Manny Ramirez turns down Dodgers offer  —  Free-agent outfielder rejects a one-year, $25-million proposal his agent categorizes as a suggestion.  —  Manny Ramirez wasted no time rejecting the Dodgers' latest offer, a one-year, $25-million proposal that was presented Sunday to his agent, Scott Boras.

Citi Explores Breaking Mets Deal  —  Bank That Got Bailout Cash Revisits $400 Million Pact to Put Name on Stadium  —  Citigroup Inc., eager to quell the controversy over how lenders are using government bailout money, is exploring the possibility of backing out of a nearly $400 million marketing deal …

Clemens's DNA Is Linked to Syringes  —  Attorney Says Tests 'Won't Matter at All'  —  Scientific tests have linked Roger Clemens's DNA to blood in syringes that a personal trainer says he used to inject the former star pitcher with performance-enhancing drugs, according to two sources familiar with the investigation.

Ted Keith: Why the Mets are gambling on Perez … In baseball, potential comes with a spotlight, and sometimes a noose, but it rarely comes with a easily determined price tag, at least not for players who have had ample time to test potential against performance.

Red Sox Sign Brad Wilkerson  —  By Tim Dierkes [February 2 at 11:03pm CST]  —  MLBTR has learned tonight that the Red Sox have signed outfielder Brad Wilkerson to a minor league deal with roster and playing time incentives.  Wilkerson, 31, hit .220/.308/.326 in 309 plate appearances for the Mariners and Blue Jays in 2008.

It's time for Jeter to step up, defend Rodriguez  —  The official story is that nearly eight years ago, Alex Rodriguez implied in a magazine story that Derek Jeter's place in a batting order coincided perfectly with the number on his back.  Jeter was a No. 2 hitter, A-Rod seemed to be saying …

Giambi's testimony lacks blunt force  —  Buzz up!  —  SAN FRANCISCO - Jason Giambi told a federal grand jury in 2003 that he didn't know whether Barry Bonds was taking banned substances and that he never gained any information about the home run king's alleged drug regimen from his contacts at BALCO.

Fairpole: Baseball Toaster To Be Unplugged, Disassembled For Scraps  —  If you've been paying attention lately, you've noticed that Baseball Toaster has had a bunch of its knobs and switches and dials and wires fall off in recent months.  Today, with the largest part of our engine leaving …

BBTiA Scouting Series: Justin Smoak  —  When deciding whether or not to go forward with this series, I relied heavily on those already in the scouting world for advice.  Scouting players is a very difficult challenge, and despite my egotistical belief in my own ability …

M's maneuverability limited if big salaries can't be dumped  —  Ten days hence, the Seattle Mariners begin gathering in Peoria, Ariz.  —  It's been an off-season of change, including a new general manager, a new manager, a new coaching staff and a revamped roster.

Nationals still waiting on Dunn  —  The market has been mostly quiet for free agent slugger Adam Dunn, but a baseball source said Dunn did receive a contract offer from the Nationals, who badly want a power hitter.  The Nats targeted Dunn after making a spirited free-agent run at Mark Teixeira, who signed with the Yankees.

Selig received a salary of nearly $17.5M in 2007 … NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball commissioner Bud Selig made more than all but three of his sport's players in 2007.  —  Selig received a raise of about $3 million to nearly $17.5 million that year, according to Major League Baseball's latest tax return.

Detroit Station Has Fun With Matt Millen  —  I thought Matt Millen did a fine job during NBC's broadcast, but that's not to say that some people are happy that he's employed anywhere.  Take for example NBC affiliate, WDIV in Detroit, which decided that every time Millen appeared on the screen, a disclaimer was needed.