Pirates near two-year deal with Sanchez  —  Team also in talks with free-agent pitcher Jeff Weaver  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  The Pirates and National League batting champion Freddy Sanchez are close to agreement on a two-year contract.

Finally!  Drew, Sox appear ready to roll  —  The word from the two camps for some time now is that a resolution to the J.D. Drew [stats]-Red Sox [team stats] saga is just a few days away.  —  It appears the sides really mean it this time.  —  According to sources familiar with the contract talks …

M's mission: Suzuki talks may drag on for a while  —  SEATTLE — Ichiro Suzuki's future has become the most important issue for the issue-overloaded Seattle Mariners.  —  And it may be around awhile.  —  The six-time All-Star will make $11 million in the final season of a $44 million, four-year deal.

ChiSox, Erstad agree to $1M, one-year contract  —  CHICAGO — Outfielder Darin Erstad and the Chicago White Sox agreed Thursday on a $1 million, one-year contract that includes a club option for 2008.  —  Erstad will receive a base salary of $750,000, and the White Sox have a $3.5 million option for 2008 with a $250,000 buyout.

Japan's baseball owners looking for ways to keep talent from leaving  —  CBS SportsLine.com wire reports  —  TOKYO — Japan's baseball owners are looking for ways to reduce the talent drain to the major leagues.  —  Under Japanese baseball rules, a player cannot become a free agent until …

Yankees seek working agreement with China baseball … A contingent of executives from the New York Yankees will fly to China next week with the hope of concluding ongoing negotiations on a working agreement with the China Baseball Association.  This could lead to the Yankees dispatching coaches …

Mets, Randolph agree to new deal  —  Manager to get three-year contract with a club option for 2010  —  NEW YORK — In the moments of exalt that followed the Mets' elimination of the Dodgers from the postseason in October, Willie Randolph spoke about how much he enjoyed watching his players celebrate.

Cubs part ways with Rusch  —  Serious blood clot in lung shortened southpaw's '06 season  —  CHICAGO — The Cubs announced Thursday that they have released left-handed pitcher Glendon Rusch, whose 2006 season ended early because of a life-threatening blood clot in his lung.

Hall of Fame baseball writer Lang dies at 85  —  NEW YORK — Jack Lang, a Hall of Fame baseball writer who for two decades had the pleasant assignment of telling players they'd been elected to Cooperstown, died Thursday.  He was 85.  —  Lang had been ill for an extended period with a variety of ailments …

Historical WSAB: 41 through 80  —  Last week, I presented a ranking of everyday players based on a new twist on Win Shares: Win Shares Above Bench.  I believe this is a definite improvement over basic Win Shares (as discussed last week).  Although it's not perfect, it's pretty darn good for ranking the all-time best.

The greening of Mr. Jenks  —  Recipe for a winner: Mix in more veggies, add a happy home  —  Sitting in front of his locker during spring training last year, White Sox closer Bobby Jenks was asked about the chip on his shoulder.  —  The bulky right-hander smirked.

Inside Shea - Mets Top 10 Prospects  —  The July 31, 2004 trade that sent Scott Kazmir to Tampa Bay for Victor Zambrano was devastating to Mets fans for reasons beyond the lopsided nature of the transaction.  A team that had been reluctant to spend money to bring in stars from other organizations …

New faces could push Dodgers to top  —  The Dodgers are hungry.  Missing from the World Series the past 18 years and winning just one playoff game in that time, the Dodgers are more than due.  They're two years from matching the longest drought in their history — they failed to reach the World Series annually from 1921 to 1940.

Low price could mean Zambrano returns  —  The Mets, aware that their starting rotation is replete with questions, hope to sign one more low-cost free-agent starting pitcher, a person familiar with the situation said yesterday.  Victor Zambrano, best known for being on the wrong side …

Business of Baseball Report  —  MLB Close to Deal With DirecTV Over Extra Innings  —  In a somewhat surprising move, MLB is close to an agreement with DirecTV that would give the satellite television company an exclusive agreement for the league's Extra Innings baseball package.