Kabuki Auction: Bidding Intrigue Behind the Scenes  —  Like a toll on a turnpike or a personal seat license at a new stadium, an upfront fee is required these days for a 26-year-old ace pitcher from Japan.  —  The bidding for Daisuke Matsuzaka has begun, and no one knows quite how high it will go.

Cameron wins Gold, then asks for Baker  —  Center fielder 'big fan' of manager candidate  —  Awarded a Gold Glove yesterday, Padres center fielder Mike Cameron knows who the perfect catch would be in the club's managerial search.  —  "This is my opportunity to vouch for Dusty Baker," an excited Cameron told San Diego reporters.

Sox' ailing Anderson back home  —  Brian Anderson has no idea what the ramifications of his decision to leave Winter League play will be, but the White Sox outfielder wasn't terribly concerned with that Friday.  —  After developing some sort of stomach virus that dropped his weight 15 pounds …

Sosa eyes return to big leagues, 600 home runs  —  SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Sammy Sosa, 12 home runs shy of 600, said he wants to return to the big leagues in 2007 after taking a year off and contemplating retirement.  —  "I feel good physically, and after a year of resting …

Bonds' act was a big problem for the Giants  —  The prevailing opinion is that the Giants will seek to re-sign Barry Bonds, who needs 22 home runs to break the all-time record, but sources said the club is weighing many factors.  —  Money is only one factor.

Mets target Cards' Mulder  —  On a day Pedro Martinez hinted he might never come back, the Mets expressed interest in a potential replacement: free-agent pitcher Mark Mulder.  —  According to a person familiar with the situation, the Mets made a brief contact with Mulder's camp to express interest …

John wants to be Mets' Maine-stay  —  TOKYO - John Maine had not pitched in a game in 16 days, since he tossed 5-1/3 scoreless innings against eventual world champion St. Louis in Game 6 of the NLCS with the Mets facing elimination.  —  Then came the last-minute call to his Virginia home …

Morgan, Young are off and running  —  Duo has combined for 24 steals in winter-league action  —  Eric Young Jr. and Nyjer Morgan are making life difficult on opposing catchers in the Hawaii Winter League.  —  The 26-year-old Morgan, a left fielder for the Honolulu Sharks, leads the league with 13 stolen bases.

Re-signing Maddux could become tricky  —  Other roster concerns could make deal for him unmanageable; team declines Gagne's option.  —  Greg Maddux won his 16th Gold Glove award Friday and needs one more to break a tie with Jim Kaat and Brooks Robinson for the most at any position.

Brown still hot in Arizona Fall League  —  Angels prospect showing talent at the plate in the desert  —  Matt Brown showed he could hit for power and average at Double-A Arkansas this season.  The third baseman batted .293 with 19 home runs and 79 RBIs in 134 games for the Travelers.

I MIGHT QUIT  —  PEDRO: RETIREMENT COULD BE AN OPTION  —  Pedro Martinez raised the possibility yesterday that he is done as a major leaguer.  —  The Mets ace had surgery last month to repair a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, and he is not expected back to the Mets until July 2007, at best.

Mota?  What a mess  —  Ex-Met reliever could have left MLB on spot  —  Having an 83-victory St. Louis Cardinals team in the World Series didn't excite sports fans across the country.  The New York Mets would have delivered higher ratings, and it would have been fun to watch the middle …

Sheff's lookin' cooked  —  Moose is near pact  —  While the Yankees were getting a head start yesterday on plotting Gary Sheffield's path out of New York, they were also close to finalizing a deal that would keep Mike Mussina in pinstripes for the next two seasons.