Angels no longer trying to bring back Teixeira … The Los Angeles Angels withdrew their eight-year offer for free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira on Sunday.  —  Angels vice president of communications Tim Mead confirmed an earlier ESPN report later Sunday night.

Impacto Deportivo Manny Report  —  By Tim Dierkes [December 21 at 10:53pm CST]  —  According to a report in the Dominican newspaper Impacto Deportivo, the Yankees are on the verge of signing Manny Ramirez to a three-year, $75MM deal.  They say negotiations are advanced and an announcement would take place Monday or Tuesday.

Talented teams of the '90s quite different than today  —  Should a sale go through, whoever buys the Padres from John Moores would be lucky to get a Padres club as talented as the one Moores bought in late 1994.  —  True, when Moores took control, the Padres were coming off a 47-70 season.

PINSTRIPE POSTS  —  From the clubhouse to the diamond, Pete Caldera tells you everything you want to know about the Yankees.  —  Read “Pinstripe Posts”  —  Klapisch: Girardi, Manny don't mix  —  As the Yankees continue to toy with the idea of signing free agent bad-boy Manny Ramirez …

Minaya learning off his own mistakes  —  In Omar Minaya's four seasons as a general manager in New York, the Mets have recorded 83, 97, 88 and 89 victories.  The previous four years, 2001-04, their victory totals came in at 82, 75, 66 and 71.  —  Somehow, that turn hasn't seemed to comfort Mets fans very much.

Source: Pirates, Doumit reach deal … The Pittsburgh Pirates have reached an agreement on a three-year deal with catcher Ryan Doumit that will take him through his salary arbitration years, a baseball source told ESPN.com.  —  The contract includes a club option that will take Doumit into free agency, the source said.

Huge payday awaits Webb  —  Last week, the New York Yankees introduced left-hander CC Sabathia in pinstripes, officially making him the latest nouveau riche ace in the baseball world.  —  His seven-year, $161 million contract exceeds Mets lefty Johan Santana's in length and dollars …

Melvin confirms interest in Looper  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  I spoke to Brewers general manager Doug Melvin on the telephone today and he confirmed he has shown interest in free agent pitcher Braden Looper.  —  Melvin denied a Boston Globe report, however, that the Brewers “are close” to signing Looper.

Olney: Market forces at work  —  Brian Fuentes began the offseason as, theoretically, the most second-most coveted reliever, after a season in which he earned 30 saves and accumulated a 2.73 ERA, and held left-handed batters to a .184 average, with 20 strikeouts in 49 at-bats.