Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

With training camps just two weeks away from opening, it's not just Darvish, Hosmer and Moustakas looking for jobs. Eduardo Nunez , coming off a .313 season split between the Giants and Red Sox, also remains unsigned. He could be the ideal solution to infield issues with the Mets, or perhaps the Red Sox or Padres. Maybe even the Yankees, Nunez's first organization, who are banking on big things from rookies Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar. Plenty of if's, but no dots on the i's and crosses on the t's. No contracts at all. Instead, Nunez is one of a surprising number of free agents just waiting for a deal. ( This image of Nunez is from the Yankees/Red Sox game last August 13th .)

Times change, attitudes change, tolerances change. A logo that was amusing in the 1940s and '50s elicits a very different reaction in our modern world. The grinning caricature of the Cleveland Indians' Chief Wahoo -- who seemingly stepped out of Looney Tunes central casting alongside Bugs and Daffy -- is seriously out of touch with today's sensibilities and sensitivities. Aware that the symbol was becoming the wrong kind of baggage, the ballclub has downplayed the Chief's prominence in the last decade. First he was replaced on most of the team's caps by an upper case C. For a time, he was seen on the front of Cleveland uniforms. No more. Reduced to just a spot on the left sleeve, he's easy to overlook-- you almost have to go out of your way to find the logo on these images of Nick Swisher (above) and Yan Gomes from respectively, 2013 and 2018. Yes, it's an issue of respect toward Native Americans. This is not a proud warrior or leader of a tribe....

With teams retiring more numbers, using more relievers and reaching into their minor league systems more often each season, I was somewhat surprised to learn that Seth Lugo is the first Mets player to wear number-67 in a regular season game. Winning 7 of his 12 decisions last summer, the Louisiana native has posted a 12-7 record since joining the Mets during the 2016 season. Here, he's facing the Dodgers at Citi Field last August.

From June 24th, 2010: the Tigers wrap up a win over the Mets at Citi Field. Superstar Miguel Cabr era (#24) is ready for high fives with his teammates, with fellow Venezuelan  Magglio Ordonez  (#30) first to approach.  Ordonez, who enjoyed a productive 15-year career in the majors, heads our January 28th baseball birthday bunch, along with these notable names: Jermaine Dye, who played 14 seasons in the big leagues, first with the Braves, then the Royals, A's and White Sox. Bill White, whose multi-faceted baseball career spanned playing 1st base for the Giants, Cardinals and Phillies, to being Phil Rizzuto's Yankee broadcasting partner and straight man, and serving as American League President. Should the Hall of Fame widen its method of considering candidates, the totality of Bill's baseball life ought to earn him consideration. And we remember Pete Runnels, a 1950s infielder with the Senators who came into his own playing alongside Carl Yastrzemski with ...

Lewis Brinson was the centerpiece of the four prospect package the Marlins received for Christian Yelich. The highly touted five-tool player impressed at Triple A Colorado Springs -- but the talent didn't translate on the big league level. He hit just .106 in 21 games last summer with Brewers. To be fair, breaking in during a pennant race isn't easy. And with Milwaukee in contention -- such as the July 27th game when I saw him in Washington -- there wasn't going to be as much patience, or room for error, as the Marlins are likely to provide. If you're a Brew Crew fan, you've got to be excited -- by compaison, Yelich is a sure thing. Same for the club's other big acquisition, Lorenzo Cain. Three years from now, if Milwaukee has been to the playoffs a couple of times, maybe reached the World Series -- I KNOW, that's a huge IF -- Brinson turning into a star on a cellar-dwelling Miami club won't bother you. And you know the Cardinals under GM Mike Girsc...

Thursday's news really shook up this sluggish off-season, as the Brewers, who came so close to a National League Wild Card last season, decided they were "all in" for 2018. The Brewers signed free agent centerfielder Lorenzo Cain  to a five-year deal, and then sent four young players -- including their top prospect Louis Brinson -- to the Marlins for Christian Yelich . Combine those two with Ryan Braun -- plus 1st baseman Eric Thames, shortstop Orlando Arcia and 3rd baseman Travis Shaw -- give Milwaukee its best middle-of-the-order punch since the days of Gorman Thomas and Harvey's Wallbangers 35 years ago! The moves also enable Brewers GM David Stearns to swap some now-excess bats, such as outfielder Domingo Santana, for the pitching help his club needs. And it sends a signal to the Cubs and Cardinals -- who recently picked up Yelich's ex-teamate Marcel Ozuna -- that the club from the #41 TV market is ready to slug it out with the big guys. (The imag...

