The Atlanta Braves have signed B.J. Upton, despite the fact that Michael Bourn proved to be a better option, statistically. Why? Because Upton hits more home runs. Is this a fair assessment of talent thought? It’s not like the long ball is the only thing that matters, and Bourn’s other skills almost universally trump Upton’s. Still, the Braves chose to sign Upton while Bourn continues to float in free agent limbo.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Pre-Integration Committee has chosen to honor the careers of three baseball men nearly a century after they made their contributions to the game. Deacon White, Hank O’Day and Jacob Ruppert will all go in to Cooperstown next year, but is the significance of the event overshadowed by the decades, or is late better than never when it comes to honoring the stars of days gone by?

When it was announced last week that Tom Cheek had won the Ford C. Frick Award and would finally take his place in Cooperstown, Canadian baseball fans threw up a collective cheer. Cheek, the long-time voice of the Toronto Blue Jays, was a cherished man who was credited as being the “voice of summer across Canada,” right up until his passing in 2005. Eric Rosenhek adds his words to the thousands who’ve praised Cheek in recent days.

With the 2012 MLB Winter Meetings underway, Zach Sommers looks back a year to the meetings of 2011 to evaluate the deals, both big and small, that came out of those sessions. With one season in the books, who among Albert Pujols, CJ Wilson and even Heath Bell were worth their contracts?

The BBWAA has never had a hall of fame voting class quite like this one. With names like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire on the ballots, personal beliefs and feelings about alleged PED use will go a long way toward deciding who is and is not inducted into Cooperstown next summer. The only sure thing about this process is just how flawed it truly is.

There’s a lot more that goes on at the baseball Winter Meetings than just GMs of the MLB teams shuffling players on their rosters. With a complete who’s who of baseball decision-makers in attendance, the Meetings are the perfect place for you to get your start in the wonderful world of professional baseball. Get the inside scoop on how to land a job from a man who did it himself: Jesse Goldberg-Strassler.

For some, sitting back and watching a favorite team is enough to get them through the day, but for many others, something else is needed. Enter sports betting. Whether you like it or not, gambling on sports raises the interest in a game or event to a new level. Trying to predict the outcome makes the game itself more exciting. And the Toronto Blue Jays have recently positioned themselves as one of the most exciting teams in baseball.

The American League MVP race was essentially between two candidates, which ended up not being fair to the rest of the field. As a Blue Jays fan, Mark Milner felt slighted, not hearing anything about Edwin Encarnacion, who ended up finishing offensively-far back in voting. But does the award truly mean anything, or is it just a glorified news story for the media to debate to fill content?

The craziness of the Blue Jays-Marlins trade has led to some wild and rampant speculation about what this could mean for baseball this offseason. Because this trade looks so one-sided, at least as far as an immediate impact goes, Harlan Ambrose has looked into his not-so-crystal ball to see what else this winter holds for MLB.

Who are the best up-and-comers in the six divisions of baseball? Who will help their respective teams remain on top of the world, and who can help lift theirs up into playoff contention? You know the names, but Zach Sommers explains why you’ll keep hearing them for years to come.