What are the Orioles thinking?  —  There are two ways to view the Orioles' investment of nearly $42 million in relievers Jamie Walker, Danys Baez and Chad Bradford.  —  A. The Orioles, coming off nine consecutive losing seasons, needed to overpay each reliever in a three-year contract to attract him to Baltimore, or,

Yankees win rights to Igawa for $26,000,194  —  NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees got a chance to sign a Japanese pitcher on their second try this offseason, winning the rights Tuesday to Kei Igawa after losing out to the Boston Red Sox two weeks ago for Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Sox, Drew close  —  Outfielder in line for $70m, five years  —  There is still contract language to be worked out, and some question about whether the fifth year of the deal is guaranteed.  But the Red Sox are nearing the completion of a deal with J.D. Drew that would pay …

Lieberthal is ready for blue  —  Veteran catcher would be happy to back up Martin, if a couple of hurdles don't stop him.  —  Like pitcher Randy Wolf, catcher Mike Lieberthal is a Philadelphia Phillie who grew up in Southern California.  —  And like the left-handed starter whose …

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 …

Throw clueless GM Littlefield off Pirates' sinking ship  —  The Pittsburgh Pirates might be one of baseball's two or three franchises truly beyond resuscitation, and I can tell you why in three words: Dave Motherbleepin' Littlefield.  —  In his five tragic years as the team's executive zookeeper …

Bradford bolts bullpen for Baltimore  —  The Mets have lost one of the key pieces of their bullpen.  Chad Bradford has agreed to a three-year deal with the Orioles worth roughly $10.5 million, pending a physical, baseball officials said yesterday.  —  The righthanded Bradford, 32 …

No Braves offer yet for Glavine  —  Tom Glavine wants to rejoin the Braves and the Braves want the 40-year-old left-hander back in their starting rotation.  But as of late Tuesday, a signing seemed far from imminent _ in fact, there was reason to doubt if it would happen at all.

Manny would be ideal backup plan  —  PHILADELPHIA — Pat Gillick said it as if it were acceptable after the Cubs, not the Phillies, paid the market price for Alfonso Soriano: "We have a backup plan."  A backup plan.  The silver medal.  Place money.  That's the Phillies.  That's always the Phillies.

Leaving Tucson will be tricky  —  Sox need replacement before Glendale move  —  Moving their spring-training home from Tucson to Glendale, Ariz., might seem easy for the White Sox.  —  Their toughest task will be finding a team to replace them at the facility they share with the Arizona Diamondbacks.