Fuentes' price Rocks Minaya  —  Brian Fuentes' representatives told the Mets the free agent closer is seeking a three-year deal worth $10 million to $11 million annually, according to a source familiar with the discussion.  That price tag is a bit high for the Mets, but they are still interested in the former Rockie.

Yankees, Angels play waiting game  —  The Yankees have had their $140 million sitting out there for a while, so maybe it's time they come off CC Sabathia and get after Mark Teixeira, the same way the Angels are hedging Sabathia against Teixeira, the way the Red Sox are hedging Teixeira …

Tazawa set to choose Red Sox  —  Right-hander reportedly will announce decision early next week  —  BOSTON — The Red Sox appear poised to add to their recent track record of landing Japanese pitchers, as right-hander Junichi Tazawa has reportedly decided to join the franchise that already has Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima.

Angels could make run at epic rotation  —  Sabathia, Peavy could be options if club moves off Teixeira  —  LOS ANGELES — Who needs a dominant, power-packed lineup when you have the best rotation in history?  —  It appears the Angels could be thinking along those lines as they continue …

Huntington answers fans' questions  —  Pirates GM talks offseason agenda, prospects, scouting  —  Are we going to try to re-sign Doug Mientkiewicz and Jason Michaels? hey both are great leaders and brought great energy to this team last year.  —  We certainly would like to bring Doug and Jason back to the Pirates, Jeff.

Joe sees ray of light for a big A-Rod year  —  Alex Rodriguez is no longer the focus of the sports section, exclusively.  With his link to Madonna, A-Rod is now a key figure in the gossip pages.  Will this extra exposure become a distraction for Rodriguez, who many believe had issues focusing …

McGowan eager to start throwing  —  Recovering from shoulder surgery, righty hopes to start season  —  TORONTO — At his home in Georgia, Dustin McGowan is anxiously counting down the days until he's told he can finally pick up a baseball again.  Fortunately for the Blue Jays pitcher, that countdown is about to come to a close.

Braves remain among Burnett's suitors  —  Agent: 'Everything's been positive' in discussions with Atlanta  —  ATLANTA — Agent Darek Braunecker has been down this road before.  Just four years ago, he carried A.J. Burnett into the free agent market with the intention of landing a five-year deal.

Twins enter Thanksgiving in a holding pattern  —  Happy Thanksgiving, folks.  All quiet on the Twins' front.  —  Apologies.  I know many of you are dying for some nuggets to chew on with your turkey and stuffing, but I'm anticipating a quiet holiday.  —  A Padres official told me they've …

The 2008 Rule 5 Draft: Previewing the Pitchers  —  There are only 15 more shopping days left.  Major League Baseball's Rule 5 draft will occur on at the end of the Winter Meetings on Dec. 11.  The draft, which is explained here, has become extremely popular in the eyes of online fans …

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.