The Rays hire former C Kevin Cash as their new manager, after an extended search to replace Joe Maddon, who jumped to the Cubs.

2014 – Pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka returns to Japan after eight seasons in the major leagues, signing a deal with the Softbank Hawks of the Pacific League.

Nick Markakis (276, 14, 50) and the Braves agree on a four-year deal reportedly in the range of $45 million. The Orioles had declined the 31 year-old outfielder’s $17.5 million mutual option for next season, making the two-time Gold Glover available as a free agent.

The Braves sign free agent OF Nick Markakis to a four-year, $44 million contract. Markakis has spent all of his career with the Baltimore Orioles and will replace recently traded right fielder Jason Heyward in Atlanta.

The Original League field in Williamsport, the birthplace of Little League Baseball, is placed on the National Register. The site is where the youth league’s founder Carl E. Stotz used newspapers as bases to determine the appropriate size of an infield for children, a year before the organization’s first game in 1939.

The Blue Jays trade P J.A. Happ to Seattle in return for Canadian OF Michael Saunders.

On a day when a large number of players become free agents when they are not tendered with contracts for the upcoming season, the Mariners sign All-Star 3B Kyle Seager to a seven-year deal worth $100 million.

Veteran major league umpire and crew chief Dale Scott openly acknowledges his homosexuality, as he is featured in a magazine article with his long-time life partner. The reaction from baseball circles is overwhelmingly positive.

The Spanish Baseball Hall of Fame announces its 2015 class: umpires Xavier Mateu and Javier Menéndez and coaches José Antonio Peña and Higinio Gutiérrez.

The Mariners sign the 2014 American League Home Run leader, OF Nelson Cruz, to a four-year contract worth $57 million.