Angels' attention shifts from Mark Teixeira to CC Sabathia  —  Club is in discussions with the free-agent pitcher and could offer him a contract that approaches the $140-million offered by the New York Yankees.  Source says the Angels are reluctant to guarantee more than seven years to Teixeira.

Novice pitchers from India sign with Pirates  —  Dinesh Patel and Rinku Singh, cricket players who had not picked up a baseball until April, on Monday became the first athletes from India to sign professional baseball contracts, agreeing to deals with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Yankees Expect Big Things From Canó and Rodriguez  —  Joe Girardi will not be filling out the first lineup card of the new Yankees' season for more than four months.  But Kevin Long, the hitting coach, can peek ahead to April and tell which two hitters will be difference makers.

Hurdle tabs Baylor to fix hitting woes  —  The Rockies got their “Groove” back Monday.  —  Don Baylor, nicknamed “Groove” for a quote given when he was a 21-year-old prospect with the Orioles, returned to Colorado as the club's hitting instructor.  —  This isn't a public relations ploy, manager Clint Hurdle insisted.

St. Louis Cardinals talk with free agent Arthur Rhodes  —  The Cardinals may not have an immediate heir in place for closer Jason Isringhausen's role, but they continue to woo relievers who will handle the innings leading up to the ninth.  —  As they iron out a deal with lefty reliever Trever Miller …

Renteria report: Premature, or just plain wrong  —  Edgar Renteria is not the Giants' opening day shortstop.  Not yet, anyway.  —  WFAN in New York erroneously reported earlier today that the Giants signed Renteria to a two-year, $18 million contract.  Giants officials tell me the report is false …

Brian NcNamee and lawyers give evidence in Roger Clemens probe  —  Agents from the FBI came to New York in September to collect cheek-swab DNA samples from Brian McNamee and his lawyers as part of the ongoing investigation into whether Roger Clemens perjured himself before Congress.

Should Ryan Howard Try To Strikeout Less?  —  You might think so.  In both 2006 and 2007 he led the major leagues in “contact average.”  I define that as hits divided by (AB - K + SF).  His contact average in 2006 was .448 and in 2007 it was .421 (although it fell to .372 in 2008).

Braves join list of suitors for righty Burnett  —  Yet another team is showing interest in free-agent righty A.J. Burnett.  Ken Rosenthal reveals who it is in his latest hot stove update.

Delta Hits One Out of the Ball Park, Becoming the Official Airline of the New York Yankees  —  The Delta Sky360 Suite to offer Suite holders an exclusive Delta experience directly behind home plate  —  Further supporting the world's largest airline's commitment to New York, Delta Air Lines …

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.

Agent denies Perez deal in the works  —  Left-hander waiting to see how free-agent market plays out  —  WASHINGTON — Agent Martin Arburua denied an ESPN.com report stating that the Nationals are working on a multi-year deal for his client, left-hander Odalis Perez.

Mel Stottlemyre, Lee Elia not returning to Mariners coaching staff  —  Mel Stottlemyre and Lee Elia will not be part of the coaching staff of new Mariners' manager Don Wakamatsu, The Seattle Times has learned.  —  Stottlemyre, 67, served the 2008 season as Mariners' pitching coach after a 10-year stint with the Yankees.

Brewers ink deal with Bourgeois  —  Speedster signs Minor League contract with invite to Spring Training  —  MILWAUKEE — The Brewers signed speedy outfielder/infielder Jason Bourgeois to a Minor League contract on Monday and invited him to big league Spring Training.

White Sox making seemingly anybody and everybody available  —  CHICAGO — Ken Williams is one of only three current general managers who played in the major leagues.  He knows the insecurity that comes with the big paychecks, the family stress that lies behind the lack of control …

Indiana girl sues for chance to play baseball  —  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Logan Young has been playing baseball with the boys for nine years, and she and her parents don't think that should change now that she's in high school.  —  The 14-year-old and her family have filed a federal lawsuit …

Astros Acquire Lumsden  —  By Tim Dierkes [November 24 at 4:36pm CST]  —  According to MLB.com's Jim Molony, the Astros acquired lefty pitching prospect Tyler Lumsden from the Royals for a player to be named later or cash considerations.  The Royals had designated him for assignment a few days ago …