Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy on Tuesday night attended President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address as a guest of U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.). Johnson cited Lucroy’s charitable efforts, which most notably includes Fisher House in Wisconsin.

The Toronto Blue Jays kicked off the Calgary leg of Winter Tour 2015 presented by TD on Tuesday, visiting patients at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, followed by an evening autograph session at CrossIron Mills Mall.

Interim president Pat Gillick offered fans some much-needed candor in the fall when he said the Phillies would not contend again until 2017 or ’18. Gillick has not shortened his timetable.

Speaking before the Phillies’ winter banquet, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. didn’t write off the chances of a potential deal involving Cole Hamels. But the GM also said there’s nothing imminent.

Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee, who missed much of last season with an injured left elbow, has thrown off a mound recently without issue and is expected to be ready for Spring Training. If the veteran bounces back this year, he will be a valuable chip at the non-waiver Trade Deadline in July.

The A’s entered this offseason with seemingly just one clear need: a shortstop. Nearly four months later, they’ve overhauled their entire infield. In fact, not one of last year’s everyday infielders is returning. New faces will be seen at every position on the infield, including Ben Zobrist and Marcus Semien up the middle.

A special guest joined the Twins on their annual Winter Caravan on Tuesday, as general manager Terry Ryan made an appearance during the evening stop at the Kato Ballroom to participate in a question-and-answer session with fans.

Mark Appel’s visit to Methodist Hospital on Tuesday morning as part of the Astros’ annual Caravan was a meaningful one for the big right-hander, who about a year ago was in the hospital himself after undergoing an emergency appendectomy.

A new zip code, a new organization and a new job title — actually, make that two new job titles — has done more than revitalize Logan White. “The whole thing, coming down here, has invigorated me,” said White, the Padres’ senior advisor and professional scouting director. “It’s been a lot of fun. We haven’t won a game yet, but it’s been fun to work at it and fun to see the excitement here in San Diego.”

Free-agent outfielder Colby Rasmus, in Houston on Tuesday to take his physical, reached agreement on a one-year contract with the Astros. While it remains to be seen where Rasmus fits in the club’s outfield rotation, his arrival gives manager A.J. Hinch another bat in a revamped lineup.

Having addressed their starting rotation with the addition of Yovani Gallardo, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said the next step would be adding more bullpen help before Spring Training.

Nori Aoki, who is expected to be the starting left fielder for the defending World Series champions, was officially welcomed to San Francisco on Tuesday, a day after the free agent signed a one-year deal for 2015.

While the Tigers still have their fair share of star power and the Royals are coming off their October ride and the White Sox have been the darlings of the Hot Stove season, it’s easy for Terry Francona’s Indians to get overlooked.

The Nationals took a flying leap into uncharted waters on Sunday night, when they agreed to a seven-year, $210 million contract with free-agent right-hander Max Scherzer. It’s the first big-money, long-term deal for a pitcher in team history, dwarfing the five-year, $42 million extension lefty Gio Gonzalez signed before the 2012 season. And while it’s impossible to predict how any individual player will fare in the future, history can provide some clues.

As Alex Wood has spent the past few months going through his normal offseason preparations, he has not been given any reason to be concerned about the left forearm soreness that led the Braves to scratch him from starting their regular-season finale in September.

As Alex Wood watched Madison Bumgarner lead the Giants to their latest World Series title with one of the most dominant postseasons ever fashioned by a pitcher, he recognized the same competitive fire he had witnessed while watching Bumgarner pitch in a high school playoff game.

There are always a ton of right-handed pitchers on the Top 100 Prospects list. The 2015 version is no different. All 10 on the list are in the Top 100, and then some. Some of the names are familiar. Five right-handers — The Mets’ Noah Syndergaard, Archie Bradley of the D-backs, the Rockies’ Jon Gray, the Orioles’ Dylan Bundy, Robert Stephenson of the Reds — were on this list a year ago.