Adam LaRoche signing shows Washington Nationals now know nothing is free  —  Nothing is free.  Billionaires aren't exempt.  As the Washington Nationals' owners are now learning, in baseball there is even a steep price to be paid for the money you didn't spend in the past.

Cubs take lead in Garza derby  —  The Cubs appear to have moved past the Texas Rangers and into the driver's seat in efforts to acquire Tampa Bay Rays 15-game winner Matt Garza — a potential move that could put the Cubs back into the ­National League Central title conversation for 2011.

Sources: Rangers to sign Beltre for $96M  —  The Texas Rangers are set to announce a six-year, $96 million deal with free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre, multiple major-league sources told FOXSports.com Tuesday night.  —  A news conference has been scheduled for Wednesday, one source said.

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 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.

Cincinnati Reds Top 10 Prospects  —  Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel.  All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched …

Cardinals open talks with Pujols  —  The Cardinals have wasted little time addressing their most pressing New Year's resolution: tying up Albert Pujols.  —  Negotiations between the club and Pujols' agent, Dan Lozano, resumed this week and have taken on a “positive” tone, according to several sources familiar with the process.

Rafael Palmeiro Could be Telling Truth, Says Former Congressman  —  WASHINGTON — Rafael Palmeiro uttered the words a few corridors from here that defined his career more than his 3,020 hits, 569 home runs and three Gold Gloves.  —  “I have never used steroids, period.

Jays Realize Return on Arbitration Offers  —  Two months ago, the Blue Jays traded for Miguel Olivo just to decline his option and offer him arbitration.  Along with John Buck, Jason Frasor, Scott Downs, and Kevin Gregg, Olivo was just one of the group of players with which Alex Anthopolous …

2011 will be all about Jeter  —  Derek Jeter isn't about personal accomplishments, but the most celebrated Yankee since Mickey Mantle will be the early focus of the 2011 season as he approaches 3,000 career hits.  —  Jeter is just 74 shy of the magical number that will create an even greater resume for his Hall of Fame candidacy.

Complications make Baseball Hall of Fame voting less fun than it used to be  —  Voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame will always be one of the elite privileges I've had.  It's just too bad it's getting so complicated and controversial — and a lot less enjoyable.

On Hall of Fame day, the BBWAA site got hacked  —  This is what the BBWAA website looked like as of a couple of minutes ago.  I'm assuming that they've dispatched a crack team of technical experts to fix the problem and restore order.  —  Of course since, by definition …

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.

Contact Us  —  Registration … Well, I guess this is hello, then goodbye, then hello again ...  As most of you seemed to already know, I am changing roles here at the Post-Gazette, switching from a singular focus on baseball to one where I still will be following the Pirates but covering all sports …

Mark Cuban takes jab at Phil Jackson  —  DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban apparently didn't appreciate Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson offering his opinion about the impact of Caron Butler's season-ending knee injury.  —  “He just leaves a vacuum that's going to be very hard …