CASHMAN FLIES TO SEE PETTITTE  —  MESSAGE: ONE ROTATION SPOT LEFT FOR $10 MILLION  —  By JOEL SHERMAN IN LAS VEGAS and GEORGE A. KING III IN NEW YORK  —  LAS VEGAS — Brian Cashman again jetted away from the Winter Meetings to meet face-to-face with a lefty starter.

Cameron deal back on track  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  Las Vegas - After a morning hiccup created by the Yankees' request for the Brewers to pick up some of centerfielder Mike Cameron's salary, the sides are back on track to complete a trade that would bring centerfielder Melky Cabrera to Milwaukee.

Ibanez, Phillies agree to 3-year, $30M deal  —  The Phillies have agreed to a three-year contract with free-agent outfielder Raul Ibanez, pending a physical.  The deal is believed to be worth $30 million over three years.  —  The 36-year-old Ibanez will become the Phillies' new every-day leftfielder …

Orioles not planning to increase offer to Teixeira  —  MacPhail says club still in running for free-agent slugger  —  LAS VEGAS - Orioles officials left the Bellagio Hotel this afternoon still feeling they have a shot at signing prized free agent Mark Teixeira, though all signs continue to point to their having to overcome long odds.

Phils' Hamels fires a salvo at Mets  —  NEW YORK — The on-field behavior of the Mets, particularly that of Jose Reyes, again has been called into question by an opposing player, this time by World Series MVP Cole Hamels.  —  In response to questions asked during an interview on radio station WFAN …

Padres can't afford to keep ace Peavy; but can they afford to trade him?  —  LAS VEGAS — The Padres will be hard-pressed to keep Jake Peavy, but they are not yet prepared to give him away.  —  What they learned Thursday is that their leverage is more limited than they would like and that their desperation is apparent.

Twins re-sign Punto to two-year, $8.5 million deal with option for 2011  —  The Twins have re-signed free agent Nick Punto to a two-year contract with an option for 2011.  La Velle has more details from Las Vegas.  —  “Nick has been an important part of the Twins' success for the past five years …

Manny feeling ignored in free-agent market  —  Manny Ramirez is growing extremely upset about the lack of suitors for his services, so much so that he has told friends he would contemplate retirement if a suitable offer doesn't arrive soon, a person close to the situation told Newsday.

Ex-Yankee Williams wants to play in WBC … Former New York Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams has never retired.  —  And there may be a reason why.  —  ESPN's Bonnie Bernstein has learned Williams will fly to Puerto Rico next week to play winter ball with the hopes of representing Puerto Rico …

METS COULD STILL LAND LOWE  —  LAS VEGAS - The Mets have become expert at playing rope-a-dope when it comes to obtaining big names.  They have learned to like the underdog role.  —  They were supposed to have no chance at Carlos Beltran, then, boom!, he came to them in January.

Bronx or Atlanta likely home for Burnett  —  With the Braves he'd be the ace, with the Yanks he'd slide in behind CC  —  LAS VEGAS — A.J. Burnett's agent, Darek Braunecker, left the Winter Meetings on Thursday feeling a little more certain about where his prized client will land.

Red Sox unveil ‘retro roadies’  —  Look for 2009 primary, alternate road jerseys full of tradition  —  The Red Sox will have a new look to them going forward, particularly on the road.  At a news conference on Thursday night in Boston, the tradition-laden franchise unveiled new primary and alternate road jerseys for 2009.

Raissman: Cleveland friend sees NYC as too XL for CC  —  Around here, it only takes one backhand slap of a TV camera for some wealthy ballplayer to get off on the wrong foot.  Just ask Randy Johnson.  Brian Cashman, or some other Yankee suit, should explain that to the latest member of the Bombers Blank Check Club.

William S. Stevens, 60, Dies; Wrote Infield Fly Note  —  William S. Stevens, whose slyly humorous law-review note on the relationship between baseball's infield-fly rule and Anglo-American common law became one of the most celebrated and imitated analyses in American legal history, died Monday in Anchorage, Alaska, where he was working.

Mets eyeing Cora  —  LAS VEGAS — While exiting the Bellagio Hotel, and Baseball Winter Meetings, came across one final nugget ...  With the Twins' re-signing of Nick Punto, the Mets are targeting Alex Cora to replace Damian Easley as a middle infielder.  Cora is now a free agent after having …

As Money Tightens, Scaling Back On Jobs and Fun  —  LAS VEGAS — A short cab ride from the lavish suites of the Bellagio hotel, where major league baseball executives and agents discussed multimillion-dollar contracts for players here this week, a much more nervous group of baseball officials and job seekers gathered.

Betemit agrees to one-year deal with White Sox  —  CHICAGO — Infielder Wilson Betemit and the Chicago White Sox agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1.3 million contract.  —  Betemit was acquired from New York last month in the trade that sent Nick Swisher to the Yankees.