I’m happy to introduce a new series here at On The Way Home. With all the news, notes, and rumors that happen on a daily basis, I feel it’s important to have all of the information from the last day, all in one spot. So, I’ll be doing my best each day right here to summarize the day’s news and rumors with my brief opinion, while giving you the direct source.

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reported starting pitcher Shaun Marcum passed his physical, making his one-year/$4 million deal to join the Mets rotation official, as the team announced the signing today. Marcum also talked about how it needs to be a team effort from all five starters in order to make up for R.A. Dickey getting traded to Toronto for Travis d’Arnaud and friends. I agree with Marcum, and I think the organization is counting on him to be healthy, but also having Johan Santana and Dillon Gee pitch full seasons will help make up for the loss of the 2012 NL Cy Young Award winner. New York also announced early this morning they’ve agreed to a minor league deal with reliever LaTroy Hawkins.

It still seems like a long shot at this point, but the Yankees are optimistic they will be able to void Alex Rodriguez‘s contract if these latest PED allegations are true, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. I talked about this situation yesterday on the site, as I believe the Bombers have every right to try and cleanse themselves of this deal, even though it was their fault for commiting to it in the first place. Meanwhile, Brian Cashman is rumored to be in the market for another bat, especially after hearing A-Rod may miss all of 2013 following hip surgery. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets they’re talking to more than one player, but could be most interested in Travis Hafner.

The Marlins made a roster move yesterday, as they made a waiver claim for Sam Dyson of the Blue Jays, and in turn, designated Kevin Mattison to make room on the roster. Honestly, after seeing Miami wave the white flag at the beginning of the winter, I don’t really care what they do at this point, because we all know their one objective is to not spend money.

With Michael Bourn still out on the open market, and not many teams seemingly interested in him at this point in the winter, Buster Olney tries to stir the pot, saying he wonders if Texas will now go after the leadoff hitter after hearing Nelson Cruz‘s name pop up in the latest PED allegations. I mentioned before Christmas that I thought Bourn could be a good fit for the Rangers, especially after they lost Josh Hamilton, but it remains to be seen if they want to throw their hat into the ring to try and put themselves over the top.

There were a good number of minor league deals that became official yesterday; first, Bill Hall continues to bounce around from team to team, as he agreed to a minor league deal with the Angels. MLB Trade Rumors gave us a nice rundown of some other small moves, as Andy LaRoche signed with the Blue Jays, Andrew Brackman is now a member of the White Sox, and the Orioles inked Rob Delaney, Manny Delcarmen, and Chris Pettit to minor league deals.

A couple of arbitration cases were settled yesterday, as reliever Shawn Kelley and the Mariners settled on a one-year deal for $935K, with bonuses in place that could bring the total value to $1.1 million. However, the biggest case to be settled was Chase Headley and the Padres, who agreed to a one-year deal worth $8.575 million. The Padres sure would like to hand Headley an extension, but that will be a discussion for another day.

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