Giambi completes one-year deal to return to A's … OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Jason Giambi is returning to his professional baseball roots with the Oakland Athletics.  —  Giambi and the A's finalized a one-year contract with an option Wednesday, bringing the free-agent designated hitter …

The final chapter on Teixeira  —  NEW YORK - In the catacombs of the old Yankee Stadium, dressed in a charcoal suit with pinstripes, Mark Teixeira settled his large frame into a rather ordinary folding chair yesterday.  The latest member of the Yankees gently removed his cap, exposing an undeniable impression on his forehead.

Marquis gone; Peavy in focus?  —  The Cubs finished off the Jason Marquis-for-Luis Vizcaino trade with the Colorado Rockies as expected Tuesday.  —  But will it look more like a Marquis-for-Jake Peavy deal by the time they open spring training next month?  —  General manager Jim Hendry …

Washington Nationals  —  Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel.  All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched …

Cardinals manager passionate animal advocate  —  BC-BBN—La Russa's Pet Project, 1st Ld-Writethru,0675  —  Eds: UPDATES throughout.  —  By R.B. FALLSTROM  —  ST. LOUIS (AP) — Inside Tony La Russa's northern California home, there are more dogs and cats than positions on the baseball field.

More on Mitre; Dissecting Romero's claims  —  I managed to get hold of Matt Sosnick from Sosnick-Cobbe Sports, the firm that represents Sergio Mitre.  Sosnick is not Mitre's representative; Paul Cobbe is.  Matt was kind enough to take a few moments to help clarify some things about Mitre's story.

Citi Field: Where Homeruns Go To Die  —  Citi Field opens for real in three months, but I feel like we still know very little about it aside from its aesthetics.  Dimensionally, we know it'll sport a similar configuration to Shea Stadium, with some variably higher walls and the odd geometric nuance to break from straight symmetry.

Dodgers offer one-year deal to all-time save leader Trevor Hoffman  —  The Milwaukee Brewers also are in pursuit of the closer, who is expected to make his decision this week.  Meanwhile, the Giants are considering offering Manny Ramirez a three-year deal.  —  The ninth inning at Dodger Stadium could be Trevor Time this year.

Pitcher Patterson retiring from baseball  —  Former Nationals righty unable to overcome pain in right forearm  —  WASHINGTON — Right-hander John Patterson, best known for his years with the Nationals, announced on Wednesday that he is retiring from baseball because of persistent pain in his right forearm.

Corky Simpson: The writer who didn't vote for Rickey Henderson  —  So I was putting together some research on which BBWAA members had published their ballots for the 2009 Baseball Hall of Fame, trying to get a feel (albeit from a small sample size) of what the 2009 voting might look like.

Future Shock  —  Cardinals Top 11 Prospects  —  Five-Star Prospects  —  Four-Star Prospects  —  Three-Star Prospects  —  Two-Star Prospects  —  Just Missed: Mitch Boggs, RHP; Jon Jay, OF; Peter Kozma, SS  —  Ranking Challenges: Spots one through four are almost too easy, but it's a bit messy from there down.

Orioles open door to Asia  —  Pitcher Uehara to become team's first Japan native  —  The Orioles have filled one vacant spot in their wide-open rotation while simultaneously opening the door to the Far East.  —  Japanese right-hander Koji Uehara has agreed to a two-year, $10 million …

Pirates still on Baldelli's trail  —  The Pirates remain active in a narrowing field of teams pursuing free-agent outfielder Rocco Baldelli.  —  There had been five or six suitors for Baldelli as of late last month, but two appear to have been removed this week: The Tampa Bay Rays signed …

Marlins strike deal with Logan Kensing  —  With the arbitration filing period in full throttle, signings will soon follow.  The Marlins have struck a deal with pitcher Logan Kensing.  —  Kensing emerged as important reliever for the Marlins last season, and will likely have an expanded role …

Reds agree to terms with Hairston  —  Infielder/outfielder expected to be everyday shortstop in 2009  —  CINCINNATI — The Reds have reached an agreement with free-agent infielder/outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr. on a one-year deal worth a guaranteed $2 million, a baseball source told MLB.com on Tuesday.

Mets to meet with Boras about Lowe, Perez  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Still looking to fill out the rotation, the New York Mets are ready to make their push for a proven starting pitcher.  —  Mets executives set up a face-to-face meeting Wednesday with agent Scott Boras to talk about two of his free-agent clients …

City Trades Yankee Stadium Suite for Cash  —  After intense criticism, the Bloomberg administration has given up a perk it worked fervently to secure: a free luxury suite at the new Yankee Stadium.  —  The city will relinquish use of the 12-seat box in exchange for whatever revenue …

What I Hate About Line Drives  —  This is my first post at FanGraphs, and I would like to thank David Appelman for inviting me onboard.  I have previously written for Seamheads.com and StatSpeak.net, and frequent “The Book” blog.  If you'd like to know some more about my background, check out this article I wrote a few months ago.

Surprise Find: A 139-Year-Old Baseball Card  —  Bernice Gallego of Collectique holds the rare 1869 baseball card that turned up at her shop recently.  The card, a Peck & Synder featuring the Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first professional baseball team, is said to be the first baseball card ever produced.