Trade nearly done after Gonzalez passes physical  —  Pirates expected to officially acquire LaRoche today  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  Mike Gonzalez, the reliever the Pirates have agreed to send to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for first baseman Adam LaRoche, passed his physical yesterday.

Indians agree with Nixon for one year, $3 million … Free-agent outfielder Trot Nixon has agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with the Cleveland Indians, ESPN.com's Peter Gammons reports.  —  Nixon, who has spent his entire pro baseball career with the Boston Red Sox organization …

Diamondbacks agree to deal with Davis  —  The Diamondbacks have agreed with left-hander Doug Davis to a three-year contract worth more than $20 million.  —  The deal, which pays Davis $5.5 million this year, $7.75 million in 2008 and $8.75 million in 2009, enables the two sides to avoid salary arbitration.

Spending time with Yankees  —  If you're planning to catch them against Rockies, dig deep  —  The Rockies-Yankees midweek series occurs in June, long before pennant races crystallize, contending teams feel an urgency to win and scoreboard watching becomes an earnest pursuit.

Lee, Womack among 12 added to mix  —  Club lures free-agent veterans with Minor League deals  —  WASHINGTON — The Nationals have agreed to terms on Minor League contracts with pitchers Jesus Colome, Anastacio Martinez, Luis Martinez and Arnie Munoz, outfielders George Lombard and Abraham Nunez …

Uneasy at First, Mets Embrace Their New Orleans Connection  —  A woman wearing a pink cowboy hat covered in rhinestones walked down Bourbon Street on Wednesday night and spotted a character with equally outrageous headgear.  —  "Hey there," the woman shouted.  "Who are you?"

Andruw wants to finish career in Atlanta  —  Gold Glove center fielder can be free agent after 2007 season  —  ATLANTA — If he were simply fueled by financial greed, Andruw Jones would have spent much of this past offseason salivating.  With every passing day, it seemed a different …

Twins face fiscal issues in near future  —  The Twins are dealing with six potential arbitration cases, more than any club.  The rising stature of the middle of their batting order — Joe Mauer, Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau — underscores the difficulty that the team eventually will face …

Talking With: Ned Colletti, Part I  —  Technically speaking, we're in the midst of Major League Baseball's off-season.  But for Dodgers GM Ned Colletti and his staff, the time spent since St. Louis won the World Series (subtle, eh?) has been anything but a vacation, whether retaining …

Cards manager praises third baseman, but still hasn't addressed feud  —  ST. LOUIS - Tony La Russa is saying great things about Scott Rolen about this winter.  The St. Louis manager just isn't saying them to his star third baseman.  —  Caught up in a feud during the Cardinals' run to the World Series …

Seven and '07  —  There are things to like and dislike about the Cubs, but it will all come down to pitching  —  Spending more than $300 million on free agents and a new manager in one offseason should have been enough to make the Cubs feel like the runaway favorites to win the National League Central in 2007.

Washington Nationals set to begin week-long Winter Caravan Monday, Jan. 22-Monday, Jan. 29  —  Nationals Manager, players, front office executives and broadcast personalities get on the road prior to start of Spring Training with several stops in the District, Maryland and Virginia

Betty Trezza, women's baseball pioneer, dies at 81  —  CBS SportsLine.com wire reports  —  NEW YORK — Betty Trezza, who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for the team featured in the film A League of Their Own, has died.  She was 81.