If Adrian Beltre goes to Rangers, Vladimir Guerrero could return to Angels  —  Adrian Beltre, according to numerous media reports, is closing in on a deal with the Texas Rangers, a move that would be a considerable blow to the Angels' playoff hopes and would greatly increase the chances of slugger Vladimir Guerrero returning to Anaheim.

Rockies and Gonzalez OK 7-year, $80 million deal, sources say  —  The Rockies agreed on a seven-year, $80 million contract with outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, pending a physical, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations.  —  The deal covers three free-agent years …

Reds To Sign Jeremy Hermida  —  The Reds agreed to sign Jeremy Hermida to a minor league deal, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The move fills out Cincinnati's outfield and leaves Fred Lewis and Scott Podsednik with one less suitor.  Career Sports represents Hermida, who turns 27 this month.

The case for Morris  —  Tyler Kepner has a piece up today about Jack Morris' qualifications for the Hall of Fame.  I don't buy Kepner's arguments, but he makes the best case he can while also acknowledging the many negatives against Morris.  Kepner presumably would have a vote if the New York Times let him …

Bye-bye Blue Jays.  —  I've actually known about this for a while, but I've been dragging my feet on just what to say about it.  I've decided you need to know since you'll find out eventually and I'd rather it come from me than some other blog which will probably highlight my small career sample …

Rays interested in Delcarmen  —  As the Rays continue their quest to rebuild their bullpen, one reliever they've expressed interest in is former Red Sox righthander Manny Delcarmen.  —  Delcarmen, a 28-year-old, spent the first five-and-a-half seasons with his hometown Red Sox before getting traded to the Rockies last August.

Mets sign Taylor Buchholz and Chris Capuano  —  According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, Taylor Buchholz will earn a $600,000 base salary, and Chris Capuano will earn a $1.5 million base salary with the opportunity to earn more with incentives.  —  Rubin also says the signing of both Capuano …

Brandon Webb feeling good, but won't rush  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Rangers pitcher Brandon Webb and general manager Jon Daniels are not fans of timetables.  Asked repeatedly if Webb's shoulder will make him ready to start the season in the rotation, both Webb and Daniels said they'd have to wait until spring training starts.

Bill Buckner to manage Brockton Rox  —  BOSTON — Bill Buckner is coming back here, and in uniform, too.  —  The former Red Sox first baseman has been hired to manage the Brockton (Mass.) Rox, a team in the independent Can-Am League, Rox co-owner Van Schley confirmed Tuesday.

Heavily invested in Blyleven  —  Rich Lederer is an investment manager.  Stock and bond portfolios are his thing.  He is the president and chief investment officer of Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel in Long Beach, Calif.  —  But Lederer loved batting averages long before calculating his first P/E ratio.

The 2010 Seattle Seahawks: Worst.  Playoff.  Team.  Ever?  —  By defeating the St. Louis Rams Sunday night, the Seattle Seahawks qualified for the N.F.L. playoffs in spite of having lost nine games and won only seven.  —  They are not, technically speaking, the first N.F.L. team …

Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon surrenders, says he did not intend to kill  —  Reliever claims shooting in Dominican Republic was accidental; prosecutor leans toward involuntary manslaughter charge; former Oriole Miguel Tejada to provide attorneys' fees  —  Orioles reliever Alfredo Simon …

BP Unfiltered  —  Phillies Pitcher Release Points  —  In November, we published an article about using PITCHf/x data to track pitcher fastball release points over time.  The article included several examples of pitchers who had interesting changes in their release points or were especially consistent …

Dykstra bounces check to porn star / escort  —  LENNY DYKSTRA IS back in the news, and once again it has nothing to do with baseball.  —  The former Phillies outfielder has been accused of giving a porn star/escort a $1,000 check that bounced, according to a report.