Rangers close to deal with Beltre  —  Two-time Gold Glove third baseman had stellar 2010 for Boston  —  ARLINGTON — The Rangers' big free-agent purchase of the offseason is close to being completed.  Get ready for Adrian Beltre to take over for Michael Young as the Rangers' third baseman.

Hall of Fame needs to deal with steroids era  —  Powers in Cooperstown need to fix the process instead of making votes so hard to cast  —  There's a Cooperstown crisis coming.  Nobody seems to want to acknowledge it.  Nobody seems to want to deal with it.  But it's coming, all right, whether the Hall of Fame is ready or not.

Nationals agree to terms with Adam LaRoche  —  The Nationals found their replacement for first baseman Adam Dunn tonight, finalizing a two-year deal with an option for a third year with Adam LaRoche.  LaRoche, the best remaining free agent remaining at the position, is a defensive upgrade over Dunn …

O's agree to terms with Gregg on two-year, $10 million deal with club option for 2013  —  The Orioles added another important piece to the back of their bullpen today, agreeing to terms with veteran right-hander Kevin Gregg on a two-year, $10 million deal, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

Braves Agree To Deal With Dan Uggla  —  The Braves and Dan Uggla have agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $62MM, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets that the salary in the first year of the deal is believed to be low, under $10MM.

Yankees: Andy Pettitte situation not affecting moves  —  NEW YORK — Even as Andy Pettitte stays silent on his future, two of the lefthander's friends believe that he'll come back for a 17th season.  But the Yankees continue to act as though Pettitte will retire, and general manager Brian …

ESPN: Hall passes for Alomar, Blyleven  —  ESPN.com asked 18 of ESPN's Hall of Fame voters to submit their ballots for the Class of 2011, which will be announced Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET.  —  To be elected, players must receive at least 75 percent of the Baseball Writers' Association of America vote.

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.

Veteran catcher Bard re-signs with Mariners  —  SEATTLE — Catcher Josh Bard, who played 39 games last year for the Mariners, has signed a Minor League deal with Seattle and will receive an invitation to Spring Training and a chance to compete for a backup spot, the veteran told MLB.com on Tuesday.

David Price to accept Warren Spahn Award  —  Rays lefthander David Price may not have won the American League Cy Young, but he'll pick up a special award this offseason.  —  Price will accept the Warren Spahn Award as the best left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball in a gala Jan 20th …

Yankees showing interest in free agent Bonderman  —  The New York Yankees have shown interest in free-agent starter Jeremy Bonderman, a major-league source told FOXSports.com.  —  Bonderman went 8-10 with a 5.53 ERA in 30 games (29 starts) for the Detroit Tigers last year.

Miami Heat's Udonis Haslem eyes return in late March, April  —  CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Forward Udonis Haslem, sidelined since sustaining a foot injury Nov. 20, said Tuesday that doctors have told him he should be able to return by late March or April “if everything goes as planned.”

Stadium Boom Amounts to Fountain of Youth for MLB Parks  —  When conducting baseball research, my thoughts often turn to the state of the baseball economy and the effect of new ballparks on the game.  However, I've personally never seen the new stadium boom quantified—let alone visualized—so I decided to take a swing at it.