Bondy: Omar, Manuel on hot seat this winter  —  There is nothing more disconcerting in baseball than a club coming off a lousy season, heading into the offseason with a lame-duck manager and general manager as its front men.  —  Yet that is what the Mets have become this autumn.

Tigers warned Cabrera after bar altercation in August, reports show  —  Birmingham — During an altercation at a Birmingham bar in August, Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera allegedly mocked a teenager about his weight and challenged a man to a fight in an incident that resulted …

ChiSox pick up Garcia's option … The White Sox exercised the option for next year on veteran right-handed pitcher Freddy Garcia.  —  Garcia, 34, will make a $1 million base salary, plus a possible $2 million in incentives.  —  Garcia went 3-4 with a 4.34 ERA in nine starts with the White Sox …

Strasburg's pro debut  —  Stephen Strasburg's legacy is no longer built on hype alone.  The Nationals' No. 1 draft pick actually pitched in a real, live professional baseball game today, so we finally have some tangible evidence of his ability.  Strasburg's line from today's Florida instructional league …

Braves pack up and look towards 2010  —  Club hoping to find postseason glory in Cox's last year  —  ATLANTA — Turner Field was primarily quiet on Monday morning.  Rookie reliever Kris Medlen came in to pack up a few more belongings and Braves manager Bobby Cox once again provided reason …

Raissman: Keith says he may not return to SNY  —  Is the four-year SportsNet New York partnership of Gary Cohen, Ron Darling, and Keith Hernandez over?  —  Was their Sunday call of Nelson Figueroa's 4-0 shutout of Houston, in the Mets' season finale, the trio's final performance together?

Unloading Milton Bradley heads Jim Hendry's to-do list  —  Cubs GM also will be looking for a run producer  —  Milton Bradley is congratulated by teammates in the dugout.  (Chris Sweda, Chicago Tribune / August 29, 2009)  —  The 50th anniversary of the production of the last Edsel arrives in November …

Hall of Fame broadcasters Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrin to call postseason action  —  KABC 790 and KHJ 930 to provide live game broadcasts  —  LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced that Hall of Fame broadcasters Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrín will call much of the action …

Hill named AL Comeback Player of Year  —  MLB.com reporters honor infielder's courageous story  —  TORONTO — The Blue Jays simply did not know what to expect from Aaron Hill this year.  The concussion that the second baseman suffered last season was serious enough that the team admittedly …

New York Yankees slashing premium seat prices by up to $1,250  —  NEW YORK — The New York Yankees are reclassifying more than a quarter of their ritzy Legends Suite seats next season and slashing prices on many of the remaining tickets by up to $1,250.  —  A total of 538 seats along …

Former Rockies pitcher Chacon arrested in Greeley  —  GREELEY, Colo.—Authorities say they have arrested former major league pitcher Shawn Chacon at a Colorado bowling alley on charges related to unpaid gambling markers in Nevada.  —  Greeley police say Chacon was arrested Monday night, and booked in the Weld County Jail.

Hoffman option has escalators  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  A source just confirmed to me that closer Trevor Hoffman indeed has reached agreement on a new deal with the Brewers that will pay him $8 million next season with a mutual option for 2011 that has escalators in it.

When 'pens succeed, playoff wins follow  —  Since start of the division-play era in 1969, thriving bullpens vital to October success … I have five bold postseason predictions:  —  1. The Philadelphia Phillies will not win the World Series.  —  2. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will not win the World Series.

Next year a stepping stone for Tribe  —  With limited payroll, Indians building for future contention  —  When it comes to the Indians' roster, what you see now very well may be what you get in 2010.  —  Do the Indians have needs?  Certainly.  —  Do they have the deep pockets to fill them?

Angels hope to vanquish ghosts of postseasons past, beat Red Sox  —  Before the Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox met for the final time of the regular season in mid-September, Bobby Abreu and David Ortiz talked about the likelihood the teams would face each other for a third consecutive year in an American League Division Series.

After his toughest year, A-Rod primed for October  —  Even after reaching 30 home runs and 100 RBI, Alex Rodriguez's season will go down as one of the most pedestrian of his career.  Wouldn't it be ironic if this was the year he finally helped lead the Yankees to a World Series title?

DC-Internet Baseball Writers Association Names 2009 Player Achievement Awards  —  The Washington, DC chapter of the Internet Baseball Writers Association is an organization comprised of internet writers, on-line media outlets, and bloggers.  —  In accordance with its stated goal of promoting …