Varitek talks moving slowly  —  Representatives for the Red Sox and Jason Varitek are continuing to talk in the wake of the catcher's meeting with owner John Henry last week, but the sides appear no closer to a deal than they have been for weeks.  —  But the closer the Sox get to spring training, the more likely that will all change.

Troy Glaus has shoulder surgery, could miss 12 weeks  —  Two days after appearing at the Cardinals' Winter Warm-Up, third baseman Troy Glaus underwent right shoulder surgery Wednesday that likely will make him unavailable Opening Day, the club announced today.

Jon Heyman: These teams are the most likely to get deals done … The 100 or so free agents who remain free, including stars (or near stars) like all-time great slugging savant Manny Ramirez plus Bobby Abreu, Adam Dunn, Orlando Hudson, Oliver Perez and Ben Sheets, shouldn't fret.  Not yet.

Law: 2009 organizational rankings  —  Keith Law ranks the farm systems for all 30 teams, from the Rangers at No. 1 to the Astros at No. 30.

Law: Top 100 prospects  —  Welcome to the second annual ESPN.com ranking of the top 100 prospects in baseball.  Last year's No. 1 prospect, Evan Longoria, ended up winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award, setting a high standard for the player at the top of this year's list.

Jeff Can't Make Hall of Fame  —  Not sure if you saw it, but former Met great Jeff Kent retired yesterday.  Now we ask, is he a Hall of Famer?  —  There's a guy who works here at The Daily News who insists Kent is Cooperstown bound.  No doubt about it, he says.  I hear the same sentiment on radio and TV.

Henry Blanco  —  Yesterday the Padres announced the signing of veteran catcher Henry Blanco to a one-year deal.  —  Throughout the off-season we have been discussing the idea of bringing in a veteran catcher who could help mentor both our young catchers and our young starting pitchers.

Kent bids farewell as a player  —  Retires after 17 seasons as top home run hitter at second base  —  LOS ANGELES — Fighting the emotions caused by putting an end to a 17-year Major League career, Jeff Kent recalled an important lesson he learned during those years.

Why the Mets Have No Money (and No Manny)  —  One of the more interesting conundrums in sports is how the New York Mets have less money to spend on ballplayers than their crosstown big brother, the New York Yankees.  It boggles the mind further when you realize the Mets' budget is below …

MacPhail: Markakis was top priority  —  Orioles right fielder pleased with direction club is headed  —  BALTIMORE — Moments before Nick Markakis dragged his pen across his new contract, Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail pronounced his offseason a success.

Fielder, Brewers closing in on two-year deal  —  Star first baseman Prince Fielder and the Brewers are closing in on a two-year contract.  An announcement could come as early as today, SI.com has learned.  —  Fielder submitted an arbitration figure of $8 million while the team submitted $6 million …

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen  —  This was one of the most entertaining e-mails I've received in a long time.  There's a fan out there, Chris Pavia, who has captured the essence of Bob Sheppard and the late Eddie Layton with terrific impersonations of both.

Reds done shopping for the winter  —  Payroll likely to remain approximately $74 million in 2009  —  Reds Spring Training opens in just over 22 days, but the roster you see when camp starts on Feb. 14 should look just like the one you see now.  —  The Reds have hit the maximum they want to spend …

Yankees packed and ready to move  —  You may have heard that the Yankees built a new stadium.  Well, they're moving in tomorrow.  —  Starting at 7 a.m., the Yankees will move nearly all of their employees across the street to their new offices.  You think your last move was a pain?