Morneau upsets field in AL MVP race  —  Twins first baseman tops Jeter, Ortiz and Thomas  —  MINNEAPOLIS — Justin Morneau had some stiff competition when it came to earning American League Most Valuable Player honors, and that was just on his team.  —  But while the Twins had multiple candidates …

Rangers take step to fill leadoff spot  —  Catalanotto signs $13.3 million deal with former club  —  ARLINGTON — The Rangers realize that the chances of re-signing center fielder Gary Matthews are decreasing as the offseason goes along.  —  They still aren't sure who will play center field …

Happy days, indeed  —  Newest Cub loves Chicago, Piniella, leading off, outfield  —  When the Cubs celebrate the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field in 2014, Alfonso Soriano should be entering the final year of his $136 million contract.  —  After signing his megadeal Monday morning at Wrigley …

Rockies, Francis agree to four-year, $13.25M deal … Pitcher Jeff Francis has reached agreement on a four-year, $13.25 million contract with the Colorado Rockies, a source told ESPN.com.  The contract includes a fifth-year club option that could bring the total value of the deal to more than $20 million.

Probabilistic Model of Range, First Basemen, 2006  —  Here's how PMR ranks the first basemen:  —  Probabilistic Model of Range, First Basemen.  Model is Based on 2006 Data Only.  Minimum 1000 Balls in Play.  —  Player In Play Actual Outs Predicted Outs DER Predicted DER Difference  —  Kendry Morales

Angels high on Matthews' list  —  The Angels have emerged as the favorites to land free-agent center fielder Gary Matthews Jr., whose career year with the Texas Rangers has put him in line for a four- or five-year deal that will probably net him at least $10 million a year.

Q&A WITH ANGELS' JUSTIN SPEIER  —  Fresh off the signing of a four-year, $18-million contract with the Angels, right-handed reliever Justin Speier addressed his new deal and his role with his new team on a conference call with the Southern California media Tuesday.

Nationals manager Manny Acta names 2007 coaching staff  —  The Washington Nationals today completed their 2007 coaching staff by hiring six gentlemen who bring energy, experience, familiarity and diverse baseball backgrounds to the club's dugout and clubhouse.

MVP voting sends the wrong message  —  No doubt, you've heard that the baseball writers recently voted Ryan Howard of the Phillies as National League MVP for 2006 and Justin Morneau as American League MVP.  —  These choices aren't entirely surprising, but they are unbelievably wrong-headed.

Jeter's MVP snub may be related to A-Rod  —  For years admirers of Derek Jeter have tried to persuade the detractors that there was more to the Yankee shortstop than any stat sheet could reveal.  He was Mr. Intangible.  Either you believed in such things and admired all that he brought …

Dodgers add three to 40-man roster  —  Pitching prospects Hull, Hammes, Megrew protected  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers added pitchers Eric Hull, Zach Hammes and Mike Megrew to the 40-man roster Tuesday.  —  Hull, who will be 27 in December, is a 5-foot-11, 185-pound right-hander.

Twins finalize 40-man roster  —  Club leaves one spot open with 39 players listed  —  MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins finalized their 40-man roster, though they did it with just 39 players.  —  Four players were added to the roster on Monday, the deadline to add players to protect them from being exposed in next month's Rule 5 Draft.