Hot Stove: Big market for Manny's bat  —  Boston may pull off trade for slugger if right deal comes along  —  The annual Manny Watch has started to flicker.  —  As sure as leaves fall in October, there are always rumors of left fielder Manny Ramirez's departure from the Boston Red Sox.

Igawa's negotiating rights posted  —  Japanese lefty follows Matsuzaka, Iwamura in bidding process  —  Left-hander Kei Igawa was posted by the Hanshin Tigers on Friday, and Major League Baseball organizations have until Nov. 27 to submit a bid for exclusive negotiating rights to the 27-year-old pitcher.

Mueller retires, joins front office  —  Dodgers also closing in on multiyear deal for Garciaparra  —  LOS ANGELES — Bill Mueller became the highest-paid special assistant to the general manager in Dodgers history Friday when he was forced to retire as a player and joined the front office.

Angels may want Drew as their center fielder  —  Dodgers fans who are upset about J.D. Drew's decision to opt out of his contract last week might not have to travel far to express their displeasure with the outfielder.  The Angels, according to industry sources, are interested in signing Drew to play center field.

The Red Sox May Have Just Made Insanity the Norm  —  Baseball is an old sport, and it doesn't change all that often.  This week's news that the Boston Red Sox have secured the rights to negotiate with Seibu Lions pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka for the fairly outlandish sum of $51 million represents real change.

Notes: Focus returns to rotation  —  With Thomas signed, arms once again top priority  —  TORONTO — Now that Frank Thomas can officially be fitted for his Big Hurt-size Blue Jays jersey, it's time for Toronto to turn its attention back toward its pitching staff.

At last, there may be a market for Manny  —  For years, the reason the Red Sox couldn't trade left fielder Manny Ramirez was simple — no team wanted to absorb Ramirez's contract.  —  The bigger problem now is that the Sox likely couldn't replace Ramirez with a worthy right-handed complement to David Ortiz.

Would Glavine return without no-trade clause?  —  Just when you thought you'd heard enough _ maybe more than enough _ about Tom Glavine's pending decision to pitch next season for the Mets or the Braves (assuming Atlanta makes him an offer), let me point out a factor that's been entirely overlooked.

Comparison Fun  —  You know I think the free agent market is nuts.  You know I support acquiring talent via trade instead of paying these prices.  You may not know that there really are good deals to be found, even in this sea of insanity.  For instance, look at this comparison of left-fielders:

IronPigs fightin' words for biker club  —  Organization says baseball team owners infringing trademark.  —  By Jeff Schuler Of The Morning Call  —  What's the difference between Iron Pigs and IronPigs?  —  A lot, if you're Lehigh Valley's baseball team.  Not so much if you're an international motorcycle club based in Texas.

Owens finishing AFL season strong  —  Late start doesn't keep outfielder from showing promise  —  It might have taken a few weeks, but it looks like Jerry Owens is hitting his stride just as the Arizona Fall League season comes to a close.  The 25-year-old center fielder arrived late …

Frandsen might bump Durham  —  The Giants typically don't give opening-day jobs to unproven players, but infielder Kevin Frandsen is forcing the organization to take notice.  —  Frandsen's performance in the Arizona Fall League has the Giants leaning toward giving him a shot at second base …

Slashing Payroll May Be No Bargain  —  If the Florida Marlins or the Pittsburgh Pirates had made the trades, they would be called salary dumps.  So let's call it what it is, even though it was the Yankees who made the trades.  It was a salary dump by the Yankees, of all teams.  Or was it?