It is mid-January. We are in the depths of winter, even if winter is not as deep as it used to be. It is a perfect time to contemplate the 2013 World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Washington Nationals.

Conventional wisdom says that it’s nearly impossible to win a deal in which a club trades a player with Justin Upton’s skills, yet it appears the odds are in favor of the D-backs making such a move.

We have arrived at a point where bullpens are on close to equal footing with starting rotations. Pitching is still the name of the game, but no longer is it all about who starts. The finishers are gaining annually in stature — and pay.

Andy Pettitte confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs six years ago, and we moved on. Now when a lot of baseball fans think of Pettitte, performance-enhancing drugs aren’t an issue.

A player’s reaction to learning he has been traded often depends upon the manner and setting in which he hears the news. In the offseason, the routine can get tricky. A player might be at a fast-food joint, at the gym, on a date or even out at sea.

The following 133 Major Leaguers have filed for salary arbitration.

Giants catcher and reigning National League MVP Buster Posey headlined a group of 133 players that filed for salary arbitration, the Major League Baseball Players Association announced Tuesday.

Padres executive chairman Ron Fowler said on Tuesday that the team is preparing a presentation for Major League Baseball to propose an All-Star Game at Petco Park in San Diego.

The World Baseball Classic is back, now on a four-year cycle, and provisional rosters for each of the participating 16 teams will be released Thursday.

The Angels and pitcher Jerome Williams agreed Tuesday on a one-year, $2 million contract that avoids arbitration for the 31-year-old right-hander, a source told MLB.com.

Much has changed for Terry Steinbach since those days, as he was named Minnesota’s new bench coach this offseason and joined manager Ron Gardenhire, infielder Brian Dozier and broadcaster Dick Bremer on the first leg of the annual Twins Caravan.

Rockies top prospect Nolan Arenado turned 21 at the start of last season at Double-A Tulsa. It turned out he was old enough, all right … old enough to experience stress in a baseball uniform for the first time.

Jake Odorizzi’s locker in the Rays’ clubhouse on Tuesday was not far from three fellow former Royals in Wil Myers, Mike Montgomery and Patrick Leonard, but the right-hander was still somewhat out of place.

Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has constructed a roster that’s close to perfect, and now he’s about to turn it over to a manager, Davey Johnson, with one of the best winning percentages in history.

Wil Myers, attending the Rays’ annual Winter Development Camp featuring many of their top prospects, made his first visit to Tropicana Field as a member of the organization.

In 2012, Chris Capuano had a career-best 3.72 ERA. His 198 1/3 innings pitched, second most on the Dodgers’ staff, were his highest total since 2006. He also ranked second on the club with 12 wins and 162 strikeouts. Oh, and he probably lost his job for 2013. Capuano is one of eight starting pitchers on the Dodgers’ roster with a guaranteed salary for this year.

J.P. Arencibia has become the latest Blue Jays player named as a participant in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.