If free agent Jose Reyes goes, so does NY Mets' hope  —  Cost-cutting team can't pretend to be contender without him  —  For weeks, it has seemed likely the Mets were going to retain Jose Reyes only if he fell in their laps.  Maybe they had a chance if other teams were scared off …

Phillies, Madson discussing $44M deal  —  Will the Phillies re-sign Ryan Madson or won't they?  —  The answer is still not known.  —  The Phillies were close to agreeing with Madson on a four-year, $44 million free-agent contract, according to numerous reports on Tuesday.

Cherington talks free agency  —  Greetings from Fenway Park, where Sandy Alomar Jr. just met with reporters for 20 minutes.  —  The most interesting news came from Ben Cherington later on.  He said the Sox haven't ruled out adding more candidates but have no plans to.

Report: Wilson Ramos kidnapped in native Venezuela  —  Awful news to pass along.  Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos has been kidnapped in his hometown of Valencia, Venezuela, according to his Venezuelan winter league team.  —  Ramos, 24, had gone home for the winter and planned to participate …

Scouting Cespedes Aftermath  —  It was easy to write 4,000 words on a video as remarkable as the Yoenis Cespedes showcase video that was posted on Sunday night.  It took the internet by storm, showed up on Deadspin (among many other places), and basically went viral.  —  Then it was gone.

Posada on return to Yanks: ‘Not gonna happen’  —  NEW YORK — Jorge Posada remains undecided on his future, but believes it won't be with the New York Yankees.  —  “It's not gonna happen,” Posada said Wednesday night at a Manhattan function for The Jorge Posada Foundation.

Rockies contact Braves about slugging 2B Martin Prado  —  With the Braves open-minded about trading players, the Rockies have contacted them about infielder Martin Prado, according to a major league source.  —  The Rockies scouted Prado extensively last season and view him as a starting second baseman …

Don't count out Angels on big names  —  Jerry Dipoto, newly appointed senior vice president and general manager of the Los Angeles Angels, says not to count out the franchise as a player in the free-agent sweepstakes for Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols.  —  “Don't assume that we have no interest …

Beltran, Cespedes offer shoppers intriguing contrast  —  There's not a whole lot out there on the outfielder market, which is why it'll probably be good to be a young Cuban with a free-spirited video, and why it'll definitely be good to be Carlos Beltran(notes).

Crasnick: Seven offseason questions for baseball executives  —  Pursue Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder?  Go after C.J. Wilson or Mark Buehrle?  Plus ...  ESPN.com  —  Major League Baseball's general managers will gather next week in Milwaukee as a prelude to the quarterly owners' meetings.

Padres add piping, block letters to all uniforms  —  SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres are sticking to their blue-and-white color scheme while updating their uniforms with cleaner, more traditional looks.  —  The updates include adding piping on the home whites, road grays and blue alternate jerseys.

No Winter Ball for Chapman  —  Aroldis Chapman is back throwing pain-free, but winter ball is no longer part of his offseason plan.  —  “We've decided against sending him to Puerto Rico,” GM Walt Jocketty said.  “He's on a strength-and-conditioning program in Arizona.

Source: Progress made in labor talks  —  Negotiations in Major League Baseball's stalled labor talks have taken “a step forward” this week, according to one source familiar with the discussions, and a second source told ESPN.com it's possible a deal could be completed this week.

Kemp's agent hopes to reach new deal ‘soon’  —  The agent for Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder and National League Most Valuable Player candidate Matt Kemp said Wednesday that talks on a long-term contract extension for his client are moving in a positive direction and that he is optimistic an agreement will be reached.

Nailing down a closer just got a little tougher for Jays … Odds are if you stand outside the Rogers Centre long enough holding a bat and a glove, Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos will eventually wander down to watch you shag a few flies.  —  Just in case.  —  His legend as a man who wants …