Mariners pursuing Zito  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — While the Seattle spotlight on free agent pitching has been almost exclusively on Jason Schmidt, it turns out the Mariners are in the mix for free agent left-handed starter Barry Zito.  —  Only Zito, who is 28, has a higher profile …

Rangers close to keeping Padilla  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The first piece of the Rangers' starting pitching puzzle could fall into place as early as today.  —  According to a source with knowledge of the negotiations, the Rangers were inching close to completing a three-year deal to retain right-hander Vicente Padilla.

Dodgers' deal for Manny unlikely  —  Red Sox price tag for slugger appears too steep  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Dodgers seem more likely to acquire Andruw Jones, Vernon Wells or no power hitter at all than they do Manny Ramirez, judging from early Winter Meetings returns.

Mets executives talk Zito with Boras at meetings  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The New York Mets made their first pitch to Barry Zito and might need to throw some big bucks on the table to land him.  —  Mets executives met Monday night with Zito's agent, Scott Boras — known for driving a hard bargain.

Byrnes has productive first day  —  D-backs seek pitching help at Winter Meetings  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Disney World may be the happiest place on earth, but it certainly wasn't the busiest on Monday as baseball's Winter Meetings kicked off at the Swan and Dolphin Hotel.

Trade talk surrounds pitching wealth  —  McCarthy's options for '07 hang in balance of rumored deals  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — One of the newest rumors making its way around the Swan and Dolphin Resort on Monday involved the movement of White Sox southpaw Mark Buehrle via trade to the Mets …

Fish refuse to bite on Dontrelle trade  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Typically quiet first day at baseball's winter meetings, other than another idiotic signing by the Texas Rangers - three years, $34 million for Vicente Padilla.  Manny Ramirez still is an apparently reluctant Red Sox …

Carpenter and Cardinals agree to new five-year contract  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty looked at the price of pitching on the free-agent market and decided to throw his money at a guy he already had.  —  The Cardinals announced a five …

Padres nearing agreement with Maddux  —  The Padres are closing in on a major off-season coup, nearing an agreement with free-agent right-hander Greg Maddux, FOXSports.com has learned.  —  The deal, which would be a significant blow to the Dodgers, the Padres' NL West rival …

Jennings, Hawpe may be moved  —  The opening-day starter and right fielder could be packaged in a deal with the Cubs and Pirates.  —  Orlando, Fla. - Casual interest in Jason Jennings has graduated to concrete proposals with the Rockies considering a three-way trade with the Cubs …

Brewers meet with Orioles on Day 1  —  Milwaukee GM Melvin may use outfield surplus to advantage  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Brewers' contingent met on Monday with officials from the Baltimore Orioles and one other club regarding Milwaukee's stable of corner outfielders …

Marlins zero in on Kolb  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA — The Marlins may be closing in on their next bullpen reclamation project, but they'll have to open their wallet to get him.  —  Former All-Star closer Dan Kolb is intrigued with the idea of trying to revive his career with the Marlins …

Dealing pitchers unlikely in Marlins' quest for center fielder  —  · Making a run at Devil Rays center fielder Rocco Baldelli makes sense on so many levels.  Age.  Athleticism.  Affordability.  —  What may not compute for the Marlins is blowing up their rotation to get him.

Winter meetings: Pirates trot after outfielder Nixon  —  Atlanta's hot-hitting LaRoche a possibility, too  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Pirates, it appears, are hot for Trot.  —  On the first day of Major League Baseball's winter meetings …

Pettitte's status impacts Astros' moves  —  GM Purpura also exploring trade market for frontline starter  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Astros are mildly interested in free-agent pitcher Jason Schmidt, but general manager Tim Purpura hasn't been aggressively pursuing the right-hander mainly because of the Andy Pettitte factor.

Notes: Loss of Guillen nets draft pick  —  Bowden looks forward to restocking farm system in June  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — General Jim Bowden was pleased the Nationals will get an extra draft pick after outfielder Jose Guillen officially signed a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Mariners on Monday.

Padres reach deal with Jose Cruz Jr.  —  The Padres and outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. have agreed to terms on a one-year, $650,000 contract.  —  General Manager Kevin Towers said Cruz and Terrmel Sledge, as it stands now, will share time in left field next season.