Santana unanimous choice for AL Cy Young Award  —  Minnesota Twins left-hander Johan Santana has been voted the AL Cy Young award winner, the Baseball Writers Association of America announced Thursday.  —  Santana was a unanimous choice for the award — the second time in three years he has won by a unanimous vote.

Phils set to add 3B Helms  —  NAPLES, Fla. - The Phillies are about to sign a free agent...  A righthanded hitter...  And, no, it's not Alfonso Soriano.  —  General manager Pat Gillick said last night at the annual GM meetings that the Phillies are "absolutely" close to finalizing …

Cards get record-high Series shares  —  NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals cashed in at the World Series, earning more money than any other team in history.  —  St. Louis split $20.02 million for beating the Detroit Tigers.  A full share of that was worth $362,173, the commissioner's office said Thursday.

Cubs, White Sox swap pitchers  —  The Cubs and White Sox swapped relief pitchers Thursday, with the Sox acquiring right-handed pitcher David Aardsma and left-hander Carlos Vasquez in exchange for left-handed pitcher Neal Cotts.  —  Aardsma, 24, made 45 relief appearances over four stints …

Filling Texas-sized roster holes … NAPLES, Fla. — Jon Daniels notices a distinct difference between these general managers' meetings and his first go-round in Palm Springs, Calif., last November.  —  "This year people aren't writing that 'How is your first GM meetings' story," he said.

How much is Matsuzaka worth?  —  Wow.  That was my first reaction when I heard about the $51 million the Boston Red Sox are paying simply for the right to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka and that's been my reaction every time since that I have heard the number mentioned.  $51 million.

O'Dowd aims to stick to plan  —  NAPLES, Fla. - The Rockies are headed into the fourth year of their rebuilding plan.  —  General manager Dan O'Dowd is headed into the final year of his contract.  —  O'Dowd isn't looking for any shortcuts now.  —  "I feel very clear and confident …

A-Rod: I love NY  —  But superstar says he's keeping his escape clause  —  When Alex Rodriguez hugged Gary Sheffield yesterday outside of Jay-Z's 40-40 club, it was impossible to tell if the Yankees' third baseman was envious of his former teammate.  Sheffield strong-armed his exit …

Littlefield comments on GM meetings  —  Pirates GM likely to make trade rather than free-agent signing  —  NAPLES, Fla. — Dave Littlefield left the general managers meetings at the Naples Grande Resort on Thursday with the same roster he arrived with, but that doesn't mean the week was a waste of time for the Pittsburgh GM.

A's interest in Bonds heightens  —  Budget-conscious Oakland keeps talking to slugger's agent  —  CHICAGO — The Oakland A's have emerged as a possible new home for Barry Bonds, although the stars must be perfectly aligned for that to happen, said Lewis Wolff, the team's managing partner.

Jake Peavy to the Braves?  —  Also from Jerry Crasnick on ESPN radio, also no link yet: the Padres are close to sending Jake Peavy to Atlanta for Marcus Giles, Horacio Ramirez and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  This would make some sense: Schuerholz has never been afraid to deal top-drawer prospects …

Right-handed starter Marquis on Cubs' radar  —  At this point, the marquee pitching names might be out of the Cubs' price range.  —  But they're looking at a Marquis name.  —  That would be right-hander Jason Marquis, who went 14-16 with a 6.02 ERA with the St. Louis Cardinals this year and is now a free agent.