Loyal Kuroda too expensive for Dodgers  —  The Los Angeles Dodgers hoped to sign Hiroki Kuroda, a good man and a good pitcher who once returned to the Dodgers in part because he felt like he owed them more.  —  Weird, I know.  —  The problem was, Kuroda is one of the better starters on the market …

Four say Philly Daily News writer Bill Conlin sexually abused them as children  —  Three women and a man say they were molested as children by Bill Conlin, a Hall of Fame baseball writer and Philadelphia Daily News columnist.  —  In vivid accounts, the four say Conlin groped and fondled them …

Ronald Belisario receives visa, is expected to rejoin Dodgers  —  Reliever Ronald Belisario, who missed last season because he was unable to gain entry into the United States, has been granted a visa and is expected to be in camp for the start of spring training, according to his agent.

Source: Cubs, Red Sox strike deal  —  BOSTON — By now, it appears clear that the Boston Red Sox won't be making a killing in any compensation deal for Theo Epstein.  The issue has essentially been treated as an afterthought, with MLB commissioner Bud Selig evidently deciding that the clubs …

Padres announce dates for 2012 FanFest & Annual Awards Dinner  —  The San Diego Padres today announced Padres FanFest presented by Bloomberg will return to Petco Park on Saturday, February 11, 2012.  The daylong event is free and open to the public.  Details surrounding FanFest …

Oswalt Seeks One-Year Deal; Interest Picks Up  —  Roy Oswalt was looking for a three-year deal earlier in the offseason, but he has since told teams he only wants a one-year contract, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (all Twitter links).  The right-hander wants to prove that his back is healthy …

A Free Market Solution (from Europe) to the Labor Problems in North American Sports  —  The following is a guest post by David Berri, a Professor of Economics at Southern Utah University.  He is also the lead author of Stumbling on Wins, the general manager of the sports-economics blog Wages of Wins …

Betancourt returns to Kansas City  —  By Todd Rosiak of the Journal Sentinel  —  Yuniesky Betancourt is back with the Kansas City Royals after a one-season stopoff with the Milwaukee Brewers.  —  The shortstop, who came over to Milwaukee a year ago along with pitcher Zack Greinke in exchange …

Rockies To Sign Casey Blake  —  The Rockies have agreed to sign Casey Blake to a one-year deal, pending a physical, Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd announced (Twitter link).  The sides agreed to a non-guaranteed contract worth $2MM plus $1MM in performance bonuses, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding (on Twitter).

Nationals Pushing Hard For Gio Gonzalez  —  The Nationals are pushing hard for Gio Gonzalez, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The A's and Nationals are discussing a possible four-for-one deal involving the left-hander.  The Marlins, Red Sox and Rangers are also showing strong interest in Gonzalez, according to Rosenthal.