A-Rod not thinking about opting out of deal now  —  NEW YORK — Alex Rodriguez sidestepped whether he plans to opt out of his record contract with the New York Yankees and become a free agent following this season.  —  J.D. Drew, like A-Rod a client of agent Scott Boras …

Harang gets four-year, $36.5M deal from Reds  —  CINCINNATI — Right-hander Aaron Harang agreed to a four-year, $36.5 million deal Tuesday, making him the Cincinnati Reds' highest-paid pitcher.  —  The 28-year-old Harang emerged as one of the NL's top starters last season despite pitching …

Mays agrees to minor league contract with Dodgers  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Joe Mays, a 17-game winner for the Minnesota Twins in 2001, agreed to a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday and will attend spring training as a non-roster invitee.

Hicks: Third team not a crowd  —  New Liverpool co-owner insists he won't forget about Rangers, Stars  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  Tom Hicks spent Tuesday assuring sports fans on both sides of the Atlantic that he is about winning.  —  Early Tuesday, he and Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett Jr …

Papelbon not medically cleared to close games  —  BOSTON — Terry Francona doesn't expect Jonathan Papelbon to move back into the bullpen, even though it would make the Boston manager's life easier.  —  "If I had my druthers, he would be our closer," Francona said Tuesday …

In for a penny ...  Bonds tells Giants he plans to play well into his 40s  —  Bud Selig's worst recurring nightmare is entering its fourth season: a man with connections to a federal steroid investigation, who faces the possibility of indictment, is the face of baseball and is on the cusp …

Beinfest has major holes left to fill  —  HOLLYWOOD — After the rookie-laden Marlins surprised the baseball world with 78 wins in 2006, the front office hoped to spend the off-season adding players who could make the team into a playoff contender in 2007.  —  But with spring training 10 days away …

Boras pulls his Sox on: Super agent's bond with Hub club grows stronger  —  NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — On the wall-panel controls for the five flat-screen TV's in the conference room of the Boras Corporation, NESN is one of the prominent pre-set buttons that an employee, or Scott Boras himself, can push.

Rangers, Chen agree to minor league deal  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Left-hander Bruce Chen agreed to a minor league contract Tuesday with the Texas Rangers and will go to spring training with the chance to compete for a spot in the starting rotation.  —  Chen was -7 with a 6.93 ERA in 12 starts …

Nationals Spring Training quick hits  —  2006 record  —  Projected batting order  —  1. 2B Felipe Lopez:  —  .274 BA, 11 HR, 52 RBI  —  .219 BA, 4 HR, 31 RBI in 2005  —  .287 BA, 20 HR, 110 RBI  —  4. 1B Nick Johnson:  —  .290 BA, 23 HR, 77 RBI  —  .264 BA, 24 HR, 86 RBI

The man behind the numbers  —  Former math professor creates statistics uber-site  —  If you're a baseball fan at all and you can find your way onto the Internet, you know Baseball-Reference.com.  It's the one-stop shop for baseball statistics, an ever-growing repository of data that is truly staggering in depth and breadth.

Izzy seems right on schedule  —  JUPITER, Fla. — Cardinals pitchers and catchers aren't due to report for another week, but the first significant pitch of the spring may have been thrown Tuesday behind Roger Dean Stadium.  —  Climbing a mound for the first time since having hip surgery Sept. 21 …

Marlins optimistic on ballpark deal  —  Team president expects announcement by October  —  HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) — Nearly three years have passed since the Florida Marlins' self-imposed deadlines for securing a new ballpark agreement all came and went without the completion of a deal.

Lew Burdette dead at 80  —  Ex-Braves right-hander went 3-0 in '57 World Series  —  WINTER GARDEN, Fla. (AP) — Lew Burdette, MVP of the 1957 World Series when he pitched the Milwaukee Braves to their only championship, died Tuesday.  He was 80.  —  Burdette had been ill for an extended period with lung cancer.

D-Backs, Byrnes agree to deal  —  PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks and outfielder Eric Byrnes agreed to a $4,575,000, one-year contract Tuesday, avoiding arbitration.  —  Byrnes was the last Arizona player in arbitration.  A hearing had been scheduled for Feb. 15.

D.R. wins fifth straight, clinches title  —  Dominicans clinch Caribbean title with win, P.R. loss  —  CAROLINA, P.R. — Their red, white and blue uniforms read "Dominicano Soy," Spanish for "I am Dominican," but there is one word missing from the jerseys.  —  Campeon, the Spanish word for champion.