Rangers looking to land Vizquel  —  Gold Glove-winning veteran would provide another option at shortstop  —  The Rangers' infield situation has taken an interesting twist, as the team is trying to sign free-agent shortstop Omar Vizquel for what will likely be a utility role.

He wants to return, says face-to-face with owner ‘went OK’  —  Longtime Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek met with club owner John Henry for approximately 90 minutes near Varitek's Atlanta-area home last night in an apparent attempt to resolve the winterlong stalemate between the player and team.

Yankees Hearing Offers for Swisher and Nady  —  On his official Web site, Nick Swisher is depicted in a Yankees uniform, staring out at a pitcher as he wags his bat over his head.  The photo has obviously been altered — Swisher has a beard, for one thing — and the scene it depicts may never come to pass.

Tampa Bay Rays' senior adviser Don Zimmer recovering from small stroke  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Senior adviser Don Zimmer is recovering from a small stroke suffered last month and hopes to join the Rays in spring training for what would be his 61st season in the game.

Mets are unlikely to be keeping up with Jones  —  The Mets briefly contemplated trading for Andruw Jones earlier this winter as a way to unload Luis Castillo's contract.  —  But while the Dodgers have eaten the final year of the free-agent bust's whopping deal, one team official still answered …

Pitching Perspectives with Rick Peterson  —  An Overview of 4 Key Issues of Major League Pitching  —  If one was to poll major league executives, players, and coaches along with fans and the media about the most important element for the success of a team, the resounding answer would be pitching.

Tigers' discussions with Lyon ongoing  —  Reliever may make decision next week; Parrish weighing options  —  DETROIT — The Tigers continue to hold discussions with the agent for free-agent reliever Brandon Lyon, who could end up making a decision on a team next week.

City Approves $370.9 Million to Complete Yankee Stadium  —  New York City's Industrial Development Agency approved $370.9 million in primarily tax-exempt bonds on Friday to finish construction of Yankee Stadium with all the upgrades the team had sought, from better security to a new scoreboard to replace one that did not meet its needs.

Team could draw fewer than 2 million because of low season ticket sales  —  Sharp declines in Padres season ticket sales could result in home attendance dropping below 2 million for the first time since the 1994 season was cut short by a labor dispute.  —  Season ticket sales were at about 15,000 entering the 2008 season.

Dobbs agrees to two-year deal with Phillies; Oliver signs with Angels  —  Greg Dobbs, a key role player for the Phillies, has found a measure of security with his new World Series ring.  Dobbs agreed to a two-year, $2.5-million contract today.  —  Dobbs, who hit .301 with nine home runs and 40 RBIs …

Eye surgery on docket for Big Z  —  Enigmatic Cub to undergo Lasik-type procedure to clear up ‘fuzzy’ vision  —  Forget the Milton Bradley signing, Ryan Dempster's return and the Jake Peavy intrigue.  —  The best-laid plans of the 2009 Cubs start with the no-hit, no-predicting enigma that is their would-be ace, Carlos Zambrano.

EXTRA CREDIT  —  The Red Sox may be idiots, but their captain, Jason Varitek, is one of the smartest men in the game  —  There's a term that's been around baseball for ages, and it's about the worst label one player can hang on another.  Actually, it's not what one guy would say about another …

Marlins discuss Andruw Jones  —  If Andruw Jones doesn't return to the Atlanta Braves, he might find a landing spot in South Florida.  —  According to a baseball source, the Marlins have conducted internal discussions about Jones, who the Dodgers released Thursday after restructuring …