Sox are seeking relief  —  Closer is their focus in any Ramírez deal  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — If there was a pattern to be detected in the Manny Ramírez trade talks here, it was this: The Red Sox are focusing on getting a closer in return.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Yanks Waiting for Pettitte and Trying to Be Prudent  —  In another era, before Brian Cashman gained more authority as a general manager, the Yankees might have led the industry's spending spree on free agents.  —  "You live and learn," Cashman said.  "Every year you try to be better at what you do.

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 …

Braves pursue Roberts … LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. // From The Cover  —  The Orioles have vowed to explore every avenue to acquire a middle-of-the-lineup bat and apparently that includes entertaining a trade offer for one of their most popular players.  —  According to several industry sources …

Bull Pennings: Winter Meetings Edition  —  CBS SportsLine senior writer Scott Miller files periodic observations from the baseball beat ...  Lots of buzz in the lobby  —  ORLANDO, Fla. — Dinner time (for some people) Monday and it's been a long day of lots of talk and little actual hard news.

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 …

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 …

Green challenges Burrell  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Dallas Green is out of the penalty box and mixing it up in the corners again.  —  His target this time isn't Charlie Manuel.  It's Pat Burrell.  —  On Day 1 of the winter meetings, Big D, still a prominent voice in the Phillies' organization 26 years …

Posada's priority is plating another championship  —  He is 35 years old and has started more games behind the plate than any American League catcher in the last seven years.  Jorge Posada says he doesn't mind assuming a heavy workload again in 2007, as long as he can add some hardware to his collection.