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 …

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.

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.”

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

It occurs to me that . . .  Emptying Out the Desk Drawer of the Sports Mind:  —  Tell me why anyone over 6-6 is allowed to enter a dunk contest.  —  As an aside, I saw Nate Robinson, who might be 5-8, touch a piece of padding that was a good foot above the rim at Celtics practice the other day.

Inbox: Everyday role in Texas unlikely for Vlad  —  Beat reporter T.R. Sullivan answers questions from fans  —  Why were we going after Jim Thome very heavily, but not Vladimir Guerrero, when we just announced Michael Young as our new designated hitter?  If Thome signed, I believe …

Around the Horn: Starting rotation  —  Less than a month remains until the start of Spring Training.  The sound of baseballs popping in gloves.  The smell of freshly-trimmed outfield grass.  It's all right around the corner.  That makes this a good time to go Around the Horn, taking a look at the Indians' roster.

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.

Zack Greinke takes a break from vacation to talk about his friend Gil Meche  —  You probably know that Gil Meche decided to retire, but if you're like me you're still stunned he's walking away from $12.4 million.  It's a fascinating story, as I wrote this morning the man is once again by defined by money …