Foulke has it his way  —  Theo Epstein must have hung up the phone and done a backflip, maybe a handspring, maybe even a cartwheel, too.  He probably put on a tutu and did pirouettes down Boylston Street to share the news with Johnny from Burger King.  —  Keith Foulke is gone.  —  Whoppers for everyone.

Clock ticking for Ramirez, Cubs  —  After a relatively dormant stretch in negotiations, talks between Cubs general manager Jim Hendry and the representative for free-agent third baseman Aramis Ramirez moved into overdrive the last 36 hours, with agent Paul Kinzer insisting Friday night the club …

METS BANK ON CITI  —  $20M STADIUM RIGHTS  —  Shea goodbye.  —  Citigroup Inc. will put its name on the Mets' new stadium in a deal reportedly worth $20 million a year, sources close to the negotiations said yesterday.  —  "CitiField" - as the new ballpark will be called …

Jeter, Cano nab Silver Slugger Awards  —  Middle infielders recognized for their hitting excellence in '06  —  NEW YORK — Derek Jeter's romp through postseason awards continued on Friday, as the Yankees' shortstop earned the first Silver Slugger Award of his career.

Acta to be named Nats' next manager  —  Former Mets coach to become second skipper in team history  —  WASHINGTON — The Nationals will name Mets third-base coach Manny Acta as their new manager on Tuesday, according to a high-ranking baseball official.  Acta will sign a two-year contract, but terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Hall might get new diamond setting  —  GM considers moving infielder to outfield  —  thaudricourt@journalsentinel.com  —  The likelihood of Bill Hall starting in the outfield for the Milwaukee Brewers on opening day 2007 increased over the past week.  And in Japan of all places.

The real deal  —  Numbers show Matsuzaka is worth every penny  —  The free-agent shopping season is beginning to heat up, but before it's even really begun, we're already witnessing a frenzied pursuit of a potential Japanese Leagues import, right-handed starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, pitching ace of the Seibu Lions.

Benson won't seek trade … The Orioles have had talks with the New York Yankees about acquiring 30-year-old pitcher Jaret Wright, according to an industry source.  The Orioles likely would have to part with a reliever in return for Wright, who has fallen out of favor in New York after two inconsistent seasons.

Nats cut prices on many 2007 tickets  —  Over 13,000 seats at RFK will be priced at $10 or less  —  The Nationals announced the 2007 prices for season tickets and single-game tickets, which include some significant price reductions from the 2006 season.  Over 13,000 seats will be priced at $10 or less in 2007.

Abreu burning it up in Arizona  —  First baseman coming up clutch for Mesa in AFL action  —  Michel Abreu already has plenty of good things to remember from his Arizona Fall League season.  —  The highlights include a seven-game hitting streak capped by a two-homer, five-RBI performance.

Wakamatsu returning to Rangers' staff  —  The Rangers' coaching staff is all but completed.  —  Don Wakamatsu, the bench coach for the last four seasons, has agreed to return to Ron Washington's staff as third base coach for 2007, general manager Jon Daniels said Friday.

Cubs bid for Matsuzaka, may settle for lefty  —  Though the Cubs entered a bid for Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka, there's a better chance they will wind up with 27-year-old left-hander Kei Igawa, whom the Hanshin Tigers made available Friday.  —  Igawa, who was 14-9 this season …