Chipper Jones   (above),  Vladimir Guerrero , Jim Thome  (below) and Trevor Hoffman are Cooperstown's Class of 2018. All exceeded 75% of the vote by eligible members of the Baseball Writers Association. Edgar Martinez again had growing support. He was named on over 70% of the ballots. And with only two virtual locks going on next year's ballot, Mariano Rivera and Roy Halladay, the odds are better that the Mariners legend will go in alongside Rivera, who more than once called him the toughest batter he ever faced. As for the others on the ballot: Mike Mussina, 63.5% Roger Clemens, 57.3 Barry Bonds, 56.4 Curt Schilling, 51.2 Omar Vizquel, 37 Larry Walker, 34.1 Fred McGriff, 23.2 Manny Ramirez, 22 Jeff Kent, 14.5 Gary Sheffield, 11.1 Billy Wagner, 11.1 Scott Rolen, 10.2 Sammy Sosa, 7.8 Andruw Jones, 7.2  Receiving less than five percent support and dropping off future ballots: Jamie Moyer, 2.4 Johan Santana, 2.4 Johnny Damon, 1.9 Hideki ...

This afternoon, the Baseball Hall of Fame will announce its new class of inductees. While I don't have an official vote, there's no reason not to share the names of those I support -- and in several examples that I'll get to later on, those I don't. Let's start on a positive note. Vladimor Guerrero : A pure hitter. Edgar Martinez : As great a clutch hitter as I've ever seen. A .418 on base percentage. At his peak, more feared than even Ken Griffey Junior. Just flash back to his walk off double that won the 1995 ALDS when Seattle rallied past the Yankees. If you believe in the "eye test," Edgar always looked like a Hall of Fame hitter. Curt Schilling (while holding my nose): Look at his post-season record, with the Phillies, Diamondbacks and Red Sox. This was as great a playoff and World Series pitcher as I've ever seen. Gibson, Ford, Koufax, of course. And in October, Schilling was their equal. He never broke the rules as a player. Sc...

...you share it with Cubs shortstop Addison Russell . Turning 24 today and already with three full seasons under his belt, the Florida native's best season was 2016 when he belted 21 home runs for the club that ended that 108-year streak without a title. He made his mark in World Series, too: his grand slam in game six was the first in baseball's fall classic since 2005 -- ironically hit by another Chicago player, Paul Konerko of the White Sox. Also in today's cake and candles parade: Joe Amalfitano , a onetime "bonus baby" for the New York Giants who never became a star, but went on to play in parts of 10 major league seasons. His best year came with the 1964 Cubs. He then spent 30 years as a coach, including a 2-1/2 year run managing at Wrigley. Erubiel Durazo , the power-hitting 1st baseman from Mexico who split his big league career between the Diamondback and A's. His 94 career home runs are the most for anyone born on January 23rd. These days, h...

Reports surfaced Sunday that the Brewers have made an offer to Yu Darvish. The free agent righty still remains unsigned with less than four weeks to go before training camps open. With the Brewers showing strong interest, it made me think that if they do come to agreeement, Yu's games would be called by the incomparable Uke -- Bob Uecker. More vitally, Darvish could be the one addition to push the Brew Crew from contender to Wild Card favorite. Already a strong-hitting team, he'd be the ace of a good rotation that will become even stronger once Jimmy Nelson returns from surgery -- and reports last week indictated that he'll start a throwing program earlier than expected.

After losing all of 2017 and most of the previous two seasons to medical isses, David Wright 's baseball future appears bleak. While Mets fans have always admired his sunny outlook and positive personality, his comments Friday to Mets.com hint at sadly accepting the inevitable: "It really hurts to say this, but I obviously can't be relied on to go out there and do what I've done throughout my career." Now 35, the seven-time All Star is six years removed from his last full, effective season. 2012 is a long time ago -- and that was that last time fans saw the "real" David Wright. A lifelong Met who grew up in the shadow of the team's longtime farm club in Norfolk, Virginia, Wright became the face of the Mets, and was named Captain in 2013. Ironically, that was the season he suffered a hamstring injury that signaled his decline in playing time and performance. Coming off two more surgeries in the past year, one on his right shoulder, the other on...

