Happy Monday to all! I know many of you are preparing your plans for the big feast coming up this week. Meanwhile, it was kind of a slow news day in baseball yesterday. There are still a handful of rumors to break down and some roster crunches happening as teams prepare their rosters for the Rule 5 Draft. Let’s take a look at yesterday’s happenings.

In Mariners news...

• Jon Morosi reports that the Mariners checked in on Pirates stud Andrew McCutchen earlier this offseason, but nothing came of it. This news on its own doesn’t come as a surprise. Teams call to check in on every good player during the offseason. Heck, the M’s probably called to check in on Bryce Harper. But reports like this give us something concrete to fantasize about.
• Also from fantasy-land, Luke Arkins of Prospect Insider takes a look at the Mariners as a possible landing spot for Ryan Braun.
• More M’s rumors abound, this one coming from Jim Bowden.

• Luke Arkins also wonders what Mike Napoli could do to help Seattle next season.

In baseball-landia...

• Joel Hanrahan has opted to retire at the age of 35. Hanrahan hasn’t thrown in a major league contest since 2013.
• Former Mariners outfielder Eric Thames will likely seek to return to the states this offseason after spending three seasons in the KBO. Jerry Crasnick takes a look at Thames’ journey and what it will take for him to find success here.
• The A’s added a handful of players to their 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 Draft, including Paul Blackburn.
• Adrian Sampson didn’t survive the Rangers 40-man roster crunch, as he was outrighted by the team.

Anders’ picks...

• I’ve got another old FiveThirtyEight story. This one has some relevance to this time of the year: Thanksgiving dishes that are specific to certain regions of the country.
• In college hoops, Florida Gulf Coast missed an opportunity to knock off one of the nation’s best teams last night because of referee error.