Garcia lands with Mets  —  Freddy Garcia is a Met.  The righthander agreed to a minor-league deal with the Mets tonight, the Daily News has learned.  It's believed he can earn as much as $8 million to $9 million if he makes the team and reaches all of his incentives.

Alou draws interest from Phils  —  While the team waits to hear from Nomar Garciaparra, the hunt continues for a righthanded bat.  —  Still waiting to hear whether Nomar Garciaparra wants to continue his playing career, the Phillies have shown an interest in several other righthanded hitters …

Ricketts family is winning Cubs bidder: $900M  —  After nearly two years of intrigue, the billionaire Ricketts family has emerged as the winning bidder to purchase the Chicago Cubs from Tribune Co. for about $900 million, sources close to the situation said this evening.

Center field candidates can't carry gloves of Yankee legends  —  Playing center field for the Yankees is one of the most hallowed jobs in sports, sort of like being the tailback at USC or linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Multiple Hall of Famers, including two of the biggest names …

Bill Werber dies at 100; Yankee teammate of Babe Ruth  —  Bill Werber, who was the oldest living former major league baseball player and a teammate of Babe Ruth, has died at age 100.  —  Werber died Thursday morning of age-related causes after moving into an assisted-care facility in Charlotte …

Sutton and/or Andruw returning?  —  A few thoughts while we wait for possible announcements that Don Sutton could be returning to the Braves broadcast booth and Andruw Jones to the outfield.  —  Neither is a done deal, though I've got a feeling both will happen.  I'm more confident about Sutton's return than Jones'.

Cincinnati Reds  —  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 (without regard to service time) are eligible.

Yankees set to move to new ballpark Friday  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Friday is moving day in the Bronx and, no, the crates don't have pinstripes.  —  Eighty-six years after moving in, the New York Yankees are moving out.  —  The team's front office will move across the street Friday …

Q&A with with Yankees' Chamberlain  —  OMAHA — So what if he gets facials and manicures?  —  New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain is still a beast in the bullpen.  And he's not afraid to get personal.  —  He's participating in ALS in the Heartland's annual bachelor-bachelorette …

These teams are the most likely to get free-agent deals done (cont.)  —  Even so, it's still a mystery to many why Varitek didn't take arbitration.  And even Red Sox owner John Henry asked Varitek in their well-publicized meeting a week ago why he didn't take the arbitration offer.

Wrigley Field's deficiencies obstacle for next Cubs owner  —  When Tribune Co. bought the last-place Cubs and Wrigley Field for $21.1 million in 1981, the park was antiquated and in a run-down neighborhood where fans sometimes were allowed to enter the bleachers free in the late innings.

Mets Will Give García Chance to Join Rotation  —  The last two years have been sobering for Freddy García, whose shoulder has kept him from being the premier starter he was for eight seasons.  He has bounced to the Philadelphia Phillies and the Detroit Tigers, and now he will try with the Mets.

Top players by organization  —  Here's a snapshot look at the top prospects in each organization.  For full reports on many of these players, see my ranking of the top 100 prospects in the minors.  —  For organizations in the top 10 in Wednesday's ranking of farm systems, I've listed their top 10 prospects.