Dustin Pedroia has been cleared to begin running, as he rehabs from October knee surgery. The gritty, gutty Red Sox veteran was expected to be sidelined for seven months after the procedure; getting the OK from his medical team means he's not only ahead of schedule, but stands a chance of playing on Opening Day. Now 34, the 12 year veteran already has Rookie of the Year and MVP trophies on his shelf -- along with a pair of World Series rings. On what's still a youthful Boston club, he not only brings talent, but experience and most importantly leadership to a core of players about to begin their second season without David Ortiz. ( These images are from a game in May 2016; Dustin didn't play in any of the three Yankee/Red Sox games I last season .)

In this winter of sluggish player movement, Wednesday's big story in baseball came from Detroit. The Tigers and shortstop Jose Iglesias split the difference between their filings -- settling on $6.275 million. A gifted fielder but an ordinary hitter, he'll bring a .270 career average into 2018, his final season before reaching free agency.

...you share it with Michael Pineda . Tall and talented, erratic and enigmatic, he gave strong hints of being a future ace to first the Mariners, then the Yankees. But something always stood in the way. First there was a shoulder injury that cost him two full seasons. There was a maddening inconsistency. And then Tommy John surgery that ended his 2017 early -- and closed the books on his time with the Yankees. Almost fittingly, he's gone 31 - 31 in his career, which will restart with the Twins either late this year or early in 2019. Also getting their cake and candles today: Brett Lawrie , the Canadian-born infielder who spent six years in the majors with the Blue Jays and A's. Mike Lieberthal , who caught for parts of 14 seasons, all but one with the Phillies. Brady Anderson , a solid outfielder during the 1990s, who, in 1996 suddenly and briefly blossomed into a slugger, crushing 50 home runs for the Orioles. And we can never forget Curt Flood , the Cardinals stan...

Howie Kendrick  just re-upped for two more years with the Nationals. The veteran righty hitter batted a combined .315 while splitting 2017 between Philadelphia and Washington. Turning 35 in July, this 12 year veteran can fill in at several postions. And in the league without the DH, he's an ideal pinch hitter. For two years and $7 million ($9 mill with incentives), Kendrick looks like the rare bargain in free agency. ( These images were taken at the Phillies/Astros game last July 26th .)

Andrew McCutchen has followed Gerrit Cole out of Pittsburgh. Announced Monday, the deal sends him to the Giants for a couple of prospects. More importantly, it signals that the Pirates are in rebuild mode. While the club enjoyed a renaissance earlier this decade with three straight playoff appearances, they only never got beyond the Division Series. So now, the Pirates will try again. Sporting one of baseball's nicest ballparks, GM Neal Huntington will restock his farm system and cross his fingers that the next group does as well as McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker and Starling Marte. As for "Cutch," he's a year away from free agency. After a couple of up and down seasons that ended his time in Pittsburgh, he instantly becomes the best hitting outfielder on power challenged San Francisco team. ( This image is from the Mets/Pirates game at Citi Field last June 4th. )

Adrian Gonzalez has a new address. The longtime Padre and Dodger signed with the Mets as a free agent over the weekend. Flushing makes the most sense for a player trying to prove he's still got something left in the tank. Coming off an age-35 season where back problems limited him to 71 games and only three home runs -- this for someone with 311 over his career -- he finds the welcome mat out at Citi Field. As he heads to Port Saint Lucie in just a month, all that stands between him and winning the first base job is Dominic Smith, whom GM Sandy Alderson hardly appears sold on. Smith, of the chronic weight problem and high strikeout total, is the kind of young player who needs a challenge -- he'll get that from A-Gon. Of course, back problems are tricky; ask David Wright or Don Mattingly. So Gonzalez is far from a sure thing. But in an off-season where Carlos Santana signed with the Phillies for $60 million, Adrian Gonzalez -- who'll play for the minimum since his 2018 ...

