Kotsay expected out at least until May after back surgery  —  With the news coming today that Mark Kotsay had back surgery on Jan. 29 to remove a displaced disc fragment, the decision by the Red Sox to sign Brad Wilkerson (pending a physical) makes more sense.

Brewers add pitchers Wright, Mendoza  —  Lefty acquired from Yanks; right-hander signs Minors deal  —  MILWAUKEE — The Brewers added two former Yankees pitchers in separate roster moves on Tuesday, acquiring left-handed starter Chase Wright in a trade and right-handed reliever Ramiro Mendoza with a Minor League free agent contract.

3 UP: Torre, Castro, Zambrano  —  Another quick 3 UP today because I am again hosting the Sirius-XM baseball show this morning from 7-10 a.m. on Sirius 210 or XM 175.  My co-host is Jim Duquette, and our special guest at 8 a.m. is scheduled to be Joe Torre, if you care to listen:

Boras: Don't play chicken with Manny  —  Buzz up!  —  Twenty-four hours after he dismissed a second offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers on behalf of client Manny Ramirez, this one for $25 million for a season, Scott Boras insisted Ramirez's market is healthy and warned the Dodgers about believing otherwise.

Yankees quietly negotiating with Bank of America  —  While the Mets have been taking the heat for their naming-rights deal for Citi Field, the Yankees have been quietly negotiating a megabucks sponsorship deal with Bank of America for the new Yankee Stadium that does not include naming rights.

Orioles sign Parrish to minor league deal  —  O's bring back veteran pitcher, who hopes to get a chance to start; Burres claimed by Blue Jays  —  The Orioles today signed John Parrish to a minor league deal, bringing the left-handed pitcher back to the organization in which he spent the first six seasons of his major league career.

Rockies acquire Murton for minor-leaguer  —  In assessing the face of his roster last week, general manager Dan O'Dowd talked about his desire to make a few final nips and tucks.  —  The cosmetic changes continued today, with the Rockies acquiring Oakland outfielder Matt Murton in exchange for minor-league speedster Corey Wimberly.

Derek Jeter talks about A-Rod, season ... but not personal life … SI.com: You're about to compete in the Gillette-EA SPORTS Champions of Gaming Global Finals, in which a contest winner gets to play against you in an Xbox Live game.  The last time we spoke you said you didn't play video games.

Navarro's agent: Talks with Rays at impasse, respect matters  —  Talks with Dioner Navarro on a multi-year deal have stalled and agent Kendall Almerico said this morning the resumption of negotiations, as well as the catcher's long-term future with the team, may depend on whether the Rays treat him …

Rockies' Francis sets shoulder surgery deadline  —  Colorado Rockies starter Jeff Francis, bothered by persistent soreness in his left shoulder, has set a Feb. 19 deadline to determine whether he will need exploratory surgery that could sideline him for much of the 2009 season, his agent said.

Pieces of his mind  —  Picked-up pieces while still mourning John Updike, the greatest writer of them all and the man who wrote “Picked-Up Pieces” . . .  Sorry, I can't get into a lather about this Michael Phelps bong photograph.  He has apologized appropriately.

Mariners must make decision on Griffey soon  —  With spring training opening in less than two weeks, the Mariners will very soon have to make the decision that has been looming over the team all offseason.  —  Will they bring back the franchise's most storied player, Ken Griffey Jr.?

Government's evidence against Bonds unsealed  —  SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge on Wednesday unsealed hundreds of pages of court documents at the heart of the government's criminal case against Barry Bonds, including positive drug tests that prosecutors linked to the home run king.