The Dodgers opened their annual Winter Development Camp on Monday with a list of 27 invitees that included top pitching prospect Julio Urias but not top infield prospect Corey Seager.

Ben Zobrist expects to settle in with the A’s rather easily. Zobrist is part of a horde of A’s who’ll be new to the team this season, due to general manager Billy Beane’s active dealing. Thus, Zobrist will find plenty of kindred spirits wearing green and gold for the first time.

The White Sox reduced their total of arbitration-eligible players to five by agreeing to terms with outfielder Dayan Viciedo on a one-year, $4.4 million contract.

Jacob Nix, the former high school pitcher who went unsigned after being drafted by the Astros last year, has enrolled in IMG Academy’s post-graduate program for the spring 2015 semester and will play for the academy’s post-graduate team.

The Tigers are hoping that Miguel Cabrera and his surgically repaired right foot will be healthy enough to be in their Opening Day lineup. His Spring Training readiness, however, is expected to be limited if not delayed.

The Angels opened last season with a franchise-record $154.5 million payroll. If they don’t make another change to their Major League roster this offseason — a likely scenario at this point — they project to open 2015 with a payroll of roughly $145 million, down from last year but still the third largest in club history. This month will have a major say in that exact total, as the Angels aim to come to terms with eight arbitration-eligible players.

A little more than a month before the start of Spring Training, there were Orioles pitchers throwing bullpen sessions and players working out on the back fields at Ed Smith Stadium.

Ariel Prieto has been added to the Arizona Diamondbacks Major League staff as a coach and translator, as announced by D-backs senior vice president and general manager Dave Stewart on Monday.

Billy Beane referenced Ben Zobrist as “very, very unique” and then pointed to another unusually versatile player as a role model for another Oakland newcomer. With Yunel Escobar on hand to play shortstop, Beane said that Marcus Semien, who was acquired from the White Sox in the Jeff Samardzija trade, will remain an everyday player, with Bob Melvin using him the way Clint Hurdle did Josh Harrison — who played all over the field — last season. Ten-plus starts at four different positions is asking a lot of any player. Here are some candidates to do that.

Could a deal involving Dillon Gee be on the horizon? Can Rafael Montero be expected to make strides in 2015? How much production should the Mets bank on from their outfield? Beat reporter Anthony DiComo tackles those topics and more in the Inbox.

The Rockies are expected to make moves to shore up their pitching staff this week, with trade talks with the Mets regarding right-hander Dillon Gee or serious discussions with free agents being the options.

The A’s have agreed to a one-year deal with right-hander Jesse Chavez reportedly worth $2.15 million, avoiding arbitration with the 31-year-old.

The rebuilding Phillies have already traded the franchise leader in hits, their biggest power bat and a key member of the bullpen over the last five weeks. Ryan Howard is not on that list, though.

The playoffs in winter leagues throughout Latin America are in full swing and the championship matchups in some countries will soon be determined. Even as teams battle for trophies, many prospects continue to play key roles for their winter teams.

The best way to describe the White Sox offseason to date would be flexible aggressiveness. There’s no reason to delve further into the aggressiveness portion. As for the flexible part of the maneuvers, closer David Robertson’s four-year, $46 million deal stands as the only deal that potentially could hurt the club if things went sideways.

While many teams will try to borrow from the Royals’ formula, the Mariners already had a critical part of that formula down last year with a bullpen that posted the lowest ERA in the Majors at 2.59 and tied with the Royals for the second-fewest blown saves among the 30 MLB teams. With nearly the entire relief crew returning intact, manager Lloyd McClendon is confident his bullpen will remain the strength of a club looking to take the next step.

Right-hander Alex Cobb indeed is young to be the leader of the long blue line of quality starters that continue to be infused into the Rays’ rotation, but he has the chops to be the guy.