Reds 1B Joey Votto is named recipient of the Tip O’Neill Award, given to the best player in Canada, for a record fourth straight year.

In the annual Rule V Draft, the Rangers make the biggest splash by selecting Russell Wilson from the Rockies in the minor league phase. Not that he is likely to help on the diamond, as he is currently busy playing quarterback with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and last played minor league baseball in 2011. The first pick in the draft, P Patrick Schuster, is immediately sent by the Astros to the Padres as the player to be named later in an earlier trade for P Anthony Bass.

The Mariners land the most sought-after free agent when the team signs Robinson Cano to a 10-year, $240-million contract, a value that equals Albert Pujols’ deal with the Angels for the third largest in baseball history. The Yankees, the 32 year-old’s former team who did not want to commit those kinds of dollars or years for their All-Star second baseman, recently inked outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury for $153 million (7 years) and catcher Brian McCann for $85 million (5 years).

The annual Winter Meetings wind up with a few deals: Miami trades OF Justin Ruggiano to the Cubs for OF Brian Bogusevic, while the Tigers sign P Joba Chamberlain to a one-year deal and the Giants add OF Mike Morse, also for one year.

At the Winter Meetings, owners vote to ban home plate collisions over concerns about serious injuries recently suffered by catchers such as Buster Posey or Alex Avila. The exact wording of the rule still needs to be worked out, but baserunners will now be called out if they deliberately run into the opposing catcher, and will face a fine or suspension for particularly grievous offenses. catchers will also be banned from blocking access to the plate without the ball.

Seattle continues to be busy this off-season, as they sign free agent OF-1B Corey Hart to a one-year deal, and acquire a similar player in Logan Morrison, from the Marlins in exchange for P Carter Capps. In other deals, the Mets sign P Bartolo Colon to a two-year deal, and the Tigers ink OF Rajai Davis, also for two years.

Major League Baseball agrees to a deal with Nippon Pro Baseball on a reform of the posting system that will see bids for players capped at $20 million. If more than one team bids the maximum amount, the player will be free to negotiate with both teams. However, the question remains open whether the Rakuten Golden Eagles will still post ace starter Masahiro Tanaka under the revised system.

Author Roger Angell is voted by the Baseball Writers Association of America as winner of its annual J.G. Taylor Spink Award. The 93-year-old living legend is the first non-member of the BBWAA to receive the honor, as he was not eligible for membership because he worked for a magazine – The New Yorker – and not a newspaper.

Things heat up on the second day of the Winter Meetings at Lake Buena Vista, FL. In a three-team deal, the Angels send slugger Mark Trumbo to the Diamondbacks and receive Ps Tyler Skaggs and Hector Santiago, who comes over from the White Sox; in turn, the Pale Hose receive young OF Adam Eaton from the D-Backs. In another trade, the Athletics send veteran P Brett Anderson to Colorado for young hurlers Drew Pomeranz and Chris Jensen.

The Mets sign Curtis Granderson to a four-year, $60 million contract, the team’s richest free-agent deal since Sandy Alderson became the GM in 2010. The 32 year-old outfielder, who hit 84 homers in two seasons for the Yankees before being limited to 61 games last year due to injuries, is expected to provide some much-needed power for the team that ranked 25th in the long ball in 2013.