Giants-Renteria Rumor False  —  By Tim Dierkes [November 24 at 6:00pm CST]  —  6:00pm: Additional denials have come in via Andrew Baggarly and Derrick Goold.  Baggarly says Renteria is the Giants' fallback for Furcal.  He notes that the Tigers would've loved to see Renteria sign today, as they're unlikely to offer him arbitration.

Rangers enter Tazawa sweepstakes  —  Organization among four teams courting Japanese pitcher  —  ARLINGTON — The Rangers are one of four teams that have made serious offers to Japanese free agent pitcher Junichi Tazawa, his manager told the Kyodo News in Japan.

Sources: Initial offer to Varitek for one year  —  According to sources familiar with the negotiations, the Red Sox' initial contract offer to free agent catcher Jason Varitek this offseason was for one year.  It was not determined what the monetary worth of the offer would be …

Astros acquire Lumsden from Royals  —  Houston adds depth to stock of southpaw pitchers  —  HOUSTON — The Astros acquired left-hander Tyler Lumsden from the Kansas City Royals on Monday in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.  The announcement was made by general manager Ed Wade.

Hanson tops off an overwhelming year  —  Sure, we knew that Tommy Hanson could dominate Single-A and Double-A hitters, after a 2008 season in which the Braves' top-rated pitching prospect went 11-5 with a 2.41 ERA in 138 innings between Myrtle Beach and Misssissippi.

Rockies add Baylor, four others to coaching staff  —  DENVER — The Colorado Rockies have added five coaches to their staff, including former manager Don Baylor as hitting coach.  —  The team also brought in Jim Tracy to serve as the bench coach and Rich Dauer as third base coach.

Yanks, White Sox, Nats Eyeing Odalis Perez  —  By Tim Dierkes [November 24 at 4:06pm CST]  —  ESPN's Enrique Rojas talked to free agent southpaw Odalis Perez, who said he has received offers from the Yankees, White Sox, and Nationals.  Perez intends to stay with the Nationals …

Kansas City Royals  —  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.

Baseball Yatra is Great Success: Pirates Sign Rinku and Dinesh  —  My favorite new Japanese baseball blog NPB Tracker has the biggest and best news of the week: the Pittsburgh Pirates have signed our favorite Indian contest winners Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel to minor league contracts!

Judge throws out 3 counts in Bonds' perjury case  —  SAN FRANCISCO — As the Barry Bonds perjury case continues to move toward a March jury trial, the judge on Monday dismissed three of the 15 counts but left intact the bulk of the government's charges against the former Giants slugger.