Lloyd McClendon believes he’s stepping into a “golden age for the Mariners” as he assumes his new role as the club’s manager. McClendon has seen something similar before as a member of the Tigers’ coaching staff in 2006.

Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia and Arizona outfielder Gerardo Parra on Thursday were named the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year in the American and National League, respectively.

The Rangers and left-handed starter Martin Perez have agreed to a four-year deal with club options for the 2018, ’19 and ’20 seasons.

Braves general manager Frank Wren will gain a better sense of how realistic his top two priorities — finding a starting pitcher and trading Dan Uggla — are when he and his top aides spend next week talking shop with their peers at the annual General Managers Meetings in Orlando, Fla.

Top prospects Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano are both being shut down with injuries, Twins director of Minor League operations Brad Steil confirmed Thursday. Buxton, 19, was diagnosed with a left shoulder strain and is likely to miss the rest of the Arizona Fall League, while Sano, 20, was diagnosed with a strained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and will not play again this offseason in the Dominican Winter League.

Heading into the offseason with a World Series championship team is something any general manager wants to experience. But that doesn’t mean that Ben Cherington will be kicking his feet up on his desk this winter.

The Cubs on Thursday named Renteria to be their 53rd manager and fourth in the past five years. The sides agreed to terms on a three-year contract with club options for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

If Curtis Granderson rejects the Yankees’ qualifying offer, the Chicago native would make a tremendous impact, both on and off the field, for the Cubs or White Sox.

Jim Leyland stayed out of the Tigers’ managerial search, but he is happy with the way things turned out for his former club and Brad Ausmus and his longtime friend Lloyd McClendon, who was hired to manage the Mariners.

Closers are the stars of any bullpen. However, with an increased need for multiple dependable arms out of the ‘pen, setup men are gaining in importance. The 2013 GIBBY Awards recognizes the 11 best eighth-inning pitchers with Setup Man of the Year nominations.

As the Hot Stove season heats up, certain to become a boiling cauldron, raw offensive power is available and, as always, the best of it will be costly.

The Dodgers and Don Mattingly have talked about extending the manager’s contract beyond 2014, according to a baseball source, but no deal is imminent. The talks were first reported by ESPN Los Angeles.

Matt Hague, a first baseman in the Pirates organization, continued his solid start to the Dominican Winter League season with a 2-for-5 night as Toros defeated Aguilas, 8-2 on Wednesday.

Joe Torre, MLB’s executive vice president of baseball operations, said the tryout of replay expansion during Arizona Fall League games “looked like it went off smoothly.” Three of seven challenged calls were overturned Wednesday night on the second night of testing.

Joan McGrath, the Arizona Fall League’s senior administrator, will be named the Rawlings Woman Executive of the Year at next month’s Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla.

Rick Renteria has made a life in baseball as much with his perseverance and knowledge, and now he gets a chance to see if he can make some of that rub off on Major League players, Starlin Castro in particular.

While Robinson Cano’s opening position of a 10-year deal with the Yankees for a record $310 million is understandable, past free-agent megadeals would suggest negotiation.