Cubs deal former top prospect Pie to Orioles  —  Despite being rated as the top prospect in the Cubs' farm system in 2006 and 2007, outfielder Felix Pie never made his mark in Chicago.  Now he'll get a chance to make a big-league impact in Baltimore, instead.  —  Pie

Sheets, Pettitte on Mets' radar?  —  The Mets figured that the two Scott Boras clients on their shopping list would sign by mid-January.  Turns out, they were only half right, with Derek Lowe accepting a four-year, $60-million contract from the Braves last week.

Bisons unveil three new uniforms  —  Mets say Cooper may return to Herd  —  The Buffalo Bisons have a new affiliate and new logo.  And the new uniforms for 2009 that were unveiled Friday will be worn by at least one familiar face.  —  Outfielder Jason Cooper, the franchise's modern-era leader …

Rice blames Boss, Yanks on never winning a Series  —  The complaint is not a new one.  With the Yankees spending nearly half a billion dollars on three players this offseason - CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira - it is hardly a surprise that the Steinbrenner family again is being blamed …

Chris Perez's ankle, mechanics are fine & other Warm-up riffs  —  DOWNTOWN — Cardinals' closer candidate Chris Perez came to St. Louis this winter to have a scan taken of his achy ankle, and while the joint doesn't hinder the work he's trying to do on his delivery it has made his other offseason goal a tad trickier.

Deep thoughts on players  —  Many stars don't shine when spotlight's bright  —  For many teams, it's about getting deep into the postseason, winning it all.  Yet how much thought goes into rosters to make sure teams have the players that will perform once they get there?

Was it a false arm alarm?  —  Rothschild's comments cause confusion, but Harden allays fears  —  So what's the deal with Rich Harden and his iffy shoulder anyway?  —  The Cubs have committed $7million worth of faith in the health of the right-hander's pitching shoulder.

Wood thanks fans in Chicago papers  —  On last day of Cubs Convention, pitcher says goodbye in ads  —  CHICAGO — Kerry Wood said thank you to Cubs fans and bid farewell on Sunday in full page advertisements in two Chicago newspapers.  —  Wood spent his entire career with the Cubs since …

Five Cards outfielders vie for spots  —  ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals' outfield is so crowded some players are surprised they're still around.  —  Rick Ankiel was a big draw at the team's Winter Warmup on Sunday with his autograph going for $60, twice as much as the going rate for manager Tony La Russa.

Prospectus Q and A: Wes Littleton by David Laurila  —  Wes Littleton … David Laurila: What is the baseball-life story of Wes Littleton?  —  Wes Littleton: I think I started a little late; I was probably seven or eight years old when I first started.  Basically, I've been playing baseball ever since.