Detroit Tigers acquire SS Jack Wilson from Pirates  —  It seems to be the week for shortstop roulette on the Hot Stove, and the latest is that the Pirates have sent Jack Wilson to the Tigers.  —  The teams had been in discussions for a while, but according to a person familiar with the deal, it is done.

A-Rod to play for the Dominican in WBC  —  Buzz up!  —  Alex Rodriguez, who nearly sat out the inaugural World Baseball Classic because he did not want to choose between playing for his native United States or the Dominican Republic, the country of his parents' birth, is changing uniforms for the 2009 Classic.

Braves appear to be front-runner for Burnett  —  The hot topic in baseball Thursday was which initial-laden free-agent starter will be the first to sign — A.J. Burnett or CC Sabathia?  —  For weeks now, I'd have guessed it would be Sabathia.  But not anymore.  I'm flip-flopping over to Burnett.

AP Sources: Cashman meets Boras, Sabathia next  —  NEW YORK — Yankees general manager Brian Cashman met Thursday with agent Scott Boras and planned to get together this weekend with free-agent pitcher CC Sabathia ahead of the winter meetings.  —  Cashman's meeting with Boras and intention …

Signing of Renteria a wise decision by Giants  —  The signing of Edgar Renteria makes the Giants more competitive in 2009 and probably 2010, but at no cost to the generally bright long-term picture in San Francisco.  He doesn't cost them a draft pick and won't be blocking any major prospects.

Torre says Pettitte not going to Dodgers  —  Joe Torre has spoken with Andy Pettitte, the Dodgers' manager confirmed to Newsday, but doesn't foresee Pettitte heading West for a reunion with his former manager.  —  “I don't think that's going to happen,” Torre said Thursday, in a telephone interview.

Brewers sign Julio  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  Brewers general manager Doug Melvin has resurrected the careers of closers in the past, such as Derrick Turnbow, Dan Kolb and Francisco Cordero.  —  Perhaps he'll do it again with Jorge Julio.

Reds sign Lincoln to two-year deal  —  While the Rockies are moving methodically in their search for relievers, a few have come off the board over the last few days.  The Cincinnati Reds signed right-handed free agent Mike Lincoln to a two-year, $4-million deal accoding to contract information obtained by The Denver Post.

Baseball Prospectus: Joe Sheehan is Mets GM for a day … Here's the thing about the New York Mets: For all of the focus on their bullpen, which was definitely a reason for their late-season collapses in 2007 and 2008, that is both the most easily explained and the most reparable problem that they have.

Finances could limit Jays' options  —  Economy, Canadian dollar might make for quiet Winter Meetings … Club needs  —  STARTING PITCHING — The Blue Jays plan on trying to re-sign free agent A.J. Burnett, who also has suitors in the Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Braves and Phillies.

Minor League Transactions  —  This week's installment considers all transactions reported by MLB between Nov. 21 and Dec. 1.  The previous installment is available here.  —  Arizona Diamondbacks  —  Signed: RHP Seth Etherton  —  Placed on restricted list: 2B Rafael Hilario

Tejada backup a goal for Meetings  —  Astros could use infield depth to support veteran shortstop  —  An overview of the Astros heading into next week's Winter Meetings, which open on Monday at the Bellagio in Las Vegas:  —  Club needs  —  Starting pitching: The Astros inked Mike Hampton to a low-based …

Valuing Defense  —  If there's been an underlying theme to my writing here over the last year, it's been that defense is significantly undervalued in MLB.  Well, it seems like people are catching on.  From the latest Peter Gammons' article: … This isn't just talk - last week, the Yankees …

Tazawa: ‘I wanted to challenge myself’  —  The Red Sox today formally announced the signing of 22-year-old Japanese pitcher Junichi Tazawa, who is expected to start his career in the minor leagues.  —  “The reason I came directly to the [United States] is I wanted to try to play here,” …