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With baseball's hot stove season in its early stages, executives give their thoughts on notable questions that will play out in the weeks ahead.

The Tampa Bay Rays have reached agreement on a one-year major league deal with infielder Jeff Keppinger, a baseball source told ESPN.com.

Veteran outfielder Carlos Beltran has left Scott Boras' agency and is now represented by Dan Lozano, a baseball source told ESPN.com.

In a time of need for their respective teams, several lesser-known players have stepped in and performed at a high level this season.

Which teams did the best job of upgrading at the July and August trade deadlines? And which clubs failed miserably?

Teams that have the ability to hit quality pitching usually thrive in the postseason. That said, which lineups among serious playoff contenders are the best?

Several noteworthy players are experiencing power shortages at the plate compared to 2009.

Rather than squirm behind a microphone on a podium, Randy Johnson did it his way. He called it quits on a conference call, and his timing was fitting.

To quadrigenarians Jamie Moyer, Gary Sheffield and Randy Johnson, age is just another number in their illustrious careers.

Before radar guns were in vogue and closers became a pampered and well-compensated breed, Goose Gossage was both a workhorse and a star.

Lou Piniella would prefer to be the one asking the questions. That wasn't possible Monday, not with five major league teams in need of managers.

Jerry Crasnick runs down the best-case and worst-case scenarios for each of the 30 teams heading into the 2006 season.