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.

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:

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.

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.

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.

The Hapless Texas Rangers Turn to their Farm System  —  It's a cold Thursday night in mid-January and two police SUVs pull up in front of an Academy Sports and Outdoors store in North Richland Hills, an otherwise peaceful community between Dallas and Fort Worth.