Red Sox To Sign Kelly Shoppach  —  The Red Sox have agreed to sign Kelly Shoppach to a one-year, $1.35MM deal, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).  The deal will be announced today, Crasnick reports.  —  Shoppach, 31, hit just .176/.268/.339 in 253 plate appearances for the Rays in 2011 …

Rangers not fishing for Fielder, Darvish  —  That counter-punch to the Los Angeles Angels that many expect from the Texas Rangers probably is not coming.  —  The Rangers are more focused on trading for a starting pitcher than signing free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder …

Jeter's booty hauls  —  Not so classy, captain!  —  Yankee star Derek Jeter, one of New York's most eligible hunks since his split with longtime gal pal Minka Kelly, is bedding a bevy of beauties in his Trump World Tower bachelor pad — and then coldly sending them home alone with gift baskets of autographed memorabilia.

Brewers avoid arbitration with Kottaras  —  Club tenders pacts to all of its arbitration-eligible players  —  The Brewers avoided arbitration with George Kottaras, signing the catcher to a one-year contract, and tendered contracts to all of their arbitration-eligible players.

Mets, Struggling for Cash, Receive $40 Million Bank Loan  —  The owners of the Mets, needing cash and unable to turn to Major League Baseball for more financial help, received a $40 million loan from a major bank in the past six weeks.  —  The team described the arrangement as a “bridge loan …

Pujols' wife explains slugger's leaving St. Louis  —  Albert Pujols' wife Deidre, in an interview with a radio station with ties to the former St. Louis Cardinals slugger, said the couple was prepared to take less money to stay in St. Louis, but were greatly disappointed when the team initially offered him a five-year deal.

Sonnanstine non-tenderered, Howell gets contract  —  UPDATE, 12:37 AM: Executive VP Andrew Friedman explained the decisions, saying they were confident Howell could still regain his pre-surgery and that there was no longer room for Sonnanstine.  —  On Howell: Friedman noted how much a grind …

No awards for those who cheat  —  If Ryan Braun doesn't win his appeal, he doesn't deserve to be the NL MVP  —  After Ryan Braun's appeal of his positive test, if it is concluded that he broke the MLB's drug policy during the 2011 regular season, why can't we take back the MVP award?

Source: Dontrelle Willis, Phillies agree  —  The Philadelphia Phillies have reached agreement on a one-year major league deal with free agent Dontrelle Willis, a baseball source said Tuesday.  —  The deal, pending completion of a physical, would pay Willis about $1 million and include additional money …

John Rocker Admits Steroid Use During Career  —  John Rocker's got a new book.  —  Hey, I'll give it a chance.  I love being surprised.  Oh, and maybe he was kind enough to mention me!  When the excrement hit the fan in 1999, I was one of the very few baseball writers who defended Rocker's right …

Badenhop acquired from Marlins  —  The Rays added another potential piece to their bullpen, acquiring RHP Burke Badenhop from the Marlins for minor-league C Jake Jefferies.  —  Badenhop, 28, spent parts of the last four seasons in the majors, compiling a 13-15, 4.34 record.

Orioles closing in on multi-year deal with LHP Tsuyoshi Wada  —  The Orioles are closing in on a multi-year deal with Japanese lefty starter Tsuyoshi Wada, which would re-open their pipeline to Japan, according to an industry source.  —  A deal is not done, but it is getting close and could be agreed upon today, the source said.

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.

Marlins catcher John Buck helps rescue two women from overturned car  —  Think the Marlins front office had an eventful week last week in Dallas?  Consider Marlins catcher John Buck's week.  —  He started the week by bagging a trophy-class deer (209 points on the Boone & Crockett scale) on a hunting trip in south Texas.