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.

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 …

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.

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.

Mailbag: Is Metcalf the man at third?  —  Beat reporter T.R. Sullivan answers Rangers fans' questions  —  Why won't the Rangers commit to Travis Metcalf at third base?  He's earned the shot, and if healthy has been productive.  —  Metcalf missed the first two months of the season last year with a torn hamstring.

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.

Mussina's Decision: Leave on High Note, or Go for 300 Wins?  —  On the last day of the regular season, when he celebrated the victory that had always eluded him, Mike Mussina smiled as he sipped a soda in the manager's office at Fenway Park.  He considered the idea of finishing his career …

Joe McDonald: Monumental season puts Red Sox' Pedroia in leadoff spot for A.L. MVP … At 3 p.m. today the American League Most Valuable Player Award will be announced.  —  To save everyone the trouble of waiting, let's just say who it's going to be right now.  —  Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia will be named MVP.

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.

Mailbag: How will Nats use outfielders?  —  Beat reporter Bill Ladson answers Nationals fans' questions … With the acquisition of Josh Willingham and rumors swirling about the Nats wanting Carlos Gonzalez, I can't help but notice that the team has a lot of outfielders.  What do they plan on doing with all of them?

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.