Furcal acquisition could trigger trade for pitcher  —  The Braves appear on the verge of bringing back veteran shortstop Rafael Furcal, which could be the precursor to a trade for a top starting pitcher.  —  FoxSports.com reported early today that the free agent and former Braves All-Star …

QUOTE(#5): … Absolutely, get Texeira.  We need to put the ball in play.  See if Manny will give us a discount, too!  I also believe that the Yanks are dawdling on Lowe because they have no confidence in their middle infield to corral all those ground balls that'll be coming their way.

Hot Stove Rumblings on Cameron, Pettitte and Manny  —  In talking to some people involved today, I get the feeling the Yankees are backing away from a potential Melky Cabrera-for-Mike Cameron trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, at least for now.  There's a deal the teams could make …

For Sox, Mark Teixeira deal would be 2nd to none  —  Money matters  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email  —  The courtship of Mark Teixeira is consuming a great deal of time and energy on Yawkey Way.  —  Should the Red Sox [team stats] eventually come out on top …

Mel Stottlemyre believes J.J. Putz can succeed here, but sets up concern  —  Mel Stottlemyre was J.J. Putz's pitching coach last season in Seattle and knows enough about the Mets' new reliever to believe that he can thrive in New York.  —  The one adjustment that bears watching, though …

Gathright could fit on Cubs' bench  —  Fleet-footed outfielder has played for Piniella before  —  CHICAGO — Outfielder Joey Gathright has popped up on the Cubs' radar.  —  Gathright could be added to the roster this week and compete for a spot on the Cubs' bench.

Alderson expects Padres ace to start 2009 season with organization  —  Asked about Jake Peavy Monday, Padres CEO Sandy Alderson said, “It's likely Jake will be with us Opening Day.”  —  The Padres have shopped Peavy since October.  Talks with two of his preferred teams - the Braves and the Cubs - fell short.

Moyer, 46, given two-year deal  —  PHILADELPHIA — Jamie Moyer agreed yesterday to a $13-million US, two-year contract that keeps the 46-year-old left-hander with the World Series champion Phillies.  —  Philadelphia also confirmed it has a preliminary agreement with Chan Ho Park, a one-year contract worth $2.5 million.

Free agent Wolf confirms Mets' interest  —  Left-hander could replace Perez in New York's rotation  —  NEW YORK — The need for an additional left-handed pitcher in the Mets' rotation seems to increase with each day that Oliver Perez doesn't re-sign.  The trades that removed Scott Schoeneweis …

Is D.Cabrera a commodity?  —  Baltimore Sun baseball guy Dan Connolly just got off the phone with Mike Powers, the agent for just-released pitcher Daniel Cabrera, and Powers says he's been on the phone a lot since the Orioles chose to non-tender D-Cab on Friday night.

Astros sign outfielder Jason Michaels  —  The Astros signed Jason Michaels to a one-year, $750,000 contract plus incentives, essentially filling the club's other backup outfielder's role for the 2009 season.  —  With Michaels and Darin Erstad to go along with starters Carlos Lee …

Tony's Top 5 worst pitching contracts in baseball  —  Tony's Top 5  —  Worst pitching contracts in baseball  —  A.J. Burnett, five years, $82.5 million.  First of all, he has an obvious injury history.  Second, he was 69-66 entering this year, which just happened to be a contract season.

50 Most Influential people in sports business 2008  —  This year's list naming the 50 Most Influential People in Sports Business almost felt like a sidebar to the debate that dominated our selection process.  Time and time again, the discussion veered back to whether the crippled economy …