Rangers Talking With Adrian Beltre  —  10:30pm: After talking to Rangers officials, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan writes, “There appears to be some mutual interest on both sides, but nothing is remotely imminent.”  —  6:52pm: Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports that the two sides are close to agreeing to a deal (link in Spanish).

Wednesday's Cooperstown results today  —  Yup, it's that time of the year again.  On Wednesday, January 5, 2011, Cooperstown will announce the results of this year's annual BBWAA voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame.  And then we'll know who goes in and who stays out.  —  But why wait until then to find out?

Sox bring back Okajima  —  Hideki Okajima was a surprise All-Star for the Red Sox in 2007 and played a key role for a team that went on to win the World Series.  The lefthanded reliever from Japan has been in a steady decline since, but the Sox aren't giving up on him.

BAGWELL RISES ABOVE ‘WAR’  —  The deadline for voting for the Hall of Fame came and went Friday, and since I like to work on deadline - I have worked on deadline my entire life - I submitted my ballot by fax Friday evening.  A year ago I waited until the deadline day, Dec. 31 …

Orioles' Simon suspected in murder … SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Baltimore Orioles reliever Alfredo Simon is the main suspect in a fatal shooting New Year's Eve in the Dominican Republic, police said Sunday.  —  The pitcher is suspected of killing 25-year-old Michel Castillo Almonte …

Bargain hunters cooking up plans at the Hot Stove  —  The holiday break is over, and now the “second season” of the Hot Stove is about to begin.  Here's a look at who might benefit from bargain basement players or January trades:  —  1. Tampa Bay — The Rays didn't sign Joaquin Benoit until Feb. 15 …

Mets' Owen keys no-hitter for Caguas  —  Right-handed prospect goes seven frames for Winter Ball win  —  Dylan Owen, who spent time in starting and relief roles in the Mets' farm system in 2010, made his case as a starter Sunday with seven no-hit innings for Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League.

Just Like “The Babe”: Boston Red Sox Fans Wore Authentic, On-the-Field Gear as Early as 1919 … Breaking News

There's Reason to Be Optimistic  —  Will Three Proven Lieutenants in the Mets' Front Office Lead to Better Decision-Making or Chaos?  —  Early in the summer, Paul DePodesta read a book that intrigued him.  Its title was “Chasing Stars.”  Its author was Boris Groysberg, an associate professor at Harvard Business School.

Position-by-position Mets look entering '11  —  As the Mets turn the page to 2011, here is a position-by-position breakdown of where things stand at the moment.  —  Catcher  —  New York Mets  —  Profile  —  2010 Season Stats  —  GM  —  HR  —  RBI  —  R  —  OBP  —  AVG  —  91

Ground-ball Rates in the Minors and Majors  —  The idea behind SIERA, as opposed to say FIP, is that the key factors in a pitcher's profile are his walk rate, strikeout rate, and ground-ball rate.  Those factors become the prime shapers of other statistics—hits, home runs, and ultimately runs—that go into a pitcher's value.