Brandon Webb; Photo by SD Dirk via Flickr

Christmas may be over, but one MLB team appears poised to pick up a late gift in the form of Ashland native Brandon Webb:

• Jason Stark of ESPN.com reports Webb is nearing a decision “closing in” on a decision as to which team he will sign with.
• Stark reports the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals are no longer in the running for Webb’s services. He lists the Texas Rangers and a still-unidentified mystery NL Central team as the leaders for Webb. Stark speculates the Cardinals or Pirates may be the mystery team.
• Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com reports the Cincinnati Reds are the principal challenger to the Rangers.
• Stark tweets that the Rangers are still the favorites, but other teams support the rumor that the Reds are not out of the running.