Giants sign LHP Jeremy Affeldt  —  The Giants made a potentially significant upgrade to their depleted and ineffective bullpen, signing left-hander Jeremy Affeldt to a two-year contract Monday.  —  Terms haven't become public yet, but Affeldt made $3 million with the Cincinnati Reds.

Pujols is MVP; Braun 3rd, Sabathia 6th  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols claimed his second NL MVP award today, collecting 18 of 32 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Yankees to play first-ever exhibition games at New Yankee Stadium on April 3 and 4 against the Chicago Cubs  —  The New York Yankees announced today they will play the first-ever exhibition games at the new Yankee Stadium against the Chicago Cubs on Friday, April 3 at 7:05 p.m. and Saturday, April 4 at 1:05 p.m.

Mariners could name new manager as soon as Tuesday  —  Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik could name a new manager as soon as Tuesday after deciding not to hold a second round of interviews...  Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik could name a new manager as soon as Tuesday …

Braves interest pleases Furcal  —  With their pursuit of Jake Peavy put on hold, the Braves don't know if they'll have a need to find a shortstop.  But if they eventually opt to deal shortstop Yunel Escobar, who was at the forefront of the Peavy negotiations, they'll likely attempt to lure Rafael Furcal back to Atlanta.

Chicago White Sox  —  Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel.  All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible.

Is K-Rod getting closer to becoming a Met?  —  1050 ESPN's Met Insider Rich Coutinho thinks so  —  Reports surfaced early on Sunday that Francisco Rodriquez has inched closer to becoming a New York Met.  Sources indicate that K-Rod and his representatives will come to New York early this week to take some physical exams.

Towers: No recent talks with Yanks  —  Padres' GM dispels rumor of Peavy negotiations with Cashman  —  SAN DIEGO — Don't count the New York Yankees as a player in the Jake Peavy sweepstakes — not just yet, anyway.  —  Padres general manager Kevin Towers said on Monday …

Citi Field Name Safe, According to Mets  —  Just over two years ago, the New York Mets announced that they had reached an agreement with Citigroup for the naming rights to their new ballpark slated to open in 2009 for a record $400 million over 20 years, or $20 million annually.

Posey, BeachBoys win championship  —  Giants prospect slugs first Hawaii homer en route to club's first crown  —  Giants prospect Buster Posey hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning as the Waikiki BeachBoys cruised to their first Hawaii Winter Baseball championship victory over the West Oahu CaneFires, 5-1, on Sunday afternoon.

MLB.com drops Silverlight for Adobe Flash  —  Microsoft is losing MLB.com, Major League Baseball's online unit and one of the Web's most successful subscription services, as a Silverlight customer.  —  MLB Advanced Media said Monday it will use Adobe's Flash Platform to deliver all live and on-demand video starting next year.

The Bill James Handbook 2009 - Part One  —  One of the beauties of November is the arrival of The Bill James Handbook, the most stat-filled annual baseball guide available.  The book, produced by Baseball Info Solutions and published by ACTA Sports, is always the first one to hit the market following the just-completed season.