Hardware score  —  Pedroia adds MVP to his trophy haul  —  It was just a year and a half ago - after a miserable April - that Dustin Pedroia's batting average sat at .172.  The calls were coming for Alex Cora to replace the Red Sox rookie at second base, the pressure was mounting, and yet Pedroia didn't seem ready to crumble.

Yankees and Red Sox in battle over pitcher A.J. Burnett  —  The Yankees and Red Sox won't meet again on the field until April, but the two American League East rivals are preparing to square off for the services of at least one major free agent in the coming weeks.

Swisher set to give Bombers old college try  —  Derek Jeter has four championship rings and a resume that should land him in the Hall of Fame.  But when the Yankees report to camp in February, none of that will matter to Nick Swisher as long as Ohio State beats Michigan this weekend.

Braves shift offseason pitching strategy  —  Even with hurlers coming off market, Atlanta still optimistic  —  ATLANTA — Now that the starting pitching options have started to dwindle on the free-agent market, it's even easier to understand why the Braves worked so hard in an attempt to acquire ace Jake Peavy.

Source: M's to name A's bench coach as manager  —  And then there was one.  —  After an extension search, which included seven interviews in four days, the Seattle Mariners are set to name Don Wakamatsu their new manager, a source told ESPN's Peter Gammons.

Cubs showing interest in KC's Teahen  —  Right fielder could present cost-feasible solution for power lefty  —  CHICAGO — Now that the Cubs have taken care of their first offseason priority and have re-signed Ryan Dempster, the next move is to find a left-handed bat for the middle of the order.