Though Major League Baseball's new Collective Bargaining Agreement will not change free-agent compensation rules until next season, MLB and the MLB Players Association announced Tuesday that they have agreed to alter the status of a select few current free agents.

Reds free-agent closer Francisco Cordero and catcher Ramon Hernandez, formerly Type A free agents, are now listed as Type B players for compensation purposes according to the new MLB collective bargaining agreement.

By the time this new labor agreement concludes on Dec. 1, 2016, Major League Baseball will have enjoyed 21 years of labor peace, and our first step in analyzing this agreement and its implications ought to be to reflect on the magnitude of that achievement, first and foremost.

Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington announced promotions for several members of his staff on Tuesday.

Jay Bell is returning to the Arizona Diamondbacks as the team's Double-A Mobile hitting coach. Bell, who played for the D-backs from 1998-2002 and scored the winning run in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, served as the team's bench coach in '05 and '06 before stepping away from the game on a full-time basis to spend more time with his family.

Snow Days is back — with plenty of improvements — for a second consecutive year. The Indians' second-annual winter experience begins Friday at Progressive Field.

How did they do it? How did the Angels, with 40 percent of the rotation in a constant state of flux along with a bullpen that blew 25 saves, manage to lead the American League in earned run average last season at 3.57?

As the final semicolons and parenthetical clauses are completed, baseball has a new CBA. Those of us who remember where the game was in April 1995 and see where it is in November 2011 appreciate the greater good that has guaranteed an 18th consecutive uninterrupted season.

And now, a dose of tradition to follow a day of debate. Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun — a prolific hitter from a contending team — is the National League's Most Valuable Player.

Having lost Joe Nathan to the Rangers, general manager Terry Ryan said on Tuesday the Twins are "probably going to be looking outside" the organization to fill their closer role.

The Astros announced Tuesday that the group led by Jim Crane, which bought the team for $610 million from longtime owner Drayton McLane, was in control after the deal was officially completed.

The following is a list of the key points of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association announced on Tuesday.

The Royals unveiled updated uniforms, including the addition of the 2012 All-Star Game logo on the right sleeve of all versions, on Tuesday.

Bad news for National League pitchers: Matt Kemp did not win the NL Most Valuable Player Award. Despite 39 homers and 40 steals, Kemp had to settle for second place to Milwaukee's Ryan Braun in Tuesday's NL MVP voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Rangers manager Ron Washington had been nervous about not being covered in the ninth inning, with Neftali Feliz moving to the rotation. Now, four-time All-star Joe Nathan is in the fold to anchor what could be an elite bullpen.

Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association announced a preliminary five-year deal on a new Basic Agreement on Tuesday. The agreement will ensure labor peace through the 2016 season.

Police in the Netherlands told The Associated Press that an argument about loud music may have precipitated a dispute early Monday morning, which resulted in Mariners outfielder Greg Halman's death and his brother Jason Halman's arrest.