YANK: A.J. IS BURN-ING FOR BOMBERS  —  Talking to a Yankee recently, A.J. Burnett informed the player they were going to be teammates.  —  “He wants to come to New York - those words came out of his mouth,” the player told The Post last night.  “He really wants to play here.”

Task at hand: Acquiring a closer  —  LAS VEGAS — Within the past week, the Tigers traded for a starting catcher (Gerald Laird) and added a pitcher (Edwin Jackson) they believe will help settle their rotation.  —  They should announce the signing of shortstop Adam Everett any day.

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 …

Peavy just wasn't a necessity  —  Righty would've made Cubs better, but price was too high for Hendry  —  LAS VEGAS — Cubs general manager Jim Hendry walked out of the Bellagio on Thursday essentially empty-handed.  No big left-handed bat.  No new leadoff hitter.  No Jake Peavy.

Betemit, Wise agree to one-year deals  —  Infielder, outfielder avoid arbitration; Jenks next on Sox list  —  CHICAGO — Bobby Jenks now stands as the lone remaining arbitration-eligible player on the White Sox 40-man roster, after outfielder DeWayne Wise and infielder Wilson Betemit agreed to one-year deals on Friday.

Time for Blue Jays to trade Roy Halladay  —  LAS VEGAS-It's a tough, tough decision to make, but the time has come for the Jays to trade Roy Halladay to a contending club and get a combination package of ready-for-prime-time and future players.  The current market shows that there are clubs …

Ranking the moves at the winter meetings (Nos. 1-5) … Twenty-five players changed teams in the significant deals and free-agent signings at this year's winter meetings in Las Vegas.  Here's a look at their relative values over the next five seasons (2009-2013), without considering salaries or contract situations:

Brewers  —  Preparing for departure  —  Details of the deal being worked out  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  Las Vegas - After an unexpected morning hiccup in negotiations, talks were back on track later Thursday for a trade that will send Milwaukee Brewers centerfielder Mike Cameron …

Pitching Mechanics: Homer Bailey (By Request)  —  #34 / Pitcher / Cincinnati Reds … Reader justin007000 wanted to know what's up with Homer Bailey and why he just can't hack it anymore.  His minor league stats are pretty good, but his major league ones look like this:  —  W-L ERA WHIP K BB

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 …

Shaughnessy At It Again  —  Every year as the Hall-of-Fame vote nears, the debates over certain players intensify.  As part of this tradition over the last few years, you can set your watch to a Dan Shaughnessy mail-in supporting the candidacy of Jim Rice.  Shaughnessy's case for Rice and …

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.

Yankees' trade talks for Cameron come back to life; Team nears deal with Burnett … Baseball news, stats, photos and more  —  Search :  —  Home  —  News  —  Weather  —  Sports  —  Entertainment  —  Living  —  Interact  —  Jobs  —  Autos  —  Real Estate  —  Classifieds

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 …

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.