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.

Astros hope to settle arbitration cases  —  Club trying to agree on salaries for pitchers Rodriguez, Geary  —  HOUSTON — Arbitration hearing dates for Wandy Rodriguez and Geoff Geary are likely to take place the week the Astros' front office heads to Spring Training, but it's possible …

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 …

2008 Leaders and Laggards: K/100 Pitches  —  Three years ago, I introduced the concept of evaluating pitchers based on strikeouts per pitch, which has a higher correlation to runs allowed than strikeouts per batter faced or strikeouts per inning.  —  In a follow-up article in November 2007 …

McGwire's brother about as bad as it gets  —  A candidate for least interesting story of the year so far, for me, is word that Mark McGwire's brother, Jay, has circulated a book proposal in which the brother says the former slugger used steroids.  —  I think the overwhelmingly …

The commish gives his state of the game  —  The new president of the United States got to stand atop the Capitol steps this week and address the nation.  The commissioner of baseball, on the other hand, didn't even have to leave his office.  —  Here at ESPN.com, we're cooperative that way.

PirateFest, Day 1: Sleeves are back  —  The Pirates, in addition to adding an alternate jersey, will add sleeves back to their regular uniform tops next season for the first time since 2000, their last season at Three Rivers Stadium.  —  Frank Coonelly explained as part of the announcement today …

Cubs sale magic number: 1  —  Tribune Co. settles on Ricketts family to purchase team, but potential hurdles exist before a deal can be finalized  —  The Chicago Cubs and their storied legacy of losing are set to change hands, with the billionaire Ricketts family emerging as the favored bidder …

Brewers, Fielder agree to two-year, $18M deal … MILWAUKEE (AP) — Prince Fielder and the Milwaukee Brewers completed an $18 million, two-year contract on Friday, a deal that avoided salary arbitration.  —  “It's just as important he doesn't have to worry about arbitration from his standpoint,” general manager Doug Melvin said.

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 …

Mets' owner on Manny Ramirez: We're not interested  —  Manny Ramirez may not be on the Mets' list of possible free agent signings, team COO Jeff Wilpon told Bloomberg News.  (Getty Images Photo)  —  Mets fans - and a Mets third baseman - who are dreaming of seeing Manny Ramirez's big bat …

Clemens not involved with Astros spring training  —  HOUSTON — As the Houston Astros were celebrating the development of a new youth academy Friday, owner Drayton McLane was talking about the possibility of Andy Pettitte returning to the team and whether he expects Roger Clemens at spring training.

Sources: Dodgers in talks with three pitchers  —  The Los Angeles Dodgers have intensified conversations with the agents for free-agent starters Randy Wolf, Jon Garland and Braden Looper, with the hope of signing one of them in the next few days, according to sources who have spoken with members of their front office.

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'.

“Sunday Night Baseball” loves Chachi  —  ESPN announced this week that Steve Phillips will join Jon Miller and Joe Morgan in the booth of “Sunday Night Baseball,” the network's signature baseball telecast.  —  There had been rumors during the postseason, denied by ESPN …