Believe it not, this is about JUAN CRUZ  —  I touched on this in my story for Monday's ink-on-paper editions.  —  A new wrinkle has come up that could make it easier for the Twins acquire someone like righthander Juan Cruz, who's considered one of the best set up men of the free agent class …

Deep thoughts from Ortiz  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — David Ortiz has something to say — and perhaps even something to prove — to the naysayers who thought his career was on the downside after an injury-filled 2008 campaign.  —  “Sometimes I hear some comments and they do nothing but make me stronger …

Rodriguez Not Expected to Be as Open as Pettitte  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees will discuss his use of performance-enhancing drugs at a news conference here Tuesday, but he is not expected to imitate Andy Pettitte's performance from a year ago.

Family matters for White Sox's Mark Buehrle, who is considering retirement after 2011 season  —  So much so, that Buehrle may retire after 2011 season  —  GLENDALE, Ariz. — Mark Buehrle arrived for his 10th training camp with the White Sox looking ready to go, as always.

Varitek: No switch from switching  —  In case you're wondering, Jason Varitek knows the idea has been floated.  But if you're expecting him to give up switch-hitting to bat only righthanded, he has a simple answer.  —  “Oh my goodness.  Hell, no,” Varitek said this morning at the Red Sox' spring training complex.

PECOTA sure to stir annual debate  —  Named for former infielder, system projects many of season's results  —  When Nate Silver devised the unique PECOTA rating system for Baseball Prospectus, he had a light-hitting Kansas City Royals infielder in mind.  —  And when that infielder …

Peter King: What's next for Favre … We've got a lot going on for what's supposed to be a dead time — Michael Vick's on the block while in the cell block, Julius Peppers is trying to politely talk himself out of Carolina, Alex Rodriguez is lying about Selena Roberts (which enrages me) …

Sadler gets big boost from Manny  —  Ramirez helped Giants reliever continue offseason workouts  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Giants right-hander Billy Sadler feels grateful when he thinks about “Manny being Manny.”  —  Due to Manny Ramirez's generosity, Sadler maintained his workout regimen …

No interest in Pudge  —  PORT ST. LUCIE — Despite what Pudge Rodriguez keeps saying, the Mets aren't interested in the veteran catcher and aren't talking to him about a contract.  A high-ranking team source said there has been no discussion about Rodriguez in recent weeks …

A few things . . .  Julio Lugo fields ground balls with the shortstops Monday.  (Chris Forsberg / Boston.com)  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — A few things from the clubhouse before players took the field . . .  - Julio Lugo said this morning he'll wait and see how things transpire by the end …

2009 Mets rotation  —  As of today, with everyone healthy, this is the Mets' rotation to start the season:  —  1. Johan Santana  —  2. Mike Pelfrey  —  3. Oliver Perez  —  4. John Maine  —  5. Tim Redding  —  Pitching coach Dan Warthen explained that Pelfrey's better numbers …

Down the Rabbit Hole: Looking at 2009 Free Agency  —  By Maury Brown [February 16 at 10:50am CST]  —  With Spring Training arriving, we can start to peel back the layers of the onion we call free agency and look at some trends.  To begin with, I started by taking a look at total spending in the FA market this season.

Gammons/A-Rod was no Frost/Nixon  —  After a nearly year-long retreat into the shadows, the squirrelly topic of performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball darted into view several times in the past few weeks, before finally bursting onto center screen.

Pitchers and Catchers  —  Back when I started working in baseball for the Cleveland Indians, the only feeling that rivaled winning in the playoffs was getting in your rental car in Orlando in the middle of February, rolling down the windows, and soaking up the 60+ miles to Winter Haven.

Zimmermann Eyes More Than Just a Spot in Camp  —  A month and a half ago, Jordan Zimmermann started to get a bit nervous.  The Washington Nationals still hadn't invited him to big league camp.  For all of his recent acclaim — Baseball America named him the organization's top prospect …

Ludwick close to deal with Cards  —  Outfielder cancels plans to attend arbitration hearing  —  JUPITER, Fla. — Ryan Ludwick expects to have a contract finalized with the Cardinals in the immediate future.  The outfielder is so confident that he has canceled plans to fly to Arizona …

Mets launch Online Ticket Registration for Opening Day at Citi Field Tomorrow, February 17 at 10 A.M on Mets.Com and Losmets.Com  —  Season Tickets Featuring Opening Day on Sale Now at Mets.com and LosMets.com  —  The New York Mets today announced the launch of an online registration …