Hot Stove Lunch: Hall of Fame results to be announced tonight

In New England, temperatures are in the single digits and there's plenty of new snow on the ground.

And yet, Tuesday promises to be one of the best days on the 2019 baseball calendar.

It's Hall of Fame day, with an announcement at 6 p.m. Tuesday night for the Class of 2019, to be inducted later this summer in Cooperstown.

It's a given that Mariano Rivera will be voted in -- the only question seems to be whether he'll be the first unanimous inductee. From the number of ballots made public already, Edgar Martinez, in his final year of eligibility, will also get the call. And most predict that the late Roy Halladay will also gain election in his first year of eligibility.

After that, it's unclear. Mike Mussina seems to be right on the cusp and his case could go either way.

Beyond that, it will be interesting to track the progress of Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Curt Schilling. Clemens and Bonds, of course, stands as poster boys for the PED era -- there's no debating their numbers and qualifications, but some voters refuse to vote for anyone suspected or known to have used PEDs. Schilling, for different reasons, has also become a polarizing case.

I published my ballot and explained my choices last month.

There's always a good debate over the Hall and that will get ignited again tonight. Sometimes, the debate turns unnecessarily nasty, which is too bad. On the other hand, there's more discussion about the Baseball Hall of Fame than the other Halls of Fame in the three (main) sports put together.

That should count for something.

Elsewhere...

AL EAST

Rivera is a lock tonight, but he could be joined by another Yankee pitcher

Adam Jones is still available on the free agent market. The Orioles could consider bringing him back.

Why a Tampa Bay beat writer changed his mind on Edgar Martinez.

A look at the Blue Jays' Winter Fest.

AL CENTRAL 

The Indians are still unsettled at second base.

Newcomer Martin Perez is aiming for a spot in the Twins' rotation.

Five White Sox prospects cracked an exclusive list.

Right field is an uncertainty for the Royals.

AL WEST

The Astros have plans to introduce a team Hall of Fame.

Catching up with some former Rangers who have left the club.

Tyler Skaggs will be an important member of the Angels staff.

The A's will again count on Mike Fiers.

A trade got made Monday, so naturally, the Mariners were involved.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

The Cardinals are hoping to get an extension done with Paul Goldschmidt.