The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of MLB's New Labor Agreement  —  (L-R) Rob Manfred, Bud Selig, and Michael Weiner will have 21-years of labor peace at  —  the end of the new labor agreement, but is this new deal really good or bad for the game?  —  Labor negotiations are like a marriage …

Brewers offer arbitration to Fielder, K-Rod  —  Club declines same treatment for Type B free agent Betancourt  —  MILWAUKEE — The Brewers offered arbitration Wednesday to Type A free agents Prince Fielder and Francisco Rodriguez, positioning the club to receive four premium picks in next year's …

Yankees' Rivera hints 2012 could be final season  —  Mariano Rivera, while he waits to find out if he needs a surgical procedure done on his vocal cords, speculated on Tuesday that 2012 could be the final year of his career.  —  “I don't know what will happen,” said the Yankees closer …

Royals To Sign Bruce Chen  —  Piece by piece, the Royals' rotation is taking shape.  They have agreed to sign Bruce Chen to a two-year deal worth $9MM.  The deal also includes a $1MM roster bonus and up to $1MM in incentives.  —  Before agreeing to terms with Chen, Royals GM Dayton Moore told Bob Dutton …

Aramis Ramirez offered arbitration  —  The Chicago Cubs have offered arbitration to free agents Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena, the team annouced Wednesday.  —  Both players are classified as a Type B free agents by Major League Baseball.  That classification could behoove the Cubs if either player signs elsewhere.

Mets Owners Will Face Jury if Madoff Case Goes to Trial  —  The owners of the Mets will face a jury should there be a trial in the case filed against them by the trustee for the victims of Bernard L. Madoff's fraud, a federal district judge ruled Wednesday.  The Mets' owners had opposed a jury trial.

Bobby Valentine Will Be Fun With Red Sox, But It Won't End Well  —  This started Nov. 3 at the Hartford Club.  And make no mistake, it would end spectacularly.  This started with an arranged meeting before a World Affairs Council event on Prospect Street.  And the prospect of it ending …

Deadline arrives on arbitration offer for Ortiz  —  There is some baseball business to handle on Thanksgiving eve.  Teams have until 11 p.m. (EST) to offer their free agents arbitration.  —  David Ortiz joins Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, C.J. Wilson, Roy Oswalt, Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins …

After getting life in order, Hanel helps others  —  Bullpen catcher donates coats through his Koos for Kids charity  —  MILWAUKEE — Everything changed 10 years ago for Marcus Hanel.  —  The Brewers' bullpen catcher had hit rock bottom, realizing at that point that he needed to do something different in his life.

Sveum hoping to hire Bosio as Cubs' pitching coach  —  Cubs manager Dale Sveum has asked former teammate Chris Bosio to become his pitching coach in Chicago.  —  Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel the Cubs asked permission last week to talk to Bosio …

Cesar Izturis Drawing Interest  —  Cesar Izturis is looking for a Major League deal and has drawn interest from several teams, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).  The infielder won't be re-signing with the Orioles, according to Connolly.