Angels might take more serious run at Sabathia  —  A pair of lefthanders on the Yankees' radar - one whom they know very well, one whom they don't - are both talking with West Coast teams.  The bad news for the Yankees is that the Angels' interest in CC Sabathia appears more serious than the Dodgers' interest in Andy Pettitte.

Frank and Jamie McCourt have a question for Dodgers fans  —  Would you rather have a top free agent or 50 youth fields in L.A., Frank and Jamie McCourt wonder.  —  Would Dodgers fans react negatively if the team were to pay big money to free agents when the nation's economy is in sharp decline and many Americans are losing their jobs?

Red Sox explore catching options  —  Work on potential Jason Varitek replacement  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email  —  Jason Varitek and the Red Sox [team stats] might discover that being together is better than being apart, but if the team and its free agent captain …

Minaya works to get closers to meet Mets  —  Mets general manager Omar Minaya reached out to the agents for Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes Tuesday to schedule “future meetings,” a source told the Daily News.  The Mets are not believed to have made financial offers to the closers, and are not expected to bid before Thanksgiving.

Free agent chase continues  —  The rest of the working world is winding down today, skipping out of work early for that pre-Turkey happy hour as visions of yams and pumpkin pie dance in their heads.  —  But the Phillies front office is still in action, and will likely remain so for the forseeable future.

Free agents who could very well be bargains … Several front office people surveyed for this story had a difficult time mustering enthusiasm for the concept: a piece on potential free-agent bargains.  —  “Free-agent bargain is an oxymoron,” said an American League official.

O's add ex-Reds GM to front office  —  Krivsky, 54, hired as special assistant to MacPhail  —  The Orioles today named former Cincinnati Reds front office executive Wayne Krivsky as special assistant to Andy MacPhail, president of baseball operations.  Krivsky has more than 30 years …

All Is Unusually Quiet on the Free-Agent Front  —  On Monday, Major League Baseball's daily transaction wire consisted of a small trade, one team's coaching selections and the release of a minor leaguer.  If those moves constituted the full docket on a day in February, June or August, they would have hardly stood out.

Memo to the Mets: Let Heilman Start  —  As Thanksgiving approaches, the Mets are still two reliable starters short, with only Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey and John Maine assured of spots in next season's rotation.  Oliver Perez remains unsigned, and if the season opened today, Jonathon Niese …

As a manager, Oquendo is a not-so-secret weapon  —  31 March, 2008 — Cardinals' Ryan Ludwick is waved around third base by Jose Oquendo during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. (Chris Lee/P-D)

Furcal visits A's in Oakland  —  A's general manager Billy Beane met with Rafael Furcal on Tuesday as the team makes a final push to sign the free-agent shortstop.  —  The two went to lunch and Beane gave Furcal a tour of the area.  Furcal's agent, Paul Kinzer, said one day earlier …