Hamilton dealt from Reds to Rangers  —  Cincinnati gets Volquez, Minor League pitcher in return  —  The Rangers acquired outfielder Josh Hamilton from the Reds on Friday in exchange for right-hander Edinson Volquez and Minor League left-hander Danny Herrera.

Sox reportedly cut deal with Ramirez  —  Versatile Cuban can play shortstop, second and center field  —  CHICAGO — Two baseball sources have confirmed to MLB.com that the White Sox have agreed in principle on a four-year, $4.75 million deal with Alexei Ramirez.

Drew wins postseason play of the year  —  Outfielder's slam in Game 6 of ALCS voted TYIB's top play  —  BOSTON — Yes, there was some amount of dread when a bases-loaded, nobody-out rally suddenly became two outs and the batter left to rescue the Red Sox and salvage some runs was J.D. Drew.

Chat with Jerry Crasnick  —  Welcome to The Show!  On Friday, ESPN baseball writer Jerry Crasnick will drop by to take your questions.  —  Jerry is the author of “License to Deal: A Season on the Run With a Maverick Baseball Agent” which chronicles the ins-and-outs of what happens off the field.

Olney: Yanks plan to start Joba in the pen  —  Scroll past the PED talk in Buster Olney's latest blog entry, and you will arrive at a tidbit about Joba Chamberlain.  The Yankees, Olney reports, plan to start the season with Joba in the pen.  They just can't quit him. … Our initial reaction is one of fear.

ALEX RODRIGUEZ HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE  —  Back in the day.. Before Alex Rodriguez fired Scott Boras, before Alex Rodriguez opted out of his Yankees contract during the World Series, before Jose Canseco said he had steroid related dirt on A-Rod, before Alex was seen with the chick with the tig 'o bitties …

AN INTERACTIVE FEATURE ON THE MITCHELL REPORT.  —  Sen. George Mitchell's 409-page report on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball describes a thriving underground market for steroids and human growth hormone.  What began with just a few players and trainers expanded into a network of dozens …

AL rotation rankings  —  Angels, Red Sox lead the pack; Rays will surprise  —  It's hard not to look at even the best American League starting rotations and see question marks where you'd prefer exclamation points.  —  When the top staff in the league can't even find five experienced arms …

Gossage delivers hardball blast to Roger, Bonds  —  If anyone deserves a Hall of Fame soapbox this week, it's Goose Gossage, the can't-miss candidate on the 2007 ballot.  The former Yankee reliever is all but inducted, having pulled in 71 percent of the vote last year.

MitchellReport has upside  —  Once the court of public opinion takes a deep breath and realizes the Mitchell Report is a he-said, she-said document, there is some value that can be taken from it.  —  No, commissioner Bud Selig can't suddenly start handing out suspensions, given the lack of legal verification of Mitchell's accusations.