Soriano ‘happy to be close to greatest closer’  —  Yankees new setup man excited to team with legendary Rivera  —  NEW YORK — The Yankees put the finishing touches on creating one of the game's top late-inning relief combinations, introducing right-hander Rafael Soriano during a news conference Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.

Trying to void an MLB contract: Three case studies  —  (Sidney Ponson pitches for the Orioles in a game in September of 2004, a year before the Orioles tried to get out of his contract.  Photo by Associated Press).  —  No matter how egregious an offense by a baseball player …

Prospect Watch: Top 10 second basemen  —  Mariners' Ackley leads a diverse group at the position … The term “natural second baseman” doesn't come up very often.  It's not that it never happens, but it's more than common to see any list of second-base prospects consist of shortstops …

Twins Agree To Terms With Carl Pavano  —  The Twins have agreed to terms with right-hander Carl Pavano on a two-year, $16.5MM contract, according to a team press release.  Pavano will earn $8MM next season and $8.5MM in 2012, plus an extra $500K should he reach certain incentive clauses.

Boston Red Sox's Adrian Gonzalez has first catch after surgery  —  Adrian Gonzalez tossed a baseball on Monday with his brother Edgar Gonzalez at the Gonzalez Sports Academy outside San Diego, the first time that the left-handed first baseman has played catch since having surgery on his right shoulder.

Minor League Transactions: Jan. 11-17  —  Arizona Diamondbacks  —  Atlanta Braves  —  Baltimore Orioles  —  Boston Red Sox  —  Jon Still spent all of last season on the inactive list.  A fourth-round pick in '06, he batted .233/.301/.416 for Double-A Portland in '09.  —  Chicago Cubs

Former Blue Jays skipper Hartsfield dies  —  Roy Hartsfield, the first manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, passed away on Saturday at his daughter's Atlanta-area home.  He was 85.  —  Hartsfield's death was the result of complications from liver cancer, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which first reported the news.

Mariners to use committee to fill Niehaus' spot  —  At least five announcers will rotate after Hall of Famer's passing  —  SEATTLE — The Mariners have made a decision on how best to replace Hall of Fame broadcaster Dave Niehaus, with the answer being to use a group of familiar personalities …

Moore Discusses Meche's Retirement  —  The Royals caught a $12MM break yesterday and Dayton Moore has never seen anything like it.  The Kansas City GM says he didn't expect Gil Meche to retire, since the right-hander had the option of collecting checks all season long.

Matt Anderson's life after octopus story  —  Reliever ready to move from legend of how his career was halted and make comeback  —  PHILADELPHIA — Before you learn anything about Matt Anderson's hopes, dreams or chances of authoring the comeback of the baseball summer with the 2011 Philadelphia Phillies …

Mike Pelfrey to start on Opening Day  —  With Johan Santana expected to miss the first half of the season, New York Mets manager Terry Collins named Mike Pelfrey his Opening Day starter on Wednesday, during a charity event at Citi Field.  —  “He deserves it,” Collins said after speaking …

Meeting Up and Hanging Out with Bert  —  Make no mistake about it, I've had a fun-tastic two weeks.  It all started with the phone call from Bert Blyleven on Wednesday, January 5 when he informed me 30 minutes prior to the actual announcement that he had been elected to the Hall of Fame.

Polo Grounds, and Its Former Tenants, Emerge From the Shadows  —  When a ballpark dies, and its concrete and steel are smashed to bits, it survives in memories: attending a first game there; smelling the mix of grass, hot dogs and beer; rising with thousands of others to watch a home run take flight; and catching a foul ball (finally!).

Mother of Chicago Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano dies suddenly  —  ORLANDO — The mother of Chicago Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano, Andrea Soriano, died on Tuesday night in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, after suffering what appears to be a heart attack, the player told ESPNdeportes.com.

Hazen on Ryan Westmoreland: “You know how bad he wants it”  —  Ryan Westmoreland (pictured at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 21) is still working out in Florida, Red Sox farm director Mike Hazen said at a rookie-program workout at Boston College on Wednesday.  Westmoreland is still working …