Hall of Fame case: Gary Sheffield's candidacy up for debate  —  After Gary Sheffield played 22 seasons with eight teams, his career didn't end with a whimper.  —  That hardly would have been the style of a man as fearless about standing up for himself as he was fearsome, taking one of the most violent and effective swings of his era.

Beat reporter Gregor Chisholm fields Blue Jays fans' questions  —  9/3/14: Dioner Navarro crushes a two-run homer to open the scoring in the 2nd inning  —  Dioner Navarro is a switch-hitter.  What are his splits?  Does it make sense to keep him as a potential left-handed designated hitter?

Yankees finally have the prospects to make something happen  —  FOX Sports  —  Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has built up his team's farm system to the point he can make some major moves if he chooses.  —  The Yankees are unlikely to trade for Cole Hamels.  But you know what?

Atlanta sends relievers Carpenter, Shreve to NY  —  Jim Callis discusses the Braves' acquisition of pitching prospect Manny Banuelos from the Yankees for David Carpenter and Chasen Shreve  —  ATLANTA — The Braves utilized the bullpen depth they have recently built to acquire Manny Banuelos …

Beat reporter Alden Gonzalez answers fans' questions  —  Angels announcer Mark Gubicza joins the guys on MLB Now to talk about the team's rotation and getting Josh Hamilton back in the groove … This may sound shortsighted, but I think the 2015 season will go a long way in deciding that.

Haren not intending on joining Marlins  —  MIAMI — Dan Haren has informed the Marlins that his preference remains to pitch out West, and for a team that has Spring Training in Arizona.  The 34-year-old California native had been weighing his options sinced he was traded to Miami from the Dodgers on Dec. 10.

“Mutual interest” in Tillman extension, and other notes  —  With so much attention placed on the Orioles' attempts to craft their roster for the upcoming season, it's easy to forget that they need to give raises to their 11 arbitration-eligible players.  —  Players can file for arbitration on Jan. 13 …

Orioles notes and observations on Ryan Webb and free agent Colby Rasmus  —  The Orioles are counting on a few key players - namely third baseman Manny Machado and catcher Matt Wieters - to get fully healthy this offseason and be able to contribute early in the regular season.

WHAT THE PADRES HAVE, AND MIGHT HAVE, IN BRANDON MAURER  —  Trades don't get a lot cleaner than the deal we just recently saw between the Mariners and the Padres.  The Mariners needed a left-handed semi-regular outfielder, and had relievers to spare.  The Padres needed a reliever, and had left-handed semi-regular outfielders to spare.

Lack of payroll flexibility may limit club in free agency  —  MLB.com's Jim Duquette starts off the Hot Stove season with a preview of the 2014-2015 MLB free-agent class  —  CINCINNATI — The end of the World Series means one thing to fans of the teams that weren't playing in it …

C's in for a bittersweet reunion  —  Boston will applaud its former star Rondo, but mixed feelings still linger  —  Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle did his due diligence when he investigated trading for Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo by gathering impressions from Doc Rivers, Danny Ainge, Brad Stevens and former teammates.

Hot Stove: Padres pushed for Kuroda?  —  Rounding up recent offseason news in the NL West  —  In one dizzying week, A.J. Preller overhauled the Padres' entire outfield.  After a short holiday break, the Padres' rookie general manager turned his attention toward a strength …

COLORADO ROCKIES / MLB  —  NICK HUNDLEY AGREES TO 2-YEAR DEAL WITH COLORADO ROCKIES, REPORT SAYS  —  The Denver Post  —  Nick Hundley broke into the major leagues with the Padres in 2008.  In 560 games over seven seasons with the Padres and Orioles, Hundley has a .238 career batting average.