Blue Jays claim Burres off waivers  —  Left-hander has starting and relieving experience with Orioles  —  TORONTO — The Blue Jays' search for inexpensive ways to improve their roster this offseason has included scouring the waiver wire for possible additions.

Jeter reiterates A-Rod has teammates' support  —  TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Yankees captain Derek Jeter wants to reiterate it yet again: Alex Rodriguez has the support of his teammates.  —  Rodriguez became an offseason focal point again this winter with the release of former manager Joe Torre's book, “The Yankee Years.”

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.

LA chats with agents for Manny, Wolf  —  Dodgers GM resumes talks with free agents' representatives  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers resumed negotiations on Wednesday with representatives of free agents Manny Ramirez and Randy Wolf, but no agreements were reached.

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.

2009 World Series Odds  —  With pitchers and catches set to report soon to Spring Training, it's once again time to check out the updated 2009 MLB World Series odds to win.  —  Bet MLB Future Odds  —  Oddsmakers from online sportsbook Sportsbook.com have made the New York Yankees 5/2 favorites to win the 2009 World Series.

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.

Yankees should shift Jeter to CF  —  One area in which the present really shouldn't compare poorly with the past is in legend-making.  How the story gets told might be different, but we still have heroes on the diamond whose reputations transcend what they do and how well they do it.

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.

With Costas gone, HBO may eye Buck  —  After losing Bob Costas to the MLB Network, no one at HBO Sports looked to pass the buck.  Instead HBO may be looking to acquire one - Joe Buck, that is.  —  The history of HBO Sports provides evidence its boss, Ross Greenburg, likes to hire high profile network talent.

Phillies' bullpen picture a little unclear  —  Club's strong spot has two openings before Spring Training  —  PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies certainly understand the importance of a good bullpen.  —  Their bullpen had a 3.19 ERA last season, the best mark in the National League and the best mark …

Sandy Koufax among Madoff clients who lost money  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax, a high school baseball teammate and friend of New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon, was among the clients who lost money investing with Bernard Madoff, according to a court filing released Wednesday night.

Navarro's agent: Talks at impasse, respect matters; Rays cite “track record”  —  UPDATE, 4:15: Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman responded to the comments by Navarro's agent:  —  “Our policy is to not comment on negotiations.  Navi is an important part of our team.

Uggla would welcome “crappy” multi-year offer from Marlins  —  Our thanks to Mike Goldstein at ESPN Radio 760 in West Palm Beach for providing the following transcript of a Wednesday afternoon interview with second baseman Dan Uggla from JJ Muggs' in Jupiter.

Rockies no longer pursuing Beimel; Looper not in plans  —  This appears to be the right time to be in the market for a left-handed reliever.  The days are dwindling to spring training, but the price isn't dropping on free agent Joe Beimel, a Rockies' target.

USA TODAY Sports Weekly's 100 Names You Need to Know  —  USA TODAY Sports Weekly presents its 13th annual list of the 100 Names You Need to Know.  These are the next wave of players heading into the major leagues who, in our view, could make the biggest impact during the 2009 season.