What does baseball mean? It’s a question that can prompt revelatory answers in Cuba, where the sport is so big there are nearly 48,000 organized teams at all levels, from those for 8-year-old boys and teenage girls to the Serie Nacionale, Cuba’s top club league.

Major League Baseball’s free-agent market has thus far been slow to develop, but things could pick up soon with just over a week to go until the beginning of the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn. (Dec. 7-10). There were rumblings on the Hot Stove in regards to free agents circulating around the big leagues Saturday. Here’s a look at the latest developments:

Mike Hessman, the all-time Minor League home run leader, has decided to retire after a 19-year career.

Despite often being overlooked while pitching in the same rotation with the likes of Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer, Jordan Zimmermann more than held his own with the Nationals. Here’s a look at five numbers that might indicate what potential suitors can expect from the free-agent right-hander.

Tan Brown could be sitting in her Seattle home this week preparing a Thanksgiving feast or enjoying vacation hanging with friends. Instead, she’s in Vietnam spending time with an 18-month-old orphan with no eyes and no family.

Earlier this year, you wouldn’t have found Max Moroff’s name on a list of top prospects, not even within the Pirates’ organization. But after a breakout season, Moroff has earned a spot on an even more exclusive list of players. The Pirates added Moroff — along with top prospects Tyler Glasnow, Josh Bell and Harold Ramirez — to their 40-man roster on Nov. 20, protecting them from the Rule 5 Draft.

Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, who according to multiple reports was involved in a physical altercation at a Miami nightclub, will be investigated as part of MLB’s domestic violence policy, according to an MLB spokesperson.

The Hot Stove has started with a bang, and so far, teams have been focused on improving via trades. In the spirit of Black Friday, here are five deals we’d like to see based on team needs and fits.

What if baseball eliminated divisional play, wrote a somewhat balanced schedule and six teams in each league made the postseason?

Regardless of where Yoenis Cespedes plays next season, he’ll certainly be expected to make a significant impact. With that in mind, here’s a look at five statistics that figure to help make Cespedes one of this offseason’s most sought-after free agents.

It’s not just the music and fifth-inning coffee break that make baseball different in Cuba. For the first two games of Penn State University’s four-game exhibition tour against clubs from this nation’s top league, one member of the umpire crew has been female.

A rich free agent pitching market got a little lighter Friday as J.A. Happ inked a deal with the Blue Jays.

Much like the rest of the country, Major League Baseball’s teams were out seeking bargains and checking items off their shopping lists on Friday. The Hot Stove season continues with many of this year’s premiere free agents still left unsigned and others available on the trade market.

What’s old is new again for the Blue Jays as they welcomed a familar face back into the fold Friday night, signing left-hander J.A. Happ to a three-year contract worth $36 million.

Marjorie P. Adams doesn’t care a thing about cake, cards and ice cream. When people wish her a happy birthday on Dec. 7, her mind will be far away, in Nashville, Tenn., where the Hall of Fame’s 16-member Pre-Integration Era Committee will decide during baseball’s Winter Meetings whether her ancestor should take his place in Cooperstown next July 24.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving weekend, there are so many reasons why we should praise the baseball gods. I’ll mention 10 from this season — you know, just to bunt the conversation into scoring position.

On Friday, the Tribe signed catcher Anthony Recker to a Minor League contract that includes a non-roster invitation to attend Spring Training with the big league club. As of now, Recker would join Adam Moore (non-roster invite) and Tony Wolters (40-man roster) as Cleveland’s backup catching options for this spring.