Kearns, Washington agree to three-year contract  —  WASHINGTON — It was all a tad overwhelming for Austin Kearns when he was dealt to the Washington Nationals by the Cincinnati Reds last season.  —  He'd never been traded.  He went from a team near his Kentucky hometown to one on the East Coast.

Armas, Pirates agree to one-year contract  —  CBS SportsLine.com wire reports  —  PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates ended their long search for a right-handed starter Thursday, agreeing to a $3.5 million, one-year contract with Tony Armas Jr.  —  Armas gets $3 million this year …

Orioles, Roberts Close on Contract  —  The Baltimore Orioles are close to signing second baseman Brian Roberts to a one-year, $4.2 million contract, thereby avoiding arbitration, according to one source close to the negotiations.  The move could be finalized today, though the Orioles did not wish to comment directly on the deal.

Matheny retires after concussion symptoms don't improve  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Mike Matheny's decision to retire was made for him.  His doctor refused to clear the longtime catcher to play in 2007 after a concussion sidelined him for the final four months of last season.

Astros would be wise to sign Trachsel  —  The Astros are short two starting pitchers, one if Roger Clemens returns, which is hardly a sure thing.  —  What, pray tell, are they doing about it?  —  Very little.  —  That's right, the same team that awarded future DH Carlos Lee $100 million …

New Pirates 1B LaRoche wouldn't mind pitching  —  The Pittsburgh Pirates traded for first baseman Adam LaRoche to raise opposing pitchers' ERAs, not lower that of their own pitching staff.  —  Still, deep down inside the man who figures to be the Pirates' cleanup hitter is a pitcher waiting to make his major league debut.

Getting down to business  —  Matsuzaka begins preparing for camp  —  NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — In any other year, Daisuke Matsuzaka would have been back in Japan, where spring training camps opened yesterday.  —  Instead, he was here, in the ultramodern offices of his agent, Scott Boras …

AL East in Far East  —  Yankees, Red Sox take their rivalry to Japan  —  TOKYO (AP) — The New York Yankees hope to introduce a whole new set of fans to their rivalry with the Boston Red Sox.  —  And with Daisuke Matsuzaka now pitching for the Red Sox, playing against Hideki Matsui and Kei Igawa …

Bernie likely to make minor concession  —  Bernie Williams is leaning toward accepting the Yankees' offer of a minor-league contract, two people familiar with the situation told Newsday Thursday.  —  The 38-year-old, ultra-popular outfielder is aware that he'll be a long shot to make the 2007 Yankees, the sources said.

Bonds' contract: Deal or no deal?  —  AGENT: HE WON'T SIGN GIANTS' REVISED PACT  —  Barry Bonds' done deal isn't: The newly signed one-year agreement between the Giants and their home-run star hit a snag Wednesday.  —  The main sticking point appears to be a ``personal-appearances'' provision …

Sam Donnellon |  Will Philly chase Utley?  —  THERE WAS A time, not so long ago, when longevity in this town implied an athlete's greatness.  Bobby Clarke.  Julius Erving.  Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton.  —  And now?  Who wouldn't want an Eric Lindros?  A Curt Schilling?

PECOTA Takes on Prospects, Introduction  —  Last year, we ran our first-ever series of PECOTA-based prospect rankings.  This wasn't necessarily intended to be an annual feature, but it proved to generate a lot of good discussion, so here we are again.  —  Are the PECOTA rankings intended …

Phils, Myers agree to $25.75M, three-year deal  —  PHILADELPHIA — Right-hander Brett Myers agreed to a $25.75 million, three-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, avoiding arbitration.  —  A former first-round pick, Myers has won at least 11 games each of the past four seasons.

Washington tackles his off-season projects  —  ARLINGTON — First-year Rangers manager Ron Washington doesn't claim to be a miracle worker.  He doesn't say he can create talent from thin air.  —  Washington does, however, believe that he can maximize the talent a player already has.