Infielder Hudson signs with Dodgers  —  All-Star second baseman costs team first-round Draft pick  —  PHOENIX — Free agents are on sale, and the Dodgers picked one up on the cheap Friday when they agreed with second baseman Orlando Hudson on a one-year contract, baseball sources confirmed.

Rays sign Isringhausen to minor-league deal  —  The Rays have signed former All-Star closer Jason Isringhausen to a minor-league deal.  —  Isringhausen, 36, was with St. Louis last season, but did not pitch after Aug. 16 and had surgery Sept. 12 to repair a torn flexor tendon …

Crede agrees to deal with Twins  —  Third baseman Joe Crede dives for the ball in 2005.  (Tribune archive photo)  —  Joe Crede was a fan favorite among White Sox fans for 61/2 seasons.  —  Now he will be playing for one of the Sox's biggest enemies.  —  Crede, 30, agreed to terms Friday night …

Assets of two New York Yankees frozen in financial fallout  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Yankees outfielders Johnny Damon and Xavier Nady are among the investors whose accounts were caught in a freeze by the government of a company affiliated with Robert Allen Stanford.

Several Yanks pick camp over Classic  —  Pitchers Ramirez, Veras latest to decline participation in tournament  —  TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees have nine members of their 40-man roster listed as provisional participants for the World Baseball Classic, but numerous players are deciding to remain in camp instead and compete for jobs.

A's halt plans for ballpark village in Fremont  —  (02-20) 11:50 PST Fremont — Oakland Athletics officials today asked the City of Fremont to halt the planning process required to build a new stadium and move the team there, saying they want to reconsider their options.

Brian Roberts signs $40M extension with Baltimore Orioles  —  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Brian Roberts has signed a $40 million, four-year extension so he won't have to worry about being traded anytime soon, nor will money be an issue in the foreseable future.  —  The Baltimore Orioles second baseman signed the extension Friday.

Rangers to sign right-hander Benson  —  Minor League deal with spring invite likely done this weekend  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Rangers are expected to sign pitcher Kris Benson to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training, possibly this weekend.

Minnesota Twins' Jason Jones content with anti-Yankees  —  Lifelong N.Y. hopeful likes Twins now  —  This text is replaced by the Flash movie.  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — When Jason Jones' brother called him in December with the news that he had been drafted moments earlier by the Twins …

A-Rod's pal, the tainted trainer: Steroid-linked friend is banned by every MLB team  —  Embattled Yankee Alex Rodriguez has had a long relationship with a steroid-linked trainer who's been banned from major league clubhouses, four independent sources told the Daily News.

Why Griffey chose Seattle over Atlanta … Drive 22 miles beyond Orlando, well past Walt Disney World and through a snarl of unlit dirt roads, and you begin to understand why the Atlanta Braves thought they had the inside track on a Hall of Famer.  —  Ken Griffey Jr.'s home in Windermere …

Zimmerman Avoids Arbitration, Signs One-Year Deal  —  The contract Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman signed late last night didn't satisfy the ultimate goal — a long-term deal — but at least it erased the most immediate fear.  Because of the one-year, $3.325 million agreement …