Reds To Sign Ryan Madson  —  1:18pm: Madson