Mets, Citigroup strike stadium deal  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Goodbye, Shea Stadium; hello, CitiField.  —  The Mets and Citigroup Inc. have agreed on a 20-year sponsorship deal for the team's new ballpark that is worth more than an average of $20 million annually and includes stadium naming rights, a baseball official said Saturday.

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.

McCann earns first Silver Slugger  —  Braves catcher enjoyed award-winning sophomore season  —  ATLANTA — When the Braves traded Johnny Estrada in December, they showed Brian McCann they were fully confident in his ability to be their everyday catcher.  But even McCann couldn't have foreseen …

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.

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 …

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.

Bergolla stays hot in Venezuela  —  Infielder one of several Reds prospects in offseason leagues  —  William Bergolla may not look like Ted Williams, but he's hitting like him this fall.  —  Bergolla continued his scorching Venezuela Winter League campaign this week …

Padres bid on Japan's Iwamura  —  Padres General Manager Kevin Towers said yesterday the club forwarded a bid for the negotiating rights to Japanese third baseman Akinori Iwamura, viewing the versatile 27-year-old as a candidate for second base, an outfield spot or a super-utility job.

Report: Sosa denies steroids played part in success  —  Sammy Sosa, contemplating a return to baseball in 2007, would like to end the speculation that steroid use played a part in his impressive career slugging statistics.  —  "No question about it," Sosa told the Chicago Tribune on Friday.

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.