Nats issue statement; Venezuelan authorities confirm kidnapped Wilson Ramos is alive  —  UPDATE, 12:45:The Nationals and Major League Baseball issued a joint statement:  —  “Our foremost concern is with Wilson Ramos and his family and our thoughts are with them at this time.

Pirates Sign Rod Barajas  —  The Pirates announced that they signed catcher Rod Barajas to a one-year deal that includes a team option for 2013.  Barajas will earn a $4MM salary in 2012 and the option would pay him another $3.5MM in 2013, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (on Twitter).

Dodgers, Kemp discussing long-term contract  —  LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers, unlikely to pursue top-tier free agents Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder because the team is for sale, nonetheless are in negotiations on a long-term contract for Matt Kemp that have had “more substance lately,” according to a baseball source.

The market for Pujols and Fielder  —  How many years?  How many millions?  And where will the sluggers land?  —  ESPN.com  —  It isn't every baseball winter that free-agent mashers such as Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder hit the market at the same time — at the same position, no less.

Epstein compensation may be decided soon  —  Red Sox bring in McClure to a scouting-advisory role  —  BOSTON — Ben Cherington's installment as the Red Sox's general manager has still left some unresolved issues.  —  The Sox have not yet announced how they're re-organizing …

Jorge Posada says return to Yankees is ‘not going to happen,’ catcher may be staring at retirement  —  Former catcher says he will ‘always be a Yankee’  —  Has Jorge Posada waved goodbye to the Yankee Stadium faithful for the final time?  —  The Jorge Posada era in New York is over.

Pat Burrell says his career is likely over  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Pat Burrell's baseball career is likely over because of a troublesome right foot that hasn't healed and limited him this year for the Giants.  —  While Burrell said late in the season that he would contemplate retirement …

The Mets Could Go From Bad to Dreadful  —  We are conditioned to think of the American League East as baseball's superpower division.  The Yankees and the Boston Red Sox spend lavishly.  The Tampa Bay Rays have made three playoff appearances in the past four seasons.

MetsBlog Q&A: Cerrone talks to Sandy about spending  —  Tonight, Sandy Alderson will be a guest on this season's debut episode of SNY's Mets Hot Stove Report, which airs every Thursday night at 7 pm ET.  —  Last week, MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone caught up with Alderson for a quick …

Lefties Veal, Quintana added to pitching mix  —  The White Sox announced the signing of two left-handers on Thursday, agreeing to one-year deals with Donnie Veal and Jose Quintana.  —  Veal, 27, pitched at four levels in the Pirates organization this past season, including as high as Triple-A …

Buyer's guide: starting pitchers  —  Darvish heads the class — that is, if he actually comes to the U.S.  —  ESPN Insider … Players in demand  —  1. Yu Darvish, RHP: Darvish hasn't been posted yet, and there's still a chance he won't be, although most people in the industry I've asked seem …

Rockies still seeking solution at second base  —  DENVER — The Rockies are entering the 20th year of their quest for a long-term, high-quality answer at second base.  —  Here's a quick review of the almost annual ritual of change:  —  • It's one of two positions at which the Rockies …

Mets will ditch the black drop-shadow in 2012  —  In his recent chat for ESPN New York, Adam Rubin backed up his story from last summer indicating the Mets will eliminate the drop shadow from their uniforms next season.  —  According to Rubin, “The Mets are going to borrow significantly, I hear, from the early 1960s uniforms. ...

A-Rod's effect still evident in Texas  —  Buster Olney writes that the Texas Rangers have “been there, done that” with big-money free agents, and Alex Rodriguez's deal crushed the organization.  But the Rangers now work with different financial parameters and could be in on a big name this winter.