For Valentin, 2nd run with Mets  —  Jose Valentin's surprise performance for the 2006 Mets has earned him another year in Flushing.  —  The Mets have agreed with Valentin on what is believed to be a one-year contract for a substantial raise - to roughly $3 million - pending a physical …

Hot stove notes from the winter meetings  —  NAPLES, Fla. - Notes from the general managers' meetings:  — Third baseman Aramis Ramirez actually is guaranteed $75 million in his new five-year deal with the Cubs, not the $73 million that was initially reported.

Prospect of Acta has players excited  —  Patterson among those familiar with reported new skipper  —  WASHINGTON — Nationals right-hander John Patterson was pitching for the Licey Tigers in the Dominican Winter League in 2004, and he said to himself that his manager, Manny Acta …

Despite the dollars, Red Sox' pursuit of Matsuzaka makes sense  —  NAPLES, Fla. — A plethora of no comments and no answers have been the norm the past few days when Red Sox personnel have been asked about Daisuke Matsuzaka, a possible sign that where there's smoke, there's fire …

Humidors attract attention of general managers  —  Naples, Fla. - Like Kenny Rogers, Major League Baseball is determined to get a better grip on its baseballs.  —  Before arriving Sunday at the general managers' meetings, Joe Garagiola Jr. met with team equipment managers last week to determine how teams store their baseballs.

Willis' fate could be decided soon  —  Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis has spent his off-season getting ready for one of the biggest moves of his life: He's getting married next month.  —  But a wedding might not be the only change in store for him this winter.

Rookie Race Too Close to Call  —  Nats' Zimmerman Has the Numbers, but So Do Others  —  If the waves are right and it's not too cold, you might find Ryan Zimmerman off the coast of Virginia Beach, wetsuit wrapped around his body, surfboard under his feet.  If the rain holds off and the breeze …

Yankees deal pitcher Jaret Wright to Orioles  —  NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees wanted to save $3 million, and for that price the Baltimore Orioles thought Jaret Wright was a bargain.  —  Wright was traded to the Orioles on Sunday for right-handed reliever Chris Britton.

It's the ... IRONPIGS  —  Lehigh Valley's minor league baseball team selects a nickname  —  By Daniel Patrick Sheehan Of The Morning Call  —  After 3,500 contest entries, 10,000 online votes, 10 focus groups and plenty of second-guessing, it came down to this:  —  The Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

The Hardball Times Annual 2007  —  The third Hardball Times Baseball Annual, this one covering the 2006 season, is just about wrapped up.  I'm supposed to send it off to the printer on Monday, on schedule for shipping by the end of the month, which means we're in final panicky edit mode.

Pitching tops Birds wish list  —  The free-agent shopping season officially opens Sunday.  —  Rarely have the Cardinals been closer to the front of the line.  —  The filing period for free agents concluded Saturday, freeing teams to talk money with players previously with other clubs as well as their own.