Grady Little, after a brief but very successful run as a Major League manager, went on to coach at Hickory Grove Christian School in Charlotte, N.C. for seven years before getting an offer to return to the big leagues as a senior adviser in the Pirates’ baseball operations department.

The comments by Anthony Rizzo to an elementary school class, guaranteeing the Chicago Cubs would win the NL Central in 2015, are merely the first signs of stunning events yet to come. Those events may include a division title from the Cubs — just the fact that you can grant that possibility is a big breakthrough for the North Siders.

After a couple months of speculation, the Braves completed the final significant phase of their roster reconstruction by trading Evan Gattis to the Astros for three prospects — right-handed pitchers Michael Foltynewicz and Andrew Thurman and third baseman Rio Ruiz.

OK, Braves fans, take a deep breath. Yes, you will miss Evan Gattis. His power is impressive, his humility appealing. This is one of those times when the baseball team’s bottom line collides with the emotion of losing a popular player. Funny thing is, the Astros feel absolutely the same way. This trade stung from their end, too, although in a different way. Three years ago when Jeff Luhnow became the general manager, his primary goal was to build a great farm system.

The Astros acquired slugger Evan Gattis and Minor League pitcher James Hoyt from the Braves in a trade on Wednesday in exchange for pitching prospects Mike Foltynewicz and Andrew Thurman, and third-base prospect Rio Ruiz.

The question is what will the Rangers do if something happens to Robinson Chirinos and he can’t start at all. A second catcher is a need that has been there since the end of last season.

The Braves traded Evan Gattis to the Astros for prospects Mike Foltynewicz, Rio Ruiz and Andrew Thurman on Wednesday. MLB.com takes a closer look at the prospects Atlanta received in the deal.

After agreeing to terms with Chris Carter on Wednesday, the Astros are hopeful to strike a few deals with some of their remaining six arbitration-eligible players prior to Friday’s deadline to exchange numbers.

The Nationals traded setup man Tyler Clippard to the A’s on Wednesday for infielder Yunel Escobar, a move that could impact Washington’s roster in a variety of ways.

Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi on Wednesday confirmed the club is very interested in Cuban free agent Yoan Moncada.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon and a dozen players kicked off the winter caravan Wednesday night with a stop at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, doing baseball drills and sharing pizza with some of the patients.

First baseman-outfielder Jake Goebbert, whom the Padres designated for assignment last week to make room for right-handed pitcher Josh Johnson, has cleared waivers and been assigned to the Friars’ Triple-A club in El Paso, the club announced Wednesday.

The Rockies avoided arbitration with three players by reaching one-year agreements with right-handed pitcher Jordan Lyles and outfielder Drew Stubbs, and reaching a two-year deal with right-hander Tyler Chatwood, who could miss most or all of the 2015 season as he recovers from elbow surgery.

The Phillies have preached pitching and defense as their keys to success in the future, and the organization has added a number of talented pitching prospects over the past seven months to further its rebuilding effort. Of the Phillies’ top eight prospects, according to MLB.com, half are starting pitchers acquired since June.

January may seem like just another month spent waiting for baseball to get rolling again, but for most teams, it’s the height of caravan and FanFest season. Both activities feature dozens of players and front-office members and allow fans to interact in ways not possible during the regular season.

Brian Anderson is guaranteed nothing by the Minor League deal that was agreed upon with the White Sox on Wednesday. Not a spot on the team’s 40-man roster. Not an invite to big league Spring Training. Not even a job with Triple-A Charlotte after Minor League camp is complete. Yet the 32-year-old is simply thrilled to be wearing a White Sox uniform once again.

The ongoing story surrounding the Blue Jays’ presidency took yet another twist on Wednesday when a report said the club has been engaged in talks with the Orioles about Dan Duquette. Neither club has commented on or confirmed the report.