The Astros added more pitching depth Tuesday by reaching an agreement on a Minor League contract with right-hander Livan Hernandez, a veteran of 16 Major League seasons. The deal includes an invitation to Spring Training.

It may not be left field at Fenway Park or center field at Yankee Stadium, but playing catcher in St. Louis comes with a certain set of expectations and a healthy legacy.

The Yankees announced a series of personnel changes Tuesday, including the hiring of former Cubs general manager Jim Hendry as a special assignment scout.

Red Sox right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka on Monday threw his first bullpen session since he underwent Tommy John surgery in June, according to the Japanese outlet Kyodo News.

Clinics on pitching and hitting as well as forums for fans and autograph stations will all be a part of Padres FanFest presented by Bloomberg Sports on Feb. 11 at Petco Park.

In a rarity, Curtis Granderson was cheered and thanked at Fenway Park on Monday night, when the Yankees' center fielder was in town for a fundraiser benefiting a charity run by Theo Epstein and Peter Gammons.

While hitting with Jason Heyward over the course of the past month, Chipper Jones has gained a sense that the the 22-year-old right fielder is poised to return to his 2010 form.

When Scott Van Slyke put together a strong 2011 season at Double-A, some figured it was about time. The nice way to put it is to call Van Slyke, 25, a late bloomer.

Tony Sanchez's offseason got off to a troubling start, according to a published report that the Pirates' top pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft suffered a broken jaw in a barroom scuffle.

As his right knee provided daily discomfort through the early portion of November, Braves third baseman Chipper Jones wondered if he had already played the last game of his legendary baseball career. But as he completed preseason preparations in pain-free fashion throughout January, Jones determined it is still too early for him to be contemplating retirement.

Delmon Young knew that with Victor Martinez out, there was a chance he'd be the one protecting an All-Star slugger in the Tigers' batting order. He had no idea that would be Prince Fielder instead of Miguel Cabrera.

Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said that arbitration dates have been set for both Alfredo Aceves and David Ortiz, but he declined to specify those dates.

The Wall: Hall of a day for birthdays

There's no surer sign that baseball season truly is just around the corner than when a team loads up the moving truck to begin the journey to its Spring Training facility. That day was Tuesday for the Mariners.

In a salute to Black History Month, MLB.com posed the following question to a panel of 15 respected historians and baseball experts: Who are the top five black sluggers in the history of professional baseball?

If 2011 was Pittsburgh's "Tale of Two Seasons," its narrator was Kevin Correia.

The Caribbean Series is the annual round-robin tournament featuring the Winter League champions from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. This year's action in the stands will consist of horns, noise makers, musical groups parading in the concourse, and a heavy dose of patriotism.