Is Edwin Jackson about to make a decision?  —  Lots of buzz out there about the possibility that free-agent righty Edwin Jackson may accept a one-year deal with a contender to improve his value and go back into the free-agent market next season.  —  Right now it doesn't look like Boston,

Blue Jays brass talks playoffs  —  TORONTO— From Tuesday's Globe and Mail  —  You think Paul Beeston was dreaming when he talked Monday about getting grass to grow at a baseball-specific Rogers Centre?  —  That's nothing.  It turns out he envisions the Toronto Blue Jays in the playoffs two or three times in the next five years.

Source: Yankees hire Jim Hendry  —  Former Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry has been hired by the New York Yankees as a special assistant to GM Brian Cashman, according to a major league source.  —  Hendry, who was the Cubs GM from 2002 to 2011, was let go by chairman Tom Ricketts after two straight fifth-place finishes.

Baseball: Matsuzaka throws 1st bullpen session since injury  —  FORT MYERS, Florida (Kyodo) — Boston Red Sox right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka on Monday threw his first bullpen session since undergoing season-ending elbow surgery last June.  —  In the team's spring training complex in Florida …

Tribe acquires Canzler from Tampa Bay  —  Youngster offers right-handed bat, alternative at first base  —  CLEVELAND — The Indians have added an intriguing bat to the Spring Training mix.  —  On Tuesday, Cleveland acquired first baseman Russ Canzler from Tampa Bay in exchange for cash considerations.

Stark: NL Central suddenly has an identity crisis  —  Prince, Pujols and La Russa are gone, and Brewers could lose Braun for first 50 games  —  It isn't exactly true that every time Prince Fielder moves, the entire earth wobbles.  But it's 100 percent true that when Fielder signed his monstrous nine-year …

Phils bolster bullpen with veteran righty Qualls  —  PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies wanted more bullpen depth, so on Tuesday they signed right-hander Chad Qualls to a one-year, $1.15 million contract.  —  Qualls is expected to join a bullpen that could include Jonathan Papelbon, Jose Contreras …

Pirates catching prospect Sanchez injured in offseason scuffle  —  Tony Sanchez, the Pirates' top catcher prospect, again got into hot water with the team when he sustained a broken jaw in a bar brawl earlier this offseason.  —  Sources told the Tribune-Review the fight happened …

Van Slyke getting with the program  —  LOS ANGELES — When Scott Van Slyke put together a 2011 season at Double-A worthy of being named the Dodgers Minor League Position Player of the Year after seven years as a professional, some figured it was about time.  —  The nice way to put it is to call Van Slyke, 25, a late bloomer.

Astros invite Livan to Spring Training  —  HOUSTON — The Astros added more pitching depth Tuesday by reaching an agreement on a Minor League contract with right-hander Livan Hernandez, a veteran of 16 Major League seasons.  The deal includes an invitation to Spring Training.

Hamels deserves big money from Phillies  —  Virtually all contracts are defensible, even ones that don't turn out so well.  —  Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. had his reasons for awarding a monster extension to first baseman Ryan Howard and massive free-agent deals …

The Knuckleball Mystique: Using PITCHf/x to Distinguish Perception from Reality  —  Believe it or not, most of our writers didn't enter the world sporting an @baseballprospectus.com address; with a few exceptions, they started out somewhere else.  In an effort to up your reading pleasure …