Report: White Sox, Melky Cabrera agree to three-year deal
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com

(12:41 am ET) The White Sox have agreed to a three-year deal with outfielder Melky Cabrera pending a physical, 670TheScore.com reports.

The Mariners were seen as the favorites to land Cabrera earlier this week and reportedly offered him a three-year deal as well, but the outfielder has apparently chosen to return to the AL Central, where he hit .305/.339/.470 with 18 home runs, 87 RBI, 20 stolen bases and 102 runs with the Royals in 2011. He delivered similar numbers in 2014, hitting .301/.351/.458 in 568 at-bats with the Blue Jays. Cabrera has spent most of the past three seasons in left field, where he’ll presumably line up for the White Sox.

Report: Cardinals not active in Max Scherzer market
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com

(12:11 am ET) The Cardinals say they are not active in the market for free-agent pitcher Max Scherzer, USA Today Sports reports.

Scherzer is expected to command a huge deal, one the Cardinals feel is too expensive for their budget. He’s 39-8 with 492 strikeous in 434 1/3 innings over the last two seasons.

Report: Twins have interest in Jack Hannahan
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com

(12/13/2014) The Twins have been in contact with free-agent third baseman Jack Hannahan, 1500 ESPN reports.

The Twins were interested in signing Hannahan two offseasons ago before he landed with the Reds. He was held to just 48 at-bats with the Reds in 2014 after undergoing shoulder surgery last offseason.

Report: Mariners ‘not looking’ to trade Brad Miller
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com

(12/13/2014) The Mariners are “not looking” to trade shortstop Brad Miller but remain open to the right deal, a club official told the Tacoma News Tribune.

“Look, there’s all sorts of speculation (about Miller),” the club official said, “and it’s easy to see why. The guy’s an athlete, and everybody — and I mean everybody — thinks he’s going to hit. That’s why lots of teams ask about him. But understand this: We’re not looking to trade him. I’m not saying it won’t happen, but it’s a lot less likely than some people seem to think.”

Miller was in the Mariners’ offer to the Dodgers when the team was looking to acquire Matt Kemp before he was traded to the Padres. If he remains on the team, Miller is expected to battle Chris Taylor for the starting shortstop role.

Red Sox considering Mookie Betts as leadoff hitter
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com

(12/13/2014) The Red Sox are considering using outfielder Mookie Betts as the team’s leadoff hitter, ESPNBoston.com reports.

“He’s clearly a candidate for us,” manager John Farrell said of Betts Saturday. “[Former leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury] did such a great job for us for a number of years and when he signed elsewhere we went through a little bit of a search to get those skills.”

Betts posted a .388 OBP out of the leadoff spot last season. However, he’s not guaranteed a starting job in Boston’s crowded outfield.

Ian Desmond, Nationals not making any progress on extension
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com

(12/13/2014) The Nationals and shortstop Ian Desmond have not made any progress thus far this offseason on a contract extension, reports the Washington Post. Desmond reportedly rejected a $107 million extension last offseason and his name was included in multiple trade discussions during the winter meetings.

Desmond wouldn’t indicate if he would be willing to negotiate for a new deal in-season, saying, “we’re not at that point yet.”

“Look, this isn’t my first day on the job. I understand what’s going on,” Desmond said. “I wouldn’t respect Mike (Rizzo) the way I do, like I said, if he just sat on his hands and did nothing. That’s not how this organization got here, and it’s not how it’s going to continue to move forward. Hopefully I’m a part of it, but if not, I’m still going to be rooting for them.”

Desmond is expected to make $11 million in 2015 before becoming a free agent in 2016. He slashed .255/.313/.430 with 91 RBI and 24 stolen bases in 593 at-bats in 2014. He also led all shortstops with 24 home runs on the year.

Orioles on Ryan Howard’s pre-approved list for trades
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com

(12/13/2014) The Orioles and the Phillies discussed a package deal that included outfielder Marlon Byrd and first baseman Ryan Howard during the winter meetings, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports Saturday.

According to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman, the Orioles are one of eight teams on Howard’s pre-approved list for trades. An American League team seems like an ideal landing spot for the veteran, who could spend the final two years of his contract as a designated hitter. However, according to Heyman, there’s “not a lot there at the moment” between the two clubs.

Howard has two years and a guaranteed $60 million remaining on his contract, with a $23 million option for 2017. He slashed .223/.310/.380 with 23 homers, 95 RBI while also striking out 190 times over 569 at-bats last season

Cubs officially announce signing of SP Jon Lester
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com

(12/13/2014) The Cubs officially announced the signing of pitcher Jon Lester on Saturday, according to MLB.com. Lester and the Cubs agreed on a six-year, $155 million deal earlier in the week during the winter meetings, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman.

The three-time All-Star was 16-11 with a 2.46 ERA in 32 starts between the Red Sox and Athletics in 2014. He is 116-67 with a 3.58 ERA in his nine-year MLB career.

Twins designate Chris Parmelee for assignment
by Igor Mello | CBSSports.com

(12/13/2014) The Twins designated first baseman/outfielder Chris Parmelee for assignment in order to make room on the 40-man roster for newly acquired pitcher Ervin Santana, reports the Star Tribune on Saturday. Parmelee slashed .256/.307/.384 in 270 plate appearances last season for Minnesota. 

Diamondbacks’ Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster tabbed to start
by R.J. White | CBSSports.com

(12/12/2014) Diamondbacks general manager Dave Stewart indicated Friday that pitchers Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster are in line to pitch in the rotation in 2015, MLB.com reports. The two pitchers were acquired from the Red Sox in a trade that was announced Friday.

An earlier report stated that Stewart indicated that Josh Collmenter would start the regular-season opener, but he just happened to be the first name listed by the general manager when discussing the team’s rotation plans. The team could still choose to bring in more starting pitching help, especially after clearing significant salary by trading away two veterans this week. Currently, Collmenter is lone holdover in the Diamondbacks rotation after the team acquired De La Rosa, Webster and Jeremy Hellickson to fill three spots.