Red Sox select Bobby Valentine as manager  —  Bobby Valentine is the choice of the Red Sox, emerging from a long and convoluted search to become the 45th manager in franchise history.  —  The 61-year-old was offered the job by general manager Ben Cherington according to Major League sources …

More Draft Details From The CBA  —  More details about draft changes resulting from baseball's new collective bargaining agreement continue to trickle out.  Some highlights:  — The draft has been reduced from 50 to 40 rounds.  — The draft caps for all 30 teams for the first 10 rounds …

Giants to Bring Back 80s Classic Uniform in 2012  —  According to a reliable source, SportsLogos.Net has learned that the San Francisco Giants will be bringing back a slightly updated version of their 1980′s road jersey as a road alternate jersey for the 2012 season.

Astros must go all out to land Friedman  —  You're Jim Crane.  You just bought the Astros.  You want Andrew Friedman to be your general manager.  —  What should you do?  —  Offer Friedman autonomy, the title of his choosing, a five-year, $20 million contract, maybe even equity in the club.

Greg Maddux leaving Cubs organization  —  After two seasons as a special assistant to the general manager, Greg Maddux is leaving the Cubs, according to major league sources.  He soon may be named to a similar position with the Texas Rangers, joining his older brother Mike.

Sources: Dodgers, Adam Kennedy close  —  The Los Angeles Dodgers are close to an agreement with free-agent infielder Adam Kennedy, according to multiple sources.  Length and terms of the deal weren't immediately available.  —  Kennedy, who can play first, second and third …

Cards seek clarity in Pujols talks  —  While the market for free-agent first baseman Albert Pujols continued to develop Tuesday with news of the Chicago Cubs' interest, the Cardinals are hoping that their chance of re-signing the three-time MVP gains clarity in the next couple of weeks so they can move forward or move on.

Cubs have interest in Rockies' Stewart  —  Interest in players this time of year is like the weather — the significance lies in the degrees.  The Rockies plan on tendering Ian Stewart a contract, but haven't ruled out trading him.  The Cubs have interest, but their seriousness is unclear.

Sources: Tigers interested in Angels' Izturis  —  The Tigers have interest in trading for Angels infielder Maicer Izturis, major-league sources told FOXSports.com, and it's believed that he ranks behind Atlanta's Martin Prado on Detroit's trade wish list.  —  The Tigers are looking for upgrades …

Predictive ability of swing area  —  The internet baseball community loves to use plate discipline statistics.  Measures like swing rate, in-zone rate, first-pitch strike rate, and many others are prevalent in many sabermetric analysis.  A month ago, I introduced another metric called swing area …

Evans signs with Pirates  —  Nick Evans, who had been with the Mets since the team made him him a fifth-round draft selection in 2004, has signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, his agent Marc Agar told the Daily News.  Evans agreed to a minor league deal, with an invite to spring training.

Catricala, Walker top Mariners' honor roll  —  Prospects named Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year  —  SEATTLE — Vinnie Catricala, a 23-year-old third baseman/outfielder, has been named the Mariners' Minor League Player of the Year after batting .349 with 25 home runs and 106 RBIs in Class A and Double-A.

Source: Broxton agrees to contract with Royals  —  Former Los Angeles Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton has reached agreement on a one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, a baseball source told ESPN.com.  —  The deal is contingent on Broxton passing a physical exam Wednesday, the source said.