Lester said to be making progress  —  No confirmation from father, team  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — A source with direct knowledge of Jon Lester's medical condition said yesterday that Lester's latest CT scan was clean and his cancer seems to be in remission, so the 22-year-old lefthander expects …

Boras is gatekeeper, again  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Scott Boras ended Monday at baseball's winter meetings well into Tuesday morning, taking a telephone call from "a client on the West Coast" three hours after midnight, returning various phone calls after that, sounding surprisingly energetic, all things considered.

Yankees close to Pettitte deal  —  Veteran lefty may delay retirement; news and notes  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Yankees' search for a starting pitcher that will keep them from having to bank on a healthy Carl Pavano and Randy Johnson is narrowing.  As Vicente Padilla came off …

Blue Jays want to keep Lilly, make late-night offer  —  ORLANDO, Fla. — The market for free-agent pitcher Ted Lilly officially increased late Monday night when the Toronto Blue Jays presented him with a formal offer.  —  The offer, terms of which weren't divulged, was something the Blue Jays intended to do with the left-hander.

Will's Mill  —  More From Orlando  —  The Manny Ramirez sweepstakes are heating up, with the talk now shifting from the Dodgers (whose offer of LaRoche and Broxton fell short) to the Angels, who are reluctant to offer Scot Shields plus one of their top prospects.

AL Buzz: Rowand return to White Sox still possible  —  ORLANDO, Fla. - When asked about the chances of reacquiring center fielder Aaron Rowand in a trade from the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, White Sox general manager Kenny Williams hardly sounded optimistic.

Padres, Maddux close to a deal  —  The Padres' negotiations with free-agent right-hander Greg Maddux are in the "dotting-the-i's-and-crossing-the- t's stage," according to a source close to the negotiations.  —  The Padres are offering Maddux, 40, a one-year contract with a club option for 2008, according to a major-league source.

Brewers' Mench drawing some surprising interest on trade market  —  thaudricourt@journalsentinel.com  —  Lake Buena Vista, Fla. - Milwaukee Brewers fans who watched outfielder Kevin Mench play over the final two months of the 2006 season might be astonished that teams actually want to trade for him.

Departing Reds staffer takes shots at Krivsky  —  Longtime scout Barton says Cincy GM wasn't listening to his advice.  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — When Wayne Krivsky became general manager of the Cincinnati Reds in February, one of the main reasons was the support he received from two members …

Moreno isn't ready to duck his responsibility  —  The baseball meetings are going on in Florida right now, which I figured was probably news to the Angels, so I put a call in to team owner Arte Moreno.  —  As you recall, the Angels were a huge disappointment last season and the last we heard …

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 …

Ace is in place?  Carpenter gets a three-year extension.  —  The market is strong for free agent hurlers Jason Schmidt |  Giants 2006: 11-9, 3.59 ERA, 180 Ks Miguel Batista |  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — In search of a No. 2 starter, the Cardinals took care of their No. 1 Monday when they announced …