Nationals a favorite for Fielder  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  An MLB official told me over the weekend that word is spreading in the industry that the Washington Nationals have emerged as a favorite to sign free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder.

Coco Crisp decides on next team, but won't say  —  Departures are the norm for the A's this winter, with pitchers Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez and Craig Breslow all dealt away and free-agents Josh Willingham and David DeJesus officially moving on.  —  One of the A's own free-agent outfielders, however, remains on the team's radar.

Yankees choice could be Garza vs. E-Jax  —  The Yankees desperately seek a No. 2 starter, and fortunately for them, there are still many viable alternatives available on the trade and free agent markets.  —  But ultimately, the choice could come down to Matt Garza or Edwin Jackson.

Is Marlins All Star Hanley Ramirez finally warming to the idea of third base?  —  Perhaps the biggest question for the Marlins going into spring training is whether Hanley Ramirez will embrace his new position at third base.  Judging from his comments Friday in the Dominican Republic …

Next week's Cooperstown election results today  —  Next Monday the Hall of Fame will announce who the BBWAA is sending to Cooperstown.  If you want to know who will get in you won't have to wait until then to find out.  Just read on.  —  For the last few years I've issued an annual column predicting …

Brewers await resolutions on Braun, Aoki  —  MILWAUKEE — Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said the club entered the New Year with no word about the status of outfielder Ryan Braun, who faces a 50-game suspension under Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention & Treatment Program.

The Future (and Past) of the HOF  —  It's all well and good to say that the next three baseball Hall of Fame ballots will be “unprecedented.”  I've written that a few times, and it sounds good.  —  Next year's ballot will include: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Craig Biggio, Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza and Kenny Lofton.

Sources: Red Sox still interested in Hiroki Kuroda, but price may be too high  —  According to multiple major league sources, the Red Sox have remained interested in free agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda.  The cost for the 36-year-old, however, figures to be out of the Sox' price range unless …

Yankees continue to negotiate with Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima  —  Bombers have until Jan. 6 to sign player  —  Hiroyuki Nakajima will likely have to take a pay cut — and will certainly have to accept a backup role — with the New York Yankees.  —  The Yankees continue to negotiate …

Larkin is only no-doubter on Hall of Fame ballot  —  PLAYER VALUE RANKINGS ("WAR")  —  My second-favorite measuring tool to gauge who may or may not be a Baseball Hall of Famer is called “WAR” (Wins Above Replacement).  —  It judges a player's career value to his team by determining …

Orioles expected to hire Rick Peterson, Chris Correnti  —  Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette has been focused on pitching since he took over the club in November, and he's also been doing things slightly differently than in the past.  —  Looks like both trends are continuing.