Three-way deal could send Putz to Mets  —  Mariners and Indians also involved in trade talks  —  LAS VEGAS — The Mets, Mariners and Indians appear to be on the verge of a three-team deal in which J.J. Putz would go to New York as the setup man to the newly acquired Francisco Rodriguez.

Cubs' budget has room for Peavy trade and left-handed hitter  —  Losing DeRosa, Marquis would open up millions  —  LAS VEGAS — It isn't easy being Jim Hendry, but it's sure fun to try.  —  And truth be told, any fan with a calculator, a computer and Internet service can try to figure …

Source: Yanks offer fifth year to reel in Burnett … The New York Yankees, making a hard late charge to beat out the Atlanta Braves for A.J. Burnett, offered the free-agent right-hander a guaranteed five-year contract Wednesday, a baseball source told ESPN.com.

HERE'S THE DEAL: PHILS ACQUIRE CATCHER  —  LAS VEGAS — So, it seems the “small trade” mentioned by Ruben Amaro Jr. will be a swap of catchers.  The Phils will send Class AAA catcher Jason Jaramillo to the Pirates for Ronny Paulino, a .278 hitter in parts of four seasons.

Mark Teixeira negotiations heating up  —  LAS VEGAS — The Yankees' imminent signing of free-agent left-hander CC Sabathia to a seven-year, $160-million deal would seem to take them out of the running for Mark Teixeira, but that will hardly ease the competition the Angels face in retaining the free-agent first baseman.

CC's contact with Jeter an early factor  —  Call placed by Yankees captain served as info session for lefty  —  LAS VEGAS — Derek Jeter has a wealth of experience to share on the subject of playing in New York, and the Yankees captain does not mind sharing it.

BBWAA opens doors wider, admits four more Internet writers  —  Slowly but surely, the Baseball Writers Association of America is becoming more inclusive.  The organization just held a meeting here at Bellagio and, for the second straight year, humbly voted to add a few Internet writers to their newspaper-dominated ranks.

Angry Sabean rails against media, questions Sabathia's interest  —  Giants General Manager Brian Sabean's face turned red and his voice built into a shout.  He didn't hide his displeasure during a stunning session with four beat reporters in his Bellagio hotel suite.

QUOTE(#4): … what about last year BurghFan?  —  Capps went on the dl last year on July 2 with should bursitis and did not join the big club again until august 23, - essentially missing 2 months of the season, so get your facts straight on that.  —  he's also free agent after this season …

Smoltz's wish list includes Boston  —  LAS VEGAS — John Smoltz wants to pitch for a team that could take him to the World Series.  —  He hopes that's still the Atlanta Braves, the team for whom he has pitched since 1988, but the 41-year-old free agent is considering the Red Sox …