In an exclusive interview with MLB.com, Cuban infield prospect Yoan Moncada said he’s eager to begin his pro career but is keeping his signing options open after being unblocked Tuesday by United States government.

Having spent most of his career playing alongside three Hall of Famers in Atlanta, it’s no surprise that Javy Lopez’s favorite active player also appears to be destined for greatness.

The majority of the game’s established catchers are in the 28-to-35 age group. In the 27-and-under class is an impressive collection of receivers determined to carve out their own identities. Here’s a look at eight of the most promising.

With 15 teams and 11 modern facilities, the Cactus League never seems to stop improving. And come next month — as another spring slate of exhibition games begin — fans should be pleased to find a pair of upgraded and renovated ballparks at both ends of the Valley of the Sun.

Starlin Castro is healthy, and after moving his family to Arizona from the Dominican Republic in early January due to safety concerns, he has been able to get a head start on training.

For years, Pedro Martinez has talked proudly about his attachment to the Dominican Republic, as well as the affection his native country holds for him. If you thought Martinez was an icon in Boston, the place where he did his best pitching, it goes to another level back home.

Josh Hamilton’s tumultuous ride with the Angels has hit another speed bump, just weeks before the buildup to his most important season yet. On Wednesday, 21 days before the first full-squad workout from Arizona, Hamilton underwent surgery to repair the AC joint in his right shoulder, a procedure that is expected to keep him out six to eight weeks.

Snow-covered sidewalks served as the red carpet that John Smoltz walked across as he entered Baseball’s Hall of Fame on Tuesday morning for the first time as a Hall of Famer.

The path was cleared Tuesday for top Cuban prospect Yoan Moncada to negotiate and sign with the Major League club of his choice. Moncada’s availability as a free agent came after Major League Baseball met with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for clarification regarding new guidelines for a general license for an unblocked Cuban national, according to a memo sent to MLB clubs.

The good folks at Fantasy 411 recently set up a panel of several industry veterans, and allowed them to give a glimpse of how this year’s player pool will be valued on draft day. They have begun a slow, detailed mock draft that will be updated as results come in.

To get an inside look at what Pedro Martinez was seeing and feeling as he returned to the Dominican Republic for the first time as a Hall of Famer, it is all there in a Tuesday night special on MLB Network. The fourth installment of “MLB Network Presents” is titled “Hall of Fame Pitchers: Smoltz & Pedro,” and it airs at 9 p.m. ET.

If James Shields still being unsigned in the first week of February is an indication that his market value is dropping into Ubaldo Jimenez (four years, $50 million) and Ervin Santana (four years, $55 million) territory, the Yankees have the need and resources to pounce.

In addition to discussing his postseason success and the risky transition he made from starter to closer after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2000, John Smoltz tells Matt Vasgersian during “Hall of Fame Pitchers: Smoltz & Pedro” that he wants to affect the next generation of players during the speech he will deliver during July’s induction ceremony.

The Astros on Tuesday hope to clear their last major hurdle toward relocating their Spring Training operations to West Palm Beach, Fla., when the county votes to approve a land swap the city approved Monday night.

Who is your team’s most important player in 2015? Not its best player. Not its highest-paid player. Just the guy whose performance might guarantee a successful season. Every club has a player — or perhaps two — like that. Let’s call it “30 players, 30 teams.” Right about now, every general manager is playing some version of this game.

Nine of the Giants’ prospects ranked among MLB.com’s top 20 were on the list of non-roster invitees to Spring Training the club released Monday.

The Commissioner’s Office and the MLB Players Association jointly announced on Monday that they will partner with the United States government to focus on education in the Dominican Republic.