Jeff Bagwell tires of steroids talk  —  Former Astros slugger addresses accusations, physical appearance, Hall of Fame  —  Jeff Bagwell believes lifting weights like a bodybuilder shortened his career. … “I never used [steroids], and I'll tell you exactly why: If I could hit between 30 …

Angels front-runners to land Beltre  —  Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since August 2005.  He appears weekly on MLB on FOX.  Follow him on Twitter.  —  The Angels, more than ever, look like the front-runners to sign free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre.

Is collusion to blame for Jack Morris' HOF case?  —  Jack Morris was the winningest pitcher of the 1980s.  With a 162-119 record between 1980 and 1989, Morris was the pitcher of record in more club victories than any other pitcher in the same time frame.  Morris also started the most games …

Brewers, Red Sox, Phillies, Nationals top list of winter winners … The Brewers, Red Sox and Phillies stood out this winter.  But they aren't nearly the only winners to date.  With still plenty of free agents remaining, here are the 11 biggest winners so far...  1. Brewers.

Nick Markakis: No Longer A Star?  —  One of the more disappointing trends in recent years has been the progression (or lack thereof) of Nick Markakis' career.  After his phenomenal 2008 season (.306/.406/.491, +12 UZR), Nick has seemingly settled in as just a decent player …

Octavio Dotel, Blue Jays agree to deal  —  Reliever Octavio Dotel and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal Tuesday, the player's agent told ESPNdeportes.com.  —  The agent, Dominic Torres, said the deal includes a $3.5 million team option in 2012.

Honoring legends who passed during 2010  —  From Feller to Steinbrenner, baseball lost far too many greats … A year that has prompted too many days of sadness in our game is about to finish its business and go away.  Good riddance to 2010.  It hurt us.  It will hurt us into 2011.

The Mag: Buster Posey is NEXT  —  The Giants catcher is ESPN The Magazine's next big thing in MLB  —  It hasn't been easy being a Buster.  Think about it: Busters are usually pets, mostly dogs, and sometimes you're asked if you're housebroken.  People shout, “Hey, watch it, Buster!” as if they're the first to think of it.

Bullpen banter  —  I'm in between breakfast courses and wanted to check in real quick.  —  The first course included fried ham and French toast made with gourmet Italian panettone bread.  —  The eggs are cooking.  Over easy.  —  I'll need the jaws of life to get out of these pants.

Jim Rice, Chet Lemon, and How I Think About Wins Above Replacement  —  Inspired by Mike Axisa's new Twitter feed, @WARGraphs, I have been playing around with a new tool, or at least one that's new to me.  As you may know, WAR Graphs is a Fangraphs feature where you can compare up to four players by Wins Above Replacement.

Hot Stove / Cool Music returns  —  Theo Epstein and Peter Gammons are hosting Hot Stove/Cool Music again with the events set for Jan. 14 and 15.  —  On Jan. 14, the annual roundtable discussion at Fenway Park will include Epstein, Brian Sabean, Mike Rizzo, Curt Schilling, and John Farrell.