(Presswire)In the past we’ve seen several athletes take out full-page ads in the newspaper to say goodbye to a fan base they’re departing — whether they wanted to leave or not — and also to thank the community for their support over the years.

It's always a kind and thoughtful gesture, but not surprisingly, that wasn’t enough for reigning National League Cy Young, R.A. Dickey, who was recently traded to the Toronto Blue Jays after not being able to come to terms on a contract extension with the New York Mets.

Dickey, who took a few shots from the media on his way out the door, rose above that drama over the weekend and took his farewell message one step further than those before him by penning a heartfelt letter to the Mets and their fans that ran in the New York Daily News.

In it, Dickey's appreciation is clear, and the fact the Mets were willing to give him a fresh start and the fan base was willing to support him the whole way through is something he will sincerely never forget: 

(Presswire)Looking to solidify their late inning bullpen setup, the Boston Red Sox have a deal in place to acquire closer Joel Hanrahan from the Pittsburgh Pirates in what will amount to a six-player upon conclusion, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman.

It’s reported there will be one more player heading to Boston in the trade, with outfield prospect Jerry Sands coming back to Pittsburgh along with right-hander Stolmy Pimentel and two additional players.

Of course this will all be contingent on the players involved passing physicals, but at this point that appears to be the final hurdle remaining.

Hanrahan, 31, is clearly the headliner in the deal. He's coming off back-to-back all-star worthy seasons in which he posted a 2.24 ERA overall and converted 76 out of 84 save chances. He also averaged one strikeout an inning over 128 1/3, but struggled with command, walking 50 unintentionally. That number should be of some concern to Boston, especially in a division that is filled with more patient and all-around dangerous hitters than the National League Central.

(AP)Despite drawing interest from many of the usual suspects — Red Sox, Rangers, Phillies, Giants, Mariners and Yankees — this offseason, it was the Arizona Diamondbacks who surprisingly emerged from the pack to sign veteran outfielder Cody Ross to a three-year, $26 million deal on Saturday.

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News was the first to report a deal had been reached a little after noon on the East Coast. MLB Network Radio’s Jim Bowden later revealed the terms, which include a club option for 2016 that can be bought out for $1 million.

The signing represents quite a pay raise for Ross, who earned just $3 million while posting a solid 267/.326/.481 line for the Boston Red Sox in 2012. Those numbers are all right in line with his career averages. He also added 22 homers, 34 doubles, 81 RBIs, which are the second-highest totals in each category in his nine-year career.

Excellent production to be sure from the soon to be — as in Sunday — 32-year-old, but when you look closer at the numbers you'll find most of that damage came at Fenway Park (.298, 13 homers, 25 doubles and 49 RBIs). That's not to suggest he can't be equally productive hitting in another hitter-friendly park such as Chase Field, but it certainly is meant to suggest around $9 million a year over three is a risky commitment.

(Presswire)It's only fitting that on the busiest travel day of the year, the busiest traveler in the world of baseball was on the move one more time.

His name is Sandy Rosario, though you already knew that if you keep tabs on baseball's daily transactions.

He's a 27-year-old right-hander that has spent the better part of nine seasons in the minors, though he did make ten relief appearances for the Miami Marlins spread out over the past three seasons, posting a dismal 15.26 ERA.

Hey, at least he made it, right?

And here's some more good news is. Those ten appearances are not what he'll be remembered for around baseball circles should he never make it back to the majors. That's because Rosario was claimed off waivers by the San Francisco Giants on Friday afternoon, meaning he has the distinction of being involved in five different transactions that have sent him to four different organizations since Oct. 17, 2012.

That's right, five transactions involving four different organizations in a matter of 65 days, three of which he'll go down as never officially appearing for at any professional level.

Well, unless they claim him or trade for him again.

(Presswire Photos)Francisco Liriano’s new two-year, $14 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates headlined Friday's flurry of starting pitcher signings, but there were three other interesting and noteworthy players who reached minor league agreements with new teams and accepted invitations to spring training.

