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 …

A's set to name bench coach Geren new manager  —  OAKLAND, Calif. — Bob Geren will be promoted from bench coach to manager of the Oakland Athletics, according to a high-ranking baseball official.  —  The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the team won't introduce Geren …

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 …

Sean Casey Re-signed.  —  The Tigers signed Sean Casey to a 1 year 4 million dollar contract today.  According to Billfer at Detroit Tigers Weblog, Casey will be the starting first baseman and Chris Shelton will have to earn his way back onto the team: … As many of you know, I'm not a big fan of Casey.

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.

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.

Is Glavine returning to Atlanta?  —  NAPLES, Fla. - The longer Tom Glavine delays his decision about returning to the Mets, one National League general manager speculated Thursday, the better the chances that he will rejoin the Braves.  —  Glavine, 40, will become a free agent at midnight Monday …

A-Rod not interested in free agency or leaving N.Y.  —  NEW YORK — He's said it before and he said it again: Alex Rodriguez wants to remain with the New York Yankees, no matter how much he gets booed at Yankee Stadium.  —  He made that clear on Wednesday night before hosting …

HOMEMLBNEWS STORYRangers, Ojeda agree on contract  —  ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Backup catcher Miguel Ojeda and the Texas Rangers agreed Thursday to a US$430,000, one-year contract.  —  Ojeda, who was eligible for salary arbitration, is guaranteed $300,000 under the deal.

Astros offer deals to Lee, Soriano  —  NAPLES, Fla. - Promising to be aggressive in their pursuit of free agents in the offseason, the Astros have made contract offers to the top two sluggers on the market - outfielders Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Lee.  —  The Astros, who ranked …

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.

Player Profile  —  Barry Zito  —  Sound the trumpets: ESPN.com's Rumor Central can quiet the Barry Zito trade rumors they have been so fond of for the past few seasons.  Untraded to the end, Zito is at long last a free agent, and has roughly zero chance of not finding himself in another team's uniform come spring training.

Glendale signs deal to lure Dodgers to desert  —  GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - The Los Angeles Dodgers appear to be headed to the Phoenix suburbs for spring training after nearly 60 years in Vero Beach, a small Florida city that wrapped its identity around the baseball team.