Rangers Sign Joe Nathan  —  The Texas Rangers have signed Closer/RHP Joe Nathan, to a 2 year $14.5 million contract that includes a buyout.  Nathan will be introduced tomorrow at a news conference and is expected to take over the closer spot in the bullpen.

C.J. Wilson to visit Marlins  —  C.J. Wilson is making the rounds, and one of his East Coast stops will include a post-Thanksgiving visit to South Florida to meet with the Marlins, who seem to be throwing out the welcome mat for every available free agent.  The Marlins met with Wilson's agent …

MLB, union announce five-year labor deal  —  CBA features two more Wild Cards, HGH testing, Draft luxury tax  —  NEW YORK — Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have reached a preliminary agreement on a new Basic Agreement.  The five-year deal was officially announced on Tuesday afternoon at a news conference.

Valentine is the right Sox fit  —  He is married to the daughter of Ralph Branca, who threw the gopher ball to Bobby Thomson at the Polo Grounds in 1951.  His first roommate in professional baseball was Bill Buckner, when the two were drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1968.

Evan Grant: Wrong By Any Measure  —  In filling out his MVP ballot, Evan Grant placed Michael Young at the top.  No, not as the Texas Rangers DH MVP.  No, not even as the Texas Rangers MVP, where he also would have been wrong.  —  Evan Grant voted Michael Young as the American League MVP.

Inside MLB's New 5-Year Labor Agreement  —  Here are the details of the new 5-year labor deal just announced by MLB and the MLBPA:  —  I.. TERM  —  a.  Five-year contract  —  b.  December 1, 2016 termination date  —  II.. SCHEDULING,, REALIGNMENT,, AND POSTSEASON PLAY  —  a.

Braun over Brains  —  Ryan Braun wins the NL MVP vote, as my post from this morning noted that Matt Kemp might not get his due, and voters placed more emphasis on being on a winning team.  Braun received 20 first place votes and 12 second place votes, with Kemp going 10-16-6 as the consensus second place pick.

Mets sign Adam Loewen to minors deal  —  According to Matt Eddy of Baseball America, the Mets have signed RF Adam Loewen to a minor league contract.  —  Loewen, who will be 28 in April, is a converted pitcher and has primarily played right field since 2008.

Inbox: Will Chisenhall start season in Majors?  —  Indians beat reporter fields queries on promising third baseman … Are third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall and second baseman Jason Kipnis going to start the year in the Majors or Minors?  If they're not with the Indians on Opening Day …

How Does Quality of Contact Relate to BABIP?  —  In the first part of this study, I used detailed batted ball speed information from HITf/x to examine the degree of skill that batters and pitchers had in quality of contact made or allowed.  Here, I will look deeper into the question …

The New CBA: Realignment, Playoffs, Minimum Salaries, Draft Spending, Luxury Tax, Super Twos, Free Agent Compensation, and HgH Testing  —  UPDATE: MLBTR has some links to reports on expansion of instant replay to include trapped balls, scaled increase in the “luxury tax” …

Inbox: Any prospects set to make big impact?  —  Beat reporter Chris Haft answers Giants fans' questions  —  Is there someone in the Minor Leagues who might be a breakthrough player in 2012?  Or is it wishful thinking on my part?  —  Right-hander Heath Hembree generated plenty of excitement …

Greg Halman stabbed to death in the Netherlands  —  PHOTO CAPTION: Greg Halman was part of a European tour of MLB players that passed through Prague, Czech Republic, two weeks ago, where he posed with some fans.  Today, he was stabbed to death in The Netherlands.  (Photo Credit: Robert Vavra)