Major League Baseball owners formally approved CEO Larry Baer as the control person of the San Francisco Giants, culminating his climb to the upper echelons of the game.

Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said Thursday compensation talks between the Cubs and Red Sox have been tabled until after the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 8.

The Tigers' search for a catcher to back up All-Star Alex Avila is leading them back to the catcher who mentored Avila when he first reached the big leagues.

When Minnesota signed Justin Morneau to a six-year deal worth $80 million prior to the 2008 season, the Twins figured they had first base locked down for years to come.

Question of the Day: Who deserves NL Cy?

Here's how you become the best at the hot corner: hit almost as well as a first baseman, and field almost as well as a shortstop. There's a reason there are fewer third basemen in the Hall of Fame than any other position — the almost unreasonable demands.

Rangers prospect Leonys Martin has always been a man on the move. Now the Cuban defector is moving toward a bright future in the Major Leagues.

It can be a daunting task for free agents over 35 to find the right match, or any match at all, on the open market. It might be a difficult winter for some. But, hey, there are plenty of fish in the sea.

Though it doesn't appear Ben Cherington will complete any transactions before the end of the General Managers Meetings, he did make some headway in several areas, including negotiations with free-agent slugger David Ortiz.

Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said Wednesday that the club is still in the process of identifying who the best candidate is, and might even broaden the search from the original five men who were interviewed.

Tim Wakefield, 45 years old and a Red Sox pitcher since 1995, has made it clear to his agent that his plan is to pitch in 2012 — and hopefully for Boston.

After Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer conducted followup interviews with each of the Cubs' managerial candidates, Mike Maddux appears to have taken himself out of contention, leaving Dale Sveum as the front-runner.

The A's bolstered their outfield depth on Wednesday, signing Jason Pridie to a Minor League contract.

The Giants telegraphed their intent to sign Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain to multiyear contracts before the offseason was a day old. And speculation about management's possible negotiations with the team's co-aces has proliferated.

The sale of the Houston Astros has apparently passed through the final hurdles and is on the agenda Thursday for a full vote of the owners at their final quarterly joint meeting of the year, current owner Drayton McLane told a group of reporters on Wednesday evening.

A resolution to the Jose Reyes situation must wait, so for now general manager Sandy Alderson shifts his focus on a key area for the Mets: relief pitching.

This is the time for sifting through the sand to get a sense of the situation, and the conversations initiated here by the GMs will carry into the weeks ahead. It's almost time to go home, but, as a certain someone once sang, they ain't even done with the night.