Padres, Wells agree to 1-year deal  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) — David Wells is all but penciled in as the No. 5 starter for his hometown San Diego Padres.  —  The Padres and Wells' agent agreed in principle Friday to a $3 million, one-year deal that gives the 43-year-old left-hander the chance to make another $4 million in incentives.

McPherson expected to miss most of year  —  A lower-back injury that limited Dallas McPherson to 61 games in 2005 and 40 games in 2006 probably will sideline the Angels infielder for most, if not all, of the 2007 season.  —  McPherson all but conceded Friday night that he would need surgery …

Blast from the past  —  Here's a curious case for all sides of the steroid debate, for the amateur lawyers who have bastardized the concept of innocent until proven guilty, the hard-liners who view performance-enhancing drugs as Satan's elixir and the majority that cares not to blacken or whiten a gray issue.

Cubs already thinking big  —  Piniella, players expect to contend for title in 2007  —  Derrek Lee sent Michael Barrett a text message on his cell phone the other day reminding him of what to expect during the long road ahead.  —  "He [said]: 'This is our year,'" Barrett said Friday on the opening day of the Cubs Convention.

Extra Innings Package and 24-Hour Channel Headed Exclusively to DirecTV  —  Major League Baseball is close to announcing a deal that will place its Extra Innings package of out-of-market games exclusively on DirecTV, which will also become the only carrier of a long-planned 24-hour baseball channel.

Pirates announce details for 2007 PirateFest  —  The Pittsburgh Pirates will host PirateFest 2007 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, January 26 - 28.  Now in its 17th year, PirateFest is a giant indoor baseball carnival for the entire family, featuring live events, free autograph sessions …

Chavez on a tear in winter ball  —  Major Leaguer among the top hitters in Venezuelan league  —  Endy Chavez is used to making highlight-reel plays during the postseason, so his performance in the Venezuelan Winter League playoffs has come as no surprise.  —  The 28-year-old outfielder stole …

Tribe, Nixon agree on one-year deal  —  Veteran brings leadership, playoff experience to outfield  —  CLEVELAND — Trot Nixon picked the team.  His 5-year-old son, Chase, picked the number.  —  When Nixon's one-year, $3 million deal with the Indians, which was announced Friday, was finished …

Is Samardzija a sound investment for Cubs?  —  Carl Yazstrzemski, Red Schoendienst, Orel Hershiser and now ... Jeff Samardzija?  —  Yes, add one more to the litany of baseball names that are nigh impossible to spell.  We speak, of course, of Jeff Samardzija.

Giant Does Not Blame Bonds for Link to Positive Drug Test  —  This should have been a feel-good event, part of a fanfest weekend being staged by the San Francisco Giants.  Maybe some softball questions from reporters and some home run responses from the 14 Giants players who were taking part.

The price is ... different … The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox might be tough on the Orioles on the field, but they've been terrific at the box office.  —  So to apparently cash in on the popularity of their fiercest rivals, the Orioles are charging extra for single-game tickets …