Bill Plaschke: Ryan Braun needs to follow his own advice  —  In the winter of 2009, when news leaked that the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez had tested positive for a performance enhancing drug, he was faced with a decision.  —  Fight it or admit it?  —  Before Rodriguez made his choice …

Source: Aramis Ramirez to Brewers  —  Former Chicago Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez will sign a three-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, pending a physical, according to a source familiar with the situation.  —  Ramirez played the last eight-plus seasons with the Cubs.

Blue Jays Acquire Ben Francisco  —  The Blue Jays acquired outfielder Ben Francisco from the Phillies for minor league lefty Frank Gailey, announced the team.  The Jays also designated reliever Jesse Chavez for assignment.  —  Francisco, 30, hit .244/.340/.364 in 293 plate appearances for the Phillies this year.

Non-Tender Tracker  —  On average, each MLB team currently has about six arbitration eligible players.  I count 188 in total, from the White Sox and Astros with two each to the Giants with a dozen.  This winter, arbitration eligible players are those with at least two years and 146 days …

Sox stick with approach  —  Little tweaks often can go a long way  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email  —  One of these days, the Red Sox [team stats] will make a trade, sign a free agent and fill out their coaching staff.  —  In the meantime, all signs point toward …

Manny Ramirez seeks another chance  —  MIAMI — Manny Ramirez acknowledged that he has made many mistakes in his life and he seeks a new chance to show that he has changed.  —  In an exclusive interview with ESPN Deportes, Ramirez said it was a mistake to have used banned performance-enhancing substances …

The Cooperstown case for Tim Raines  —  It's that time of the year again: Hall of Fame voting season.  This month, the decade-long members of the BBWAA fill out their ballots for who belongs in Cooperstown.  —  There are many candidates on this year's ballot, and many would make perfectly fine Hall of Famers.

Mets weighing decision on Paulino  —  Team has until midnight to offer arbitration to catcher  —  NEW YORK — The clock is up on Ronny Paulino.  The Mets must decide by midnight ET on Monday night whether or not to offer arbitration to Paulino, who disappointed in his first season in New York.