Hard-throwing reliever Joe Kelly is closing in on an agreement to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers, a source told ESPN on Saturday, confirming multiple reports. The deal, still pending the completion of a physical examination, is expected to be for one year, according to the New York Post.

The Marlins are finalizing an agreement to hire former San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler as an assistant general manager, according to the Miami Herald on Friday.

Kapler was fired by the Giants with three days left in the 2023 regular season after the team failed to make the playoffs for a second straight year. He had a 295-248 record over four seasons with the Giants, but his only year of guiding the team to a winning record was 2021, when San Francisco won a franchise-record 107 games and the NL West title.

The Mets claimed catcher Tyler Heineman off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday and outfielder/catcher Cooper Hummel from the Seattle Mariners.

Oscar Gonzalez, whose walk-off single beat the Yankees in Game 3 of the 2022 AL Division Series, was claimed by New York off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians on Friday.

The 25-year-old outfielder is a right-handed hitter and batted .214 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 54 games last season. He made his major league debut on May 26, 2022, and hit .296 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs in 91 games.

Several teams are already believed to be out of the pursuit of Shohei Ohtani.

The Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets have turned their attention to other players after initially being in on Ohtani, sources tell Jeff Passan of ESPN.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels remain in on Ohtani. The San Francisco Giants have long been linked with Ohtani, but their current position is unknown.

One source expects Ohtani's deal to be worth at least $550 million and almost all sources expect it to be worth at least $500 million.

The Philadelphia Phillies are believed to be interested in Blake Snell.

The club could be in the market for another starting pitcher even after re-signing Aaron Nola to a seven-year, $172 million contract.

More than a dozen clubs have reached out to the Chicago White Sox about right-hander Dylan Cease, according to a report.

Trade talks involving the 28-year-old have intensified this week.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves are among the believed finalists to acquire Cease in a trade.

The New York Yankees are hopeful that they can land both Juan Soto and Yoshinobu Yamamoto this offseason, according to a report.

The Yankees have been linked to Soto in trade rumors as the San Diego Padres look to unload salary. He will earn more than $30 million in his final season before hitting free agency.

New York faces more competition to land Yamamoto, who is drawing interest from as many as 11 clubs.

The Toronto Blue Jays have a legitimate chance to sign Shohei Ohtani in free agency, according to a report.

The Blue Jays have been mentioned in previous reports as a potential long shot for the two-way star.

"They couldn’t confirm he’s planning a visit but one Jays person said he heard Ohtani liked previous stops there," Jon Heyman writes. "While Toronto would seem like a long shot, partly due to the Canadian monetary issue, one rival said he could see him liking the relatively low-key environment."

The Texas Rangers will bring back their entire on-field coaching staff for Bruce Bochy next season.

Chris Young said he is excited to keep the entire group together after winning the franchise's first World Series title in Bochy's first season.

It was the organization's 63rd season overall and 52nd since moving to Texas.

When Bochy was hired with a three-year contract last year, his Rangers staff included seven coaches who were already in the organization. The only newcomers other than Bochy were pitching coach Mike Maddux for his second stint in Texas and associate manager Will Venable.