Theo Epstein, Cubs president of baseball operations, said on Friday that he and chairman Tom Ricketts are “on the same page” but that the two have yet to hammer out a contract extension. It’s apparently not a top priority for Epstein, who said the only time he thinks about the topic is when it’s brought up by the media.

News of signings were in abundance on Friday as the dust settled on the deadline for teams to agree on contracts with arbitration-eligible players before exchanging salary figures. As those contract details filtered in, rumors were surfacing on the free-agent market, where several top players remain unsigned.

Craig Breslow, a career reliever, is hoping to sign as a starter after making two starts at the end of last season.

It was clear from the beginning of “Friday Night with Ryan Dempster” that the opening evening of the 31st annual Cubs Convention was going to be memorable.

The headliners who were still heading toward arbitration hearings after Friday’s deadline were 2015 American League MVP Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays and National League Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs.

They intend to cultivate the next bountiful crop of Major Leaguers from inner cities, and help reverse the trend of the vanishing Black big leaguer. Marquis Grissom, Eric Davis, Darren Oliver, Dmitri Young, Tom Gordon, Darrell Miller, Lou Collier, Rob Picciolo, Bob Didier. Former, some very recent, Major Leaguers who will serve as instructors for the opening stage of the 2016 Breakthrough Series, through Sunday at the Angels’ Spring Training complex.

Javier Baez says he doesn’t mind making the switch from the infield to center field. All he wants to do is help the Cubs.

The A’s avoided arbitration by agreeing to terms with right-handed pitcher Fernando Rodriguez and outfielder Josh Reddick on one-year contracts for the 2016 season, the club announced on Friday.

The buzz at the annual gathering of players and fans is that of a club coming off a 97-win season and riding high expectations for 2016.

No team in the Major Leagues is positioned better than the Cubs in terms of both their chance to be successful over the next few years and the potential to maintain that success even longer.

First baseman Brandon Belt and right-hander George Kontos met with the expected differences of value Friday when they continued the salary arbitration process by exchanging suggested figures on one-year contracts with Giants management.

The Angels avoided arbitration with right-hander Fernando Salas, but were forced to exchange figures for one-year contract proposals with ace right-hander Garrett Richards and Gold Glove Award-winning right fielder Kole Calhoun.

With today’s deadline to submit salary figures for potential arbitration hearings, numerous players signed deals and avoided the arbitration process. Several big-name players, however, were unable to reach agreements and instead exchanged salary figures. If the two parties do not settle and end up going to a hearing, an arbitrator decides between the salaries being presented by each party and the player will play for the salary that is decided.

The Angels will pay a visit to their neighbors in the National Hockey League next month when the Anaheim Ducks host an Angels theme night on Feb. 5 at the Honda Center.

Colorado third baseman Nolan Arenado, coming off a stellar 2015 season and a unique beginning to his career, reached a one-year, $5 million contract to avoid arbitration on Friday.

With his sights set on the starting center-field job, Jackie Bradley Jr. is confident that the ups and downs of the last two seasons have put him in position to thrive going forward.

The Reds avoided arbitration with shortstop Zack Cozart by agreeing on a one-year contract on Friday and exchanged salary figures with arbitration-eligible reliever J.J. Hoover.