Danks, White Sox reportedly agree to $65 million deal  —  Despite persistent trade rumors, it appears that John Danks will be staying with the White Sox after agreeing to a five-year, $65 million contract, according to multiple reports.  —  Danks, who made $6 million last season …

Beltran talks hot, Indians now in mix  —  Carlos Beltran continues to sort through interest from at least five clubs — maybe more — and hopes to make a decision by Christmas, sources with knowledge of the discussions say.  —  The Cardinals, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Rays were all said to be …

Source: Cubs, Reds agree on trade  —  The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds have agreed to a trade in principle that will send pitcher Travis Wood and two minor-leaguers to the Cubs for left-handed reliever Sean Marshall, according to a source familiar with the situation.

10 Weirdest Baseball Injuries  —  Mickey Rivers once said, “My goals are to hit .300, score 100 runs, and stay Sports Illustrated.  He and some teammates decided to try the latter themselves on copies of the Phoenix Yellow Pages.  Sparks's left shoulder gave out before the phone book did, dislocating.

Catching up with Cardinals abroad  —  TOWER GROVE  • A day before the St. Louis Cardinals added the outfielder who could be his chief rival for a spot on the major-league roster, Adron Chambers doubled, tripled and finished 2-for-3 with a walk in his winter effort to get a head start on spring training.

Twins close to a deal with Jason Marquis  —  The Twins are close to signing RHP Jason Marquis, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  —  Last month, Ken Davidoff of Newsday said the Mets were interested in acquiring Marquis to replace Chris Capuano and in August, Marquis told Andy Martino …

Baseball America ranks Middlebrooks first  —  Baseball America is the industry standard when it comes to ranking prospects.  Here is their top 10 for the Red Sox:  —  1. 3B Will Middlebrooks  —  2. SS Xander Bogaerts  —  3. C Blake Swihart  —  4. RHP Anthony Ranaudo  —  5. OF Bryce Brentz

A Real Fan Will Always Believe in the Cubs: A Fan's Perspective  —  I first became a fan of the Chicago Cubs back in the 1980s as a young teenager.  I had always loved playing softball and, because I lived just outside of Chicago, I had followed the Cubs games when I had the chance.

Angels looking to shore up bullpen  —  With C.J. Wilson in the mix, the Angels sport one of baseball's best rotations.  And now that Albert Pujols is on board, the lineup figures to be much improved, too.  —  But do they have enough in the bullpen?  —  One overlooked addition …

Hit-and-Run Success is No Accident  —  “In this game you never know enough.”  —Dale Mitchell  —  The hit-and-run play is not highly regarded by the analytical crowd.  It is considered a one-run play and, like the sacrifice bunt attempt, it garners derision from people who hate small-ball tactics.

Phils give Minors deals to Luna, Montanez  —  The Phillies were involved with three transactions on Wednesday, including the signing of two players to Minor League contracts.  —  Philadelphia added infielder Hector Luna and outfielder Luis Montanez, and invited both to big league camp at Spring Training as non-roster players.

Quick Q&A: w/ Kevin Goldstein about cutting GCL Mets  —  The Mets announced Tuesday that they are eliminating their rookie league team in the Class-A Gulf Coast League, though they will continue to operate Kingsport.  —  Kevin Goldstein writes about every team's farm system for Baseball Prospectus, ESPN and Sirius/XM Radio.