.

While reports persist that the Mariners are aggressively in pursuit of free-agent second baseman Robinson Cano, those rumors aren’t coming from the club or general manager Jack Zduriencik.

Left-hander Scott Kazmir, who’s two-year, $22 million free-agent deal with the A’s was made official on Wednesday, chose to come to Oakland because of the club’s recent success and its pitcher-friendly ballpark.

No one has doubted that Robinson Cano will be paid handsomely, one way or another, but the team name in the upper left-hand corner of those future paychecks suddenly appears much blurrier.

Jacoby Ellsbury’s imminent signing with the Yankees does not fall under the category of stunning for Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington.

White Sox captain Paul Konerko will return to play next season. The six-time All-Star will remain with Chicago on a one-year, $2.5 million contract, with $1 million of it deferred until 2021.

Joe Torre called on Mariano Rivera as he had done so many times over the years, and this time it was to have the retired Yankees closer appear at the Waldorf-Astoria on Wednesday to accept the Sportsman of the Year Award and help double the usual attendance at the March of Dimes 30th Anniversary Sports Luncheon.

By acquiring outfielder Dexter Fowler from the Rockies on Tuesday, the Astros took a major leap forward in their rebuilding process.

Left-hander Carlos Rodon has spent his first two years in college at North Carolina State building a very strong case to be the No. 1 pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft, a selection once again held by the Houston Astros.

Though the Astros still have seven months to determine whom they’ll take at No. 1, North Carolina State left-hander Carlos Rodon has established himself as the frontrunner. Owner of a mid-90s fastball and a wipeout slider, Rodon topped NCAA Division I with 184 strikeouts last spring and led the Wolfpack to their first College World Series appearance in 45 years.

Jose Abreu, a Most Valuable Player in Cuba, could be the next best thing to come from there, but only one thing is certain: More players are coming. More Cuban prospects are expected to become free agents this winter and there’s a chance some of them will show up on a big league field in near future.

Jacoby Ellsbury is ready to trade in his Red Sox for Yankees pinstripes, approaching the finish line on serious talks that are set to deliver the speedster to the Bronx with a blockbuster seven-year contract worth a reported $153 million.

The Marlins are on the verge of landing their biggest free agent acquisition in more than a year. On Tuesday night, Miami came to terms with Jarrod Saltalamacchia on a three-year, $21 million contract, according to an industry source.