Rich Harden, Scott Kazmir and Jeremy Bonderman have all achieved varying degrees of success in the big leagues — though none of them reached a consistent level of dominance that many believed they were capable — before injuries and ineffectiveness teamed up to put their careers in a holding pattern. Now all three of them will attempt to reclaim a spot in a major league rotation, or at least earn a prominent role, during what could have been a prime year in their careers.

Here's a quick look at where the hopeful "comeback kids" have landed, and what their chances, if any, might be to achieve their goal again.

Rich Harden signs minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins

Harden missed the entire 2012 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn capsule in his right shoulder, and that‘s just the latest in an injury history that would keep you reading until Christmas if listed here.

(AP Photos)Late Wednesday afternoon we learned of an interesting and rare deal between two American League West rivals.

The Los Angeles Angels, who added even more elite depth to their lineup by signing Josh Hamilton last week, have traded first baseman/designated hitter Kendrys Morales to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for talented left-handed starter Jason Vargas.

At first glance, it's a bit strange seeing such a trade go down with a pair of currently useful players moving within the division, especially when both could have plenty of good years ahead of them. At age 29 (Vargas will hit 30 before the season), both are coming off productive seasons. Morales hit 273/.320/.467 with 22 homers, 73 RBI and 61 runs in his first full campaign since breaking his leg in 2010. Vargas compiled a 14-11 record with a 3.85 ERA, and 141 strikeouts in 217 1/3 innings.

But this one really is all about two teams filling needs for 2013 and also getting some type of return on impending free agents that they may have had limited interest or funds to employ long-term. Both players are scheduled to hit the open market at the conclusion of the season, but could just as easily be extended with their new teams if they prove their worth and enjoy their stays.

(AP)A slow Wednesday in the baseball news department picked up a little steam in the late afternoon hours as a couple meaningful transactions were finalized.

Despite some public posturing between general manager Brian Cashman and agent Tony Attansasio right before the winter meetings, the New York Yankees and Ichiro Suzuki were able to come to terms on a new two-year, $13 million contract that could guarantee the 39-year-old outfielder retires in pinstripes.

It should also give him enough time to seriously pursue 3,000 hits in a Major League Baseball uniform. He'll enter the season 394 hits shy, which means he'll need to average 197 hits over the two seasons to get there. For a guy that averaged 224 hits over his first ten seasons — never once collecting less than 206 — it seems like a gimme, but Ichiro has shown significant signs of slowing down over the past two seasons averaging only 181.

As many people are suggesting, playing two full seasons in the more hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium should help. Hitting lead-off, as he's expected to do, will also help in a loaded Yankees lineups that figures to turn over much more frequently than Seattle's has since 2010. He may also get some starts at designated hitter, in addition to playing regularly in right field, which should help keep fresh.

On Monday, the Oakland Athletics announced the signing of Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima to a two-year, $6.5 million contract, filling the void left by Stephen Drew’s departure. It could end up being a solid signing for GM Billy Beane, but with many of the bigger names available this winter moving in recent days, the news essentially flew under the radar.

It stayed that way for another 24 hours or so, right up until Beane and the A’s introduced Nakajima to the media in Oakland on Tuesday afternoon. But by the time that press conference ended, Nakajima actually became the talk of the Twitterverse and beyond, because — let’s just say — the 30-year-old made quite the unexpected first impression by giving the furthest thing from a canned, clichéd response to the simple question of why he ultimately decided to join Beane’s club.

Nakajima says he wanted to sign with #Athletics because "Billy Beane is extremely sexy and cool."

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) December 18, 2012

Yes, that was his actual answer. And to make it even better, Nakajima doesn't speak much, if any, English, so the answer actually had to be relayed through his Japanese translator. What didn't need to be translated, though, was Beane's response.