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 …

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.

Will Madoff Scandal Hurt The New York Mets?  (Update)  —  The real estate investment firm Sterling Equities, co-founded by New York Mets owners Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, had money invested with Bernard Madoff's firm, CNBC has confirmed.  —  “Among our various investments …

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.

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:

Royals designate Jason Smith to clear space for Horacio Ramirez  —  The Royals designated utility infielder Jason Smith for assignment Friday to clear space on their 40-man roster for left-handed pitcher Horacio Ramirez.  —  Smith, 31, spent the first four month of last season at Class AAA Omaha …

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 …

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 …

Dodger do some TV repair work for '09: Steiner back on radio fulltime; gig opens for 40-game slate  —  Read into this however you may, but the Dodgers have decided that having a consistent radio broadcast team means Charley Steiner won't be doing any TV work during the 2009 season.

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 …

The Mitchell Report, from disaster to afterthought … Two weeks before Christmas 2007, baseball commissioner Bud Selig gambled an estimated $40 million that the Mitchell report — the massive, 409-page investigation into performance-enhancing drug use in baseball, 20 months in the making …