Yankees reach deal with Jones … The Yankees have reached an agreement with veteran outfielder Andruw Jones on a one-year deal worth $2 million plus $1.2 million in performance bonuses.  —  Jones, 33, is a veteran of 15 seasons in which he has made five All-Star teams and won 10 Gold Glove awards.

Reds, Cueto Agree To Four-Year Extension  —  The Reds and right-handed pitcher Johnny Cueto have agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $27MM, tweets Enrique Rojas of espndeportes.com.  —  Cueto was arbitration-eligible, and he and the Reds were about $900,000 apart …

Francona: Scutaro is the shortstop  —  Red Sox GM Theo Epstein said last week that while Marco Scutaro is the incumbent shortstop, Jed Lowrie could challenge for playing time in spring training.  —  Manager Terry Francona didn't get that memo.  —  “Scutaro's our shortstop,” …

Did Lee damage Yankees — and front office?  —  It's no surprise to hear someone say the Yankees overpaid for a free agent.  —  But it sure is a little strange when that someone is the general manager of the Yankees.  —  That would be the same general manager of the Yankees who joked …

Reyes likes NYC, but no contract during season  —  Yesterday at Citi Field, Jose Reyes told reporters he is not interested in talking about his contract during the season.  —  “I want to be focused trying to help this team win,” he explained.  “I just want to play baseball for now.”

Blue Jays Sign Dominican Lefty Labour  —  The Blue Jays have agreed to terms with 16-year-old Dominican lefthander Jairo Labour for $350,000.  —  Labour, who is 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, became eligible to sign when the 2010 international signing period opened on July 2, but he developed …

Colombia has a passion for many things, including baseball  —  Longtime baseball man tells how the Latin American country has a passion for the game  —  The Casa De Abuela, or “Grandmother's House,” is a $60-a-night hotel in Turbaco, a community outside of Cartagena, Colombia.

Phillies centerfielder Victorino isn't down after down year  —  TRUE OR FALSE: The Phillies have one of the best lineups in baseball.  —  Correct answer: Maybe.  —  Depends on whether it includes the Chase Utley who has made five straight All-Star teams, led the league in runs scored …

Who Gets the Scoop?  Major League Reporters, Ranked.  —  Ever wonder if there were standings ranking America's best baseball reporters?  —  Wonder no more.  This actually took a few hours, but I've compiled the standings of Major League deals broken to the public by reporter by scouring MLBTR …

Harper No. 2 among top outfield prospects  —  Angels' Trout could develop fast; Harper ready to get started … Outfielders come in all shapes and sizes.  Some are speedy, top-of-the-lineup types, others are big bashers.  The ultimate prize, of course, is a five-tool outfielder.

Four Mets pitchers train with FDNY  —  They wore official FDNY protective gear, not elf apparel.  But four pitchers from the New York Mets got into the act of dropping down the side of a building Thursday, too, pulling a page from Yankees general manager Brian Cashman's playbook.

Deer antlers: the hot new PED  —  Given how many baseball players spend their offseasons hunting you'd think we would have heard about this by now, but this is the first I've heard of ground up deer antlers being used by athletes as a PED: … Apparently the active ingredient — IGF-1 …

Giants, Jeff Suppan Close To Deal  —  The Giants are close to signing Jeff Suppan to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (Twitter links).  The deal would pay Suppan $1MM for making the team and includes …

Former All-Star Chavez works out for Dodgers  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers worked out free-agent third baseman Eric Chavez at their Camelback Ranch-Glendale training facility in Arizona on Thursday.  —  Among club officials attending the workout were assistant general managers De Jon Watson …

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.