Source sees Yankees' pursuit of Manny Ramirez as front office splits  —  Are the Yankees preparing to give Manny Ramirez a happy homecoming?  —  The pride of Washington Heights remains one of the biggest names left on the free-agent market, and while it may take some time before the future Hall …

Furcal might not be Atlanta-bound  —  Buzz up!  —  Rafael Furcal might not be an Atlanta Brave just yet, much to the dismay of the Atlanta Braves.  —  Because while certain people in the organization were confirming Tuesday that, yes, the Braves had come to an agreement to bring …

Red Sox could counter with Teixeira  —  Free-agent slugger won't come cheap after Yanks' spending spree  —  An unintended beneficiary of the Yankees' spending spree of more than $240 million for two pitchers might be free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira.

Development staff has five fresh faces  —  Former big leaguers Truby, Whitt to take Minors managing roles  —  The Phillies signed five newcomers to help out in the player development staff for the 2009 season, assistant general manager Chuck LaMar announced on Tuesday.

Yanks, General Motors agree to end partnership  —  NEW YORK — General Motors Corp. won't be the automotive sponsor for the New York Yankees when the team's new stadium opens next year.  —  Yankees chief operating officer Lonn Trost said Tuesday that Toyota and Audi will take over as the club's auto sponsors.

Cubs, Yankees among several teams eyeing Lowe  —  The Cubs could become a landing spot for star free-agent pitcher Derek Lowe.  —  Chicago had been talking seriously to the Padres about trade target Jake Peavy for weeks until pulling out at the winter meetings, and some baseball people think discussions could be revived at some point.

Future Shock  —  Mets Top 11 Prospects  —  Four-Star Prospects  —  Three-Star Prospects  —  Two-Star Prospects  —  Just Missed: Dillon Gee, RHP; Francisco Pena, C; Cesar Puello, OF  —  Ranking Challenges: The question of whether Martinez or Flores should be number one haunted me for a while …

Izturis officially an Oriole  —  Team announces two-year deal with slick-fielding shortstop  —  The Orioles today announced they have completed the signing of free-agent shortstop Cesar Izturis to a two-year contract, shoring up a position that was a revolving door for the team in 2007.

Free-agent market impacting Bucs  —  Michaels, Furcal signings change Pirates' needs, interest in Wilson  —  PITTSBURGH — Since signing infielder Ramon Vazquez to a two-year deal on Friday, the Pirates have been quiet on the free-agent front.  However, in the past few days …

Joba honored  —  Joba Chamberlain is being honored tonight by the Police Athletic League.  On his way into the dinner, he talked about trying to turn a negative (his DUI arrest) into a positive by talking to kids about his mistake.  He says they might listen more to somebody who has actually had that problem.