Sources: Oakland Athletics, shortstop Orlando Cabrera agree to deal  —  Free-agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera has agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with the Oakland Athletics, who also are closing in on a deal with veteran infielder Nomar Garciaparra, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney on Monday.

A-Rod joined by ex-wife before WBC workout  —  JUPITER, Fla. - On the heels of a meeting with MLB investigators and as he prepares for the World Baseball Classic, it was another bizarre scene featuring Alex Rodriguez.  —  Minutes before the Dominican Republic team was about to take the field this afternoon …

Murphy's blast gives Orioles the win  —  Bergesen makes sub start, hurls three shutout frames vs. Sox  —  ORIOLES 5, RED SOX 3  —  Red Sox at the plate: Second baseman Nick Green doubled in a run in the fourth inning, and then he singled and scored on Ivan Ochoa's game-tying home run in the seventh.

The return of Pedro?  —  Saying he would be a “bargain,” Pedro Martinez talked today about pitching this year, how great he is feeling and also detailed his winter chat with GM Omar Minaya in the Dominican Republic.  —  Martinez said he would not be inclined to take a low-base, high-incentive contract.

The Worst Contracts In Baseball  —  For this exercise I only considered current contracts (so Mike Hampton's eight-year, $121MM deal is out).  Also, there are some lousy deals that were worth less than $15MM total that I chose to leave out. 2006 was a black hole for free agent contracts.

Wang feels fine after two innings  —  Here's what matters today: Chien-Ming Wang pitched two innings and his right foot felt fine.  Everything else is window dressing.  —  The Yankees led 5-2 when the starters came out.  The game finished in a 5-5 tie.  George Kontos allowed three runs and there was some sloppy defense.

Mets hope small ball pays off big  —  Manuel looking to incorporate ‘more Lemke, less McGwire’  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Among the defeats the Mets endured during their September slide last season was one that particularly distressed their manager, because he was certain that it could have been averted …

About Screech's Unveiling  —  Of course it snowed.  —  I mean, this is the Nats, Spring of '09.  The prospect was four years too old, the GM resigned, the Dominican operation was dismantled, the free agent pitcher held out and got dropped, and the D.C. area was savaged by snow …

Davies impressive in second outing  —  Potential starter allows one hit over three scoreless innings  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — Kyle Davies took another big step toward securing a spot in the Royals' starting rotation with three scoreless innings Monday.  —  Davies gave up only one single …

MLB Payroll Efficiency, 2006-2008  —  The Commissioner's Office released the final baseball payrolls for 2008 in late December.  Not surprisingly, the New York Yankees spent $75 million more than the next highest team (Boston Red Sox) and $126 million over the average MLB team.

Hanrahan To Participate In WBC  —  For Angels closer Brian Fuentes, it was family issues.  For Toronto closer B.J. Ryan, it was mechanical issues.  For Minnesota closer Joe Nathan, it was shoulder issues.  En masse, Team USA lost a slew of relief pitchers, which is why, last night …

How John Wetteland helped save baseball in Seattle  —  In a strange way former Yankees closer John Wetteland saved baseball in Seattle, by not saving the fourth game of the American League Division Series.  Wetteland, the new Mariners bullpen coach helped build Safeco Field.

Joe Torre's “The Yankee Years.”  —  Joe Torre will be back in town on Tuesday, July 7th, reassuringly on view behind the batting cage at Citi Field as he prepares his Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game series against the Mets.  Last year, he took the Dodgers into the National League Championship Series …

DeJesus could miss the season  —  This according to Joe Torre, but Stan Conte said it's too early to know for sure.  DeJesus has a broken left tibia.  He was admitted to a local hospital, at least overnight, and they will decide tomorrow whether to do surgery.  Good thing the Dodgers signed Furcal for three more years.

NO MRI FOR JOHAN, METS TAKE A POLAROID INSTEAD  —  I can understand not wanting to spend over 45 mil for Manny Ramirez but you mean to tell me that with the first class facilities the Mets crow about down in St Lonesome, they couldn't purchase or lease a state of the art MRI an fly down Dr. Altcheck …

Lou Piniella outraged by ESPN analyst's criticism  —  MESA, Ariz. — ESPN baseball analyst Steve Phillips might want to steer clear of Lou Piniella when the Cubs play Milwaukee on an April 12 ESPN telecast.  —  Piniella was fuming over a remark Phillips made recently on Chet Coppock's WMVP-AM 1000 radio show.

Jake Peavy remains interested in joining Cubs  —  Deal might be re-examined after sale of team finalized  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — The Jake Peavy saga began in November and lasted through most of the off-season, leaving Cubs fans wondering if the Padres ace would be in blue pinstripes by Opening Day.