Red Sox can't reduce bid for Matsuzaka  —  BOSTON - The Boston Red Sox cannot reduce their $51.1 million bid for Daisuke Matsuzaka in order to sign him, even if his Japanese team agrees to take less, baseball officials said Tuesday.  —  "There are no side deals in the situation," …

Cardinals close to bringing back Kennedy  —  The Cardinals, bringing back one of their former prospects, are on the verge of signing free-agent second baseman Adam Kennedy to a three-year, $10 million contract, FOXSports.com has learned.  —  Kennedy, 30, will replace free agent Ron Belliard …

Dodgers, Rangers could make deals for Manny  —  The trade market for left fielder Manny Ramirez consists of four teams, according to major-league sources, and the Dodgers and Rangers appear to be more suitable partners for the Red Sox than the Giants and Padres.  —  FOX Bite  —  Videos

Guillen Named DIBS Player of the Year  —  Rogers and Verlander also garner hardware  —  DETROIT, Mich. — The Detroit Independent Baseball Scribes announced Tuesday (Nov. 28) the winners of the 2006 DIBS Awards.  Shortstop Carlos Guillen was named the DIBS Player of the Year as voted on by DIBS members.

Wolf, Dodgers agree to $8M deal  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Randy Wolf and the Los Angeles Dodgers finalized an $8 million, one-year contract on Tuesday.  —  Wolf gets $7.5 million next year, and the Dodgers have a $9 million option for 2008 with a $500,000 buyout.

NL teams warm up to idea of a Ramírez deal  —  The Manny Ramírez trade chatter predictably spiked upward yesterday, with the winter meetings just days away.  —  While the Red Sox continued to close in on a deal for free agent outfielder J.D. Drew, and have made an offer …

Brewers closing in on Counsell  —  The Milwaukee Brewers are getting closer to a deal with free-agent infielder Craig Counsell, FOXSports.com has learned.  —  If the Brewers are able to land the former Diamonbacks shortstop, it could result in the Padres making a move to obtain Tony Graffanino as their every day second baseman.

Hanshin accepts $25M bid for Igawa  —  The Hanshin Tigers have accepted the top bid — believed to be about $25 million — for left-handed pitcher Kei Igawa, SI.com has learned.  —  Major League Baseball is expected to announce Tuesday night which team won the bidding.

Sabes says he would decline Hall honor  —  Bret Saberhagen doesn't hold any illusions about his chances of making it into the Baseball Hall of Fame now that he's entered his first year on the ballot.  —  But Saberhagen had some startling words for Hall voters about what he'd do if he got in.

Blue Jays, Zaun agree on $7.25M deal  —  In a stunning turn of events, the Blue Jays have reached agreement with free-agent catcher Gregg Zaun on a two-year, $7.25 million contract, FOXSports.com has learned.  —  The Jays had a two-year, $5.25 million deal in place with free-agent catcher Rod Barajas …

Suites, tickets, no-trade provision all part of Soriano deal  —  CBS SportsLine.com wire reports  —  CHICAGO — Alfonso Soriano will be paid $18 million annually in the final five years of his $136 million, eight-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, the fifth-richest contract in baseball history.

YANKS KEEP FAITH IN UNIT, PAVANO  —  On the day the Yankees officially welcomed soon-to-be 38-year-old Mike Mussina back into their Kate Moss-thin rotation with a two-year, $23 million deal, Brian Cashman said he believes Randy Johnson and Carl Pavano can be counted on to fill in behind Chien-Ming Wang and Mussina.

Cubs offer $45M to righty Schmidt  —  The Cubs, anxious to steal the winter and maybe the summer, too, are now pursuing star free-agent pitcher Jason Schmidt, SI.com has learned.  The Cubs already have spent $239 million on free agents (including the $10 million they used for new manager Lou Piniella) …

Free Agent Salaries and MLB Revenue Growth  —  Like most baseball fans, I am shocked by the money going to free agents this off-season.  I expected this to be a big year, but these numbers are off-the-chart huge, far higher than I anticipated.  Because many of these contracts are long-term deals …