Cubs claim catcher Ramirez from Red Sox  —  The Cubs added some catching depth on Monday, claiming Max Ramirez off waivers from the Red Sox.  —  Ramirez, who is out of Minor League options, is on the move again after he was just claimed by the Red Sox off waivers from the Rangers on Jan. 5.

Source: New York Yankees step up pursuit of Justin Duchscherer  —  The New York Yankees, still in the market for pitching help, are stepping up their pursuit of free agent Justin Duchscherer, a baseball source told ESPN.com.  —  Duchscherer, 33, has a career record of 33-25 with a 3.13 ERA …

Benson says he's done pitching  —  In 1996, the Pittsburgh Pirates made Kris Benson the No. 1 overall pick in baseball's amateur draft.  Within four years, he had thrown more than 400 innings in the majors and appeared on his way to realizing much of the potential he showed as a star at Clemson University.

Source: Tigers, Brad Penny close to deal  —  The Detroit Tigers are on the verge of signing free-agent starter Brad Penny to a one-year, $3 million contract, a major-league source told FOXSports.com early Tuesday morning.  —  Penny, 32, will have the chance to earn more through incentives.

Reds make Renteria deal official, sign Lewis  —  World Series MVP's one-year pact worth up to $3 million  —  CINCINNATI — A busy January continued for the Reds on Monday as they checked another item off the wish list by signing outfielder Fred Lewis to a one-year contract worth $900,000.

Will Cards use the A-Rod approach?  —  The last time a team sought to re-sign perhaps the best player in the game, Alex Rodriguez was speeding toward baseball's cherished milestones and the New York Yankees knew that to meet his one-of-a-kind price it would take a one-of-a-kind contract.

On day he homered, Bonds allegedly used banned drugs  —  On April 8, 2003, San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds hit his 616th career home run - a bases-empty shot that provided the only real excitement for local fans in a 9-4 loss to the visiting San Diego Padres.

Jays to rely more on small ball  —  Cambridge, Ont.— From Tuesday's Globe and Mail  —  As explosive as the Toronto Blue Jays offence was last year, Vernon Wells knows its long-ball output will be impossible to duplicate for the 2011 season.  —  The Blue Jays of 2010 boasted seven players …

Oakland Athletics Top 11 Prospects  —  System In 20 Words Or Less: There's a significant drop-off after the top four, but at least the players below the big names have plenty of potential.  —  Five-Star Prospects  —  1. Chris Carter, 1B/OF  —  2. Grant Green, SS  —  Four-Star Prospects

Castilla retires from winter ball  —  Vinny Castilla has officially announced his retirement from winter baseball, this time for good, he said.  —  The slugger made the announcement on Monday during a news conference at Hector Espino Stadium in Hermosillo, Mexico, a few days after his team …

Worth a thousand words  —  In this panoramic photograph taken on Oct. 24, 1913 (from the Library of Congress), a proud world champion Philadelphia Athletics team looks out at the camera having just defeated the New York Giants four games to one.  Connie Mack at center stage looks beyond impressive …

Mets fully intend to bring Luis Castillo to spring training to compete for second base job in 2011  —  Contrary to a weekend report that had the Mets considering releasing Luis Castillo, a club source Monday said the club has every intention of bringing him to spring training to compete for the second base job in 2011.

Jason Bartlett gets $11-million for two years from San Diego Padres  —  Former Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett got the multi-year deal he was looking for from the Padres, avoiding arbitration with his new team by agreeing to a two-year deal for a reported $11-million …

Mid-1980s playoff baseball had no equal  —  Seriously, when did we ever see a run of iconic postseason moments like we had in the mid-1980s?  —  Now I tend to overrate the 1980s because that was the decade where I matured as a baseball fan, and my Hall of Fame picks have a definite pro-1980s slant.