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Among the dozens of players who've agreed on contracts before going to arbitration,  Nicholas Castellanos caught my attention. On a Tigers club saddled with expensive aging stars such as Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez whose "window" may have closed, the Miami-area native is a ray of hope. In 2017, his fourth full season in the majors, he emerged as a star, with 26 homers, 10  triples and 36 doubles. Do the math: that's 72 extra base hits, along with 101 RBIs. And he's not yet 26. With Justin Upton and Ian Kinsler now Angels and JD Martinez still a free agent, Castellanos is the young star Detroit will be able to build around as they assemble their next core to challenge the Indians in the AL Central.

After a winter of discontent, finally some good news for Mets fans. Jay Bruce has agreed to a three-year, $39 million deal to return to Flushing. Over parts of two previous seasons, Bruce pumped out 37 homers and 94 RBIs. More importantly, unlike some other imports -- yes, Jason Bay comes to mind -- he enjoyed playing in Citi Field and Mets fans clearly took a liking to the Texan. So with Michael Conforto a question mark after shoulder surgery and Dominic Smith far from a sure thing, the Mets finally have a second productive power bat to go along with Yoenis Cespedes. And it's a player new manager Mickey Callaway got to know, after the Mets sent Jay to Cleveland last August. Ah, if only every move could be this logical.

From my collection: the 1994 Phillies Media Guide. With GM Lee Thomas, manager Jim Fregosi and principal owner Bill Giles on the cover, it celebrates a club that was a surprise pennant winner, fought past the Braves in six games and battled the Blue Jays in the World Series until tripped up when closer Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams lost his effectiveness. A fun club, an underdog bunch that became just the Phils fifth pennant winner. But 1994 was not destined to be a rerun. The team was already seven games under .500 when the season halted by the player's strike. And it would be another 13 years -- until 2007 before Philadelphia was back in the post-season. So, in a sense, this is a celebration of a one hit wonder. The last NL club that needed to win just one playoff round to reach the World Series. When the game resumed in 1995, the Division Series (and Wild Cards) had been added. And in so many ways, baseball would never be the same again.

Tuesday's biggest news story in baseball was the Angels signing Rene Rivera. I know, not quite a "stop the presses" moment -- if there are actually any presses being used these days. It's been such a sluggish off-season for player movement. A veteran backup catcher, who split 2017 between the Mets and Cubs, Rivera heads to Anaheim where he'll split duties with Martin Maldonado. A strong defensive catcher with home run pop, these images come from a May 4th, 2016 with the Mets.

  With longtime radio analyst Larry Anderson cutting back to working only home games, the Phillies announced a group of three who'll join play by play man Scott Franzke on road trips: Kevin Jordan, Kevin Stocker and (seen here) Kevin Frandsen . A utility player who spent 2012 and '13 with the Phils, Frandsen has broadcast experience under his (red) belt, having co-hosted sports talk shows on San Francisco stations. The Phillies have a 55 year tradition of using former players in the broadcast booth: Richie Asburn spent three-and-a-half decades on the air; Larry Anderson took his place after Whitey's death in 1997. Unlike the beloved Ashburn and the witty Anderson, who played on a pair of pennant winning clubs, Frandsen lacks the local  tenure or the enduring Philadelphia moment (think former TV sidekick Matt Stairs) to be instantly received. Along with the other two new Kevins, he'll have to work hard to bond with listeners.

  Coming off an under-.500 season and sensing they're falling farther behind division rivals in Chicago and Milwaukee, the Pirates have explored trading off several pricey veterans who are beginning to approach free agency. Andrew McCutchen is front and center among them. Coming off two "down" seasons after five consecutive summers making the All Star Team, plenty of rumors surround the veteran center fielder. The Giants and Mets are among the clubs said to be interested. Now comes the other side of the coin: at age 32 and with a $14 million price tag, does he give good value to another team? Does he still have the range to play center field? And much might his production drop in the bigger ballparks in San Francisco and Queens? In a sluggish off-season -- but now just five weeks from the opening of training camps, "Cutch" remains a name worth following, albeit in smaller type.

