Here’s the morning rundown on the biggest news items from around Major League Baseball for Sunday, December 13th:

• In a change to an earlier trade, the Houston Astros actually traded pitcher Mark Appel instead of outfielder Derek Fisher as part of the Ken Giles trade that was completed last week.
• The Philadelphia Phillies acquired pitcher Charlie Morton from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• The Seattle Mariners agreed to a two-year contract worth $10 million with reliever Steve Cishek.
• The Washington Nationals are exploring several outfield options, including several Rockies outfielders and former National Denard Span.
• Finally, according to a report by Zach Braziller of the NY Post, Carlos Beltran may retire following the 2016 season.