Why I didn't vote for Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez: Paul Hoynes  —  Paul Hoynes, Northeast Ohio Media Group By Paul Hoynes, Northeast Ohio Media Group  —  CLEVELAND, Ohio - It's confession time.  —  I didn't vote for this year's Hall of Fame class that will be enshrined in Cooperstown in July 26.

Could Hamels, Price or Scherzer be answer to Cards' rotation needs?  —  FOX Sports  —  The St. Louis Cardinals say they like their starting rotation.  But that is not preventing them from pursuing a major upgrade.  —  The team is exploring trades for left-handers Cole Hamels and David Price …

Veteran catcher signs one-year deal to back up talented prospect Bethancourt  —  A.J. Pierzynski tells a story about his cousin not studying for his finals until the Braves won a game back in a tough stretch for Atlanta  —  ATLANTA — Throughout his long Major League career …

Royals exec Taylor winding down impactful career  —  Dean Taylor has served the Royals as VP of baseball operations and assistant GM since 2006.  —  Dean Taylor's been just about everywhere on the hardball map.  —  There was New Westminster of the Northwest League in 1974, Boise in 1975 …

Buckel, Deglan enjoying all Australian Baseball League has to offer while honing craft  —  Cody Buckel (left) and Kellin Deglan have been sharpening their skills with the Melbourne Aces.  —  ARLINGTON — The temperature was 97 degrees at noon on Wednesday in Melbourne, Australia.

Diamondbacks to have six new managers at minor league affiliates  —  The Diamondbacks will have six new managers at minor league affiliates for 2015, the team announced Wednesday.  —  Phil Nevin, who was said to be a finalist for the Diamondbacks' major league manager position, will return to manage at Triple-A Reno.

Braves To Designate Tyler Pastornicky For Assignment  —  The Braves will designate infielder Tyler Pastornicky for assignment tomorrow in order to clear 40-man roster space for the three signings they announced earlier today, MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports (on Twitter).

Ichiro, Schierholtz among options to fill bench role for Marlins  —  Ichiro Suzuki discusses his pursuit of 3,000 hits and how he is using it as motivation to continue playing  —  MIAMI — Batting from the left side is not necessarily a requirement, but it is the preference for the Marlins in their search for a fourth outfielder.

2015 Cincinnati Reds Top 10 Prospects  —  Want More?  Complete 2015 Top 10 Prospects Rankings  —  Get it all: Subscribe to Baseball America  —  Go 30 deep: Order the 2015 Prospect Handbook!  —  The Reds head into 2015 with a lot of opportunity, and a whole lot of uncertainty on the horizon.

John McDonald Retires  —  Veteran middle infielder John McDonald has officially retired, according to the Twitter accounts of the Angels, Blue Jays, D-Backs and Indians, each of whom McDonald played for over the life of a 16-year Major League career.  —  McDonald, 40, said in September …

Ex-Pirates IF Sanchez joins Japan's Eagles  —  TOKYO — Former Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Gaby Sanchez will join the Rakuten Eagles of Japan's Pacific League for the 2015 season.  —  Sanchez was not offered a contract by the Pirates and has agreed to a one-year contract with the Eagles, the team announced Thursday on its website.

With AC/DC and Steely Dan on the bill, has Coachella gone dadrock?  —  Though the festival seems to be catering to the older market, its most memorable moments have rarely been by the headlining bands  —  Coachella 2015: AC/DC, Jack White and Drake to headline

Diamondbacks To Sign Nick Punto  —  12:10pm: Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that it's a minor league contract with an invite to big league camp (Twitter link).  —  11:49am: The Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with veteran utilityman Nick Punto, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link).