Padres make Wells offer, want answer by end of week  —  Kevin Towers won't call it a deadline.  —  But he'd like to get an answer from pitcher David Wells "by the end of this week."  —  The Padres have made a formal contract offer to the 43-year-old left-hander after what Towers described as a series of "positive dialogues."

Braves look to strengthen bullpen with deal  —  The Pirates finally are on the verge of obtaining first baseman Adam LaRoche from the Braves, but the price won't simply be left-handed reliever Mike Gonzalez.  —  The Braves also will receive Class A shortstop Brent Lillibridge …

Sosa's return could bring big dividends  —  Rangers general manager Jon Daniels began the day Wednesday awaiting a new arrival, wondering just how big he might be.  —  Sammy Sosa?  Oh, yeah, him, too.  —  But of more immediate concern was the imminent arrival of Daniels' first-born.

Putz's breakout season for M's pays off  —  J.J. Putz has always been mindful of a well-worn adage: Getting to the big leagues is hard, but staying there is harder.  —  Thanks to his performance last season, Putz earned the assurance he's going to be around for a while.

Jays ink Fasano to Minor League deal  —  Veteran catcher realizes he'll likely begin season at Triple-A  —  TORONTO — Sal Fasano understands that he might not make Toronto's Opening Day roster.  That didn't stop the free-agent catcher from signing with the Blue Jays, though.

Nationals sign four prospects  —  Club continues to stock system as Spring Training nears  —  WASHINGTON — The Nationals agreed to terms on professional contracts with catcher Sandy Leon, shortstop Adrian Sanchez, center fielder Jesus Morales and first baseman Juan Urdaneta on Wednesday.

Inside Shea: Olivermania?  —  (Editor's Note) Gotham Baseball Magazine is proud to announce the newest addition to our editorial staff, Howard Megdel.  He has covered both sports and news with an equal amount of excellence and we're priviliged to have him.  Join us as we welcome him to Gotham Nation.

Expert Ties Ex-Player's Suicide to Brain Damage  —  Since the former National Football League player Andre Waters killed himself in November, an explanation for his suicide has remained a mystery.  But after examining remains of Mr. Waters's brain, a neuropathologist in Pittsburgh is claiming …

Bonds' leaked results could handcuff Giants  —  Six weeks after he reached a tentative deal to return to San Francisco for a 15th season, Barry Bonds remains a non-Giant.  —  He has no contract.  He is not on the 40-man roster, and his one-year, $15.8 million agreement has not been formalized …

QB Vick raises suspicion at Miami airport  —  Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was reluctant to throw away his 20-ounce water bottle at a Miami International Airport security checkpoint Wednesday morning.  —  The reason, police say: The plastic bottle had a secret compartment that …

NL report card  —  Senior Circuit makes gains on American League  —  The National League had some catching up to do, and it did just that this winter.  The NL imported Barry Zito, Carlos Lee, Freddy Garcia and Randy Johnson from the American League.  If this keeps up, things will even out before long.

Guillen's extension is still in the works  —  The Tigers want to sign Carlos Guillen to a contract extension, and he wants to stay.  On Wednesday, though, assistant general manager Al Avila said there was no progress to report on a new contract for the starting shortstop.

Sox dealing with Pena, Donnelly  —  The Red Sox [team stats] have avoided making a single arbitration hearing appearance since Theo Epstein took over as general manager, and it does not appear that the club will be attending one anytime soon.  —  The Sox and their two arbitration-eligible players …