Between injuries and role players, the Tigers tend to use a lot of their 40-man roster, with prospects and Minor League tools players alike. As they prepare to head into next month's Winter Meetings and the Rule 5 Draft, the club has to decide how to use those final spots.

For many on the teams awaiting the Astros' arrival in the American League West in 2013, the move is one that makes sense on a lot of levels.

The Arizona Fall League has long had a reputation as a hitter-friendly circuit, so it should come as little surprise that this year's top AFL prospects list would be very hitter-heavy.

Major League Baseball's Urban Youth Academy in Compton, Calif., churns out some of the best amateur baseball talent in the country. Twelve players from MLB's first UYA recently committed to playing at the collegiate level.

With the Astros' move to the AL as soon as 2013, there will be 15 teams in each league, thus necessitating the need for Interleague Play all season long.

The first time Joe Torre saw Clayton Kershaw pitch, he compared him to Sandy Koufax. On Thursday, the talented young left-hander took his biggest step yet toward proving that comparison apt by winning the 2011 National League Cy Young Award.

The sale of the Astros by Drayton McLane to a group headed by Houston businessman Jim Crane for $610 million was approved Thursday by Major League Baseball owners. The team will move to the American League, effective as soon as the 2013 season.

With the recent ballooning of contracts for closers, and Pittsburgh's own Joel Hanrahan sitting only two years away from free agency, two interesting questions emerge.

Always a prolific user of Twitter, Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips mentioned Wednesday he hoped to learn about his future with the club, and then on Thursday, stated he was flying to Cincinnati from his hometown in Atlanta.

The Phillies are bringing back Brian Schneider for another season as their backup catcher. The club announced on Thursday that it had signed Schneider to a one-year, $800,000 contract. The deal contains $200,000 worth of incentives.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced on Thursday that "The Cardinals Comeback" artifact collection has opened as a salute to the new World Series champions as part of the Autumn Glory exhibit.

With news that the Astros will join the American League West as soon as 2013, Mariners hitters probably won't mind making the extra trips to play at Minute Maid Park.

Commissioner Bud Selig announced on Thursday that MLB will add a second Wild Card for each league as soon as next season, resulting in a one-game playoff prior to the current three-tiered postseason.

Xavier Paul, who was recently caught up in an identity hoax involving the Australian Baseball League and a former Minor Leaguer, does not plan to pursue legal action.

The Mets on Thursday officially named Wally Backman manager at Triple-A Buffalo, continuing Backman's rise up the organization's coaching hierarchy.

Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti left the General Managers Meetings on Thursday, heading home for the imminent announcement of Matt Kemp's contract extension and to continue his search for a starting pitcher.

The Chicago White Sox were named recipients of the Commissioner's Award for Philanthropic Excellence, created in 2010 to recognize outstanding community efforts of a Major League club.