Melancon leaves Houston with mixed emotions  —  HOUSTON — Mark Melancon was eating a vacation lunch on a Cancun beach with his uncle on Wednesday when his wife walked up to him with a concerned look on her face.  Melancon immediately thought the worst, thinking something was wrong with the couple's baby daughter, Brooklyn Marie.

Willingham signs 3-year, $21M deal with Twins … EDITIONS:  —  CITIES:  —  ESPN MLB  —  Shop  —  Josh Willingham passes Twins physical  —  ESPN.com  —  Veteran outfielder Josh Willingham passed his physical with the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, completing a three-year, $21 million deal with the club.

MLB, Union Form International Talent Committee, Move Toward International Draft  —  Major League Baseball has taken another step toward its goal of implementing an international draft.  —  MLB and the MLB Players' Association today announced they have formed an International Talent Committee …

Notebook: Rangers might grab Fielder with kick at the finish  —  If the Rangers do land Prince Fielder, they will likely look to move Mitch Moreland.  (Getty Images)  —  The early word was that lone remaining free-agent superstar Prince Fielder would shoot for a “Mark Teixeira contract,” meaning $180 million over eight years.

Source: Cubs bid on Yu Darvish  —  The Chicago Cubs are one of numerous teams to put in a bid on Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish, according to a major league source.  —  Darvish, 25, was posted by the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters earlier this week.  Bidding closed Wednesday, and the Ham Fighters have until Tuesday to accept a bid.

Reds need to pull trigger on a trade  —  The Cincinnati Reds need to make like the Arizona Diamondbacks.  —  D-backs GM Kevin Towers, calling the NL West “wide open,” made a bold move to obtain right-hander Trevor Cahill this month and still could add right-hander Hiroki Kuroda or re-sign lefty Joe Saunders in free agency.

Sources: Nakajima explores alternatives  —  If Japanese infielder Hiroyuki Nakajima does not want to play for the New York Yankees, there still might be a way for him to join a major-league team next season.  —  The Yankees could work a sign-and-trade involving Nakajima …

Clint Hurdle: Four Scouting Reports  —  “Why is he a good hitter?”  That was my question for Clint Hurdle at the Winter Meetings, and I asked it four times.  I queried the Pirates manager about two of his outfielders: Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata, and a pair of his infielders: Pedro Alvarez and Neil Walker.

Twins Sign Steve Pearce, J.R. Towles  —  The Twins announced a major signing today, and GM Terry Ryan also stayed busy on the minor league front.  The Twins signed Steve Pearce and J.R. Towles to minor league deals, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (Twitter links).

The case for Pence as next season's NL MVP  —  While the Philadelphia sports universe awaits a decision on Jimmy Rollins' future, I have begun to think about the upcoming season and how the lineup will shake out with or without J-Roll.  —  Every time I engage in this mental exercise …

Mike Scioscia gets a bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium  —  When fans enter the gates of Dodger Stadium for the Angels-Dodgers game on June 12, they'll be given what I assume is a first in the world of baseball giveaways — a bobblehead of that night's opposing manager.  —  Of course, it's not just any opposing manager.