Sox sign reliever Okajima  —  As reported earlier today by the Herald, the Red Sox announced that they have signed Japanese relief pitcher Hideki Okajima to a two-year contract with an option for the 2009 season.  —  General manager Theo Epstein will introduce the left-handed pitcher …

Beyond Igawa, Yankees Consider a Few Others  —  The Yankees will have five starting pitchers once they sign Kei Igawa, the left-hander from Japan whose negotiating rights they won Tuesday.  But two of those starters have serious health questions, which is why the Yankees may not be done shopping.

AGENT: BRAVES HAVE INTEREST IN GLAVINE  —  Tom Glavine, the most critical Met left with an uncertain future, is still figuring out whether to pitch for the Mets or Braves.  His agent, Gregg Clifton, said yesterday that the "Braves have expressed interest" in him.

Spring training in Tucson now concern for team  —  Scrapping winter caravan plans, the Rockies are considering hosting a one-day Fanfest in downtown Denver before spring training.  The inaugural event could offer a distraction from the team's concern about its spring training site in Tucson.

Padres, Graffanino talking  —  He would fill two needs: second baseman, leadoff man  —  The Padres are talking with the agent of second baseman Tony Graffanino, one of a few candidates San Diego is considering for its starting job.  —  Yesterday, Craig Counsell and the Brewers agreed on a two-year …

The Year-After Effect  —  Yesterday, Tom Verducci wrote about the danger of pitchers going over their accustomed workloads: … It's an interesting theory in a field sabermetricians have just begun to scratch.  Can we predict injuries?  Do some teams push their pitchers too hard?

Giants working to put lineup pieces in place  —  Team gets offer from Feliz's agent but may opt for Loretta instead  —  The Giants want to focus on trading for a slugging presence during the winter meetings next week, so they hope to make decisions on many free agents before Saturday.

Whither Bill Hall?  —  The Brewers are in a quandary.  Not a horrible one, like waking up one morning and realizing they only have three starting pitchers.  On the contrary, they have too many MLB-quality infielders.  As a matter of fact, the same was true at the beginning of the 2006 season …

Borowski's shoulder concerns Phillies  —  Team doctor advises against long-term contract for reliever  —  PHILADELPHIA — Because of an unfavorable medical report on free-agent reliever Joe Borowski's right shoulder, the Phillies will continue their search for a setup man to closer Tom Gordon.

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.