The Nationals acquire P Tom Gorzelanny from the Cubs in return for three minor leaguers, OF Michael Burgess and Ps A.J. Morris and Graham Hicks.

The Blue Jays sign reliever Jon Rauch to a one-year contract. He will compete for the vacant closer job with Octavio Dotel, who was signed earlier this off-season.

2011 – Shaken by the loss of six members of their bullpen over the off-season, the Tampa Bay Rays sign P Kyle Farnsworth to a one-year contract.

Hiromitsu Ochiai and Mutsuo Minagawa are elected to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. Ochiai was the only three-time Triple Crown winner in Nippon Pro Baseball and later guided the Chunichi Dragons to the 2007 Japan Series title. Minagawa was a six-time All-Star who had a career record of 221-139.

The Oakland A’s sign reliever Grant Balfour and the Kansas City Royals add starter Jeff Francis.

2011 – The Yankees ink their first free agent of the off-season, signing reliever Rafael Soriano to a three-year contract worth $35 million. While Soriano will be the set-up man for Mariano Rivera this year, he excelled as the Rays’ closer last season, and is expected to be in line to take over for the great Rivera when he eventually retires.

2011 – Diamondbacks minor league OF Alfredo Marte is suspended for 50 games after testing positive for stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance.

2011 – Edgar Renteria, the MVP of the last World Series, signs a one-year deal with the Reds. He states in an interview that he had to choose Cincinnati because the Giants’ offer of half the salary and a back-up role was “a total disrespect”. The Reds also sign OF Fred Lewis, who was the Blue Jays’ starting LF last year.

Baseball is also in mourning after today’s shooting at a supermarket near Tucson, AZ, which leaves 6 persons dead and US representative Gabrielle Giffords among those seriously injured. 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green, daughter of Los Angeles Dodgers scout John Green and grand-daughter of former player and executive Dallas Green, is one of the victims.