...you share it with one the prospects the Braves expect to build around. 2nd baseman Ozzie Albies hit .286 with good power (six home runs in 57 games) after similarly impressing during the first half of the season at Triple A Gwinnett. And keep in mind, he posted these stats at the ripe old age of 20!! The native of Curacao ranks with Gleyber Torres of the Yankees as a player to watch for 2018. Albies, who might become the most famous Ozzie since Smith, shares his cake and candles with another highly touted 2nd baseman who went onto a productive career. Alfonso Soriano   (right) will go down in the books as the player whom the Yankees traded for Alex Rodriguez, had seven consecutive All Star seasons and finished his career with 412 home runs. In fact, when you look at the prime of his career, he appeared to be on a Hall of Fame track. But his defensive limitations forced a move to the outfield, and a series of leg injuries led to his decline at age 33. He returned to th...

Curtis Granderson was never going to be one of the winter's hot free agents. Soon to turn 37, he'd been reduced to a part-time role as he finished last season with the Dodgers. Long regarded as one of the game's most community minded players, he's also a strong clubhouse leader. The Grandy Man has appeared in the post-season with four different teams over the course of his lengthy career: the Tigers, Yankees, Mets and Dodgers. Is that a coincidence, or is he the kind of player whose presence improves a team beyond the measure of his stats? So where's this lefty power hitter's next stop? Like the vast majority of free agents, he's waiting to find a team that needs what he does best. Having watched him contribute to both New York clubs during this decade, I hope he finds a new baseball home.

We all tend to focus on the stars, the dominating players, the guys who generate headlines. Yesterday afternoon, I noticed that the Pirates had designated pitcher Johnny Barbato for assignment. The fastballing reliever made the Yankees in 2016 after an impressive spring training. And even though he struck out more than a batter an inning, an ERA on the wrong side of 7 meant a demotion to Triple A after just 13 games with the Bronx Bombers. He never returned to Yankee Stadium. After failing to make the 2017 Yanks, he was traded midseason to the Pirates, where he had a couple of major league hitches, but didn't make a strong enough impression. Thursday, he was cut to make room for another prospect. Now comes the waiting game as Barbato waits for a chance to catch on with another organization.

Remember Will Middlebrooks ? Just a few years ago, he was considered the Red Sox 3rd baseman of the future. But his train came off the tracks, and in the past three years has bounced through three other organizations -- the Padres, Brewers and Rangers. Earlier this week, the Phillies made a low risk move and signed him to a minor league contract. Though the incumbent Maikel Franco has regressed the last couple of years, it's likely the now-29-year old Texan was signed as injury insurance rather than to provide a real spring training challenge. Odds are he'll spend next spring and summer at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Of course, there's always the chance that he'll be among the rare players salvaged off the scrap heap that turn back into quality major leaguers. That happened with the Phils when they gave the late Bill Robinson a chance in the early '70s after he failed with the Yankees -- and watched him rebuild his career there and even more so a few years later wi...

From March 2012, we're at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa as the Yankees host the Nats. One of the ballpark's special features is a spring training counterpart to Monument Park -- staged as a real park. The retired Yankee numbers with their biographical plaques are displayed amidst the soaring palm trees. That's Florida style! Inside, a replica of Yankee Stadium's decorative frieze along the roof, and a taller than usual seating bowl holding more than 10,000 fans.   Finally, a look at the action from just behind and slightly above home plate.

I really enjoyed the way these turned out. From September 14th, Orioles teammates (and fellow Dominican Americans) Manny Machado and Pedro Alvarez take in the action at Yankee Stadium. And check out the "angry bird" on someone's travel bag.

Neil Walker and Travis d'Arnaud get into the swing of things in order to wish you a very happy start to 2018. Who's your alltime favorite player who wore 18? Some other names that come to mind: Don Larsen - Yankees Darryl Strawberry - Mets Bill Russell - Dodgers Ben Zobrist - Rays/Royals/A's/Cubs Mel Harder - Indians Andy Van Slyke - Cardinals/Pirates/Orioles John Hiller - Tigers Richie Hebner - Phillies/Cubs Scott Brosius - Yankees Bill Madlock - Cubs/Giants Bret Saberhagen - Royals/Mets Mike Shannon - Cardinals Eddie Guardado - Twins/Mariners/Rangers Daisuke Matsuzaka - Red Sox Gene Tenace - A's/Padres/Cardinals/Pirates Omar Moreno - Pirates Johnny Damon - Royals/Red Sox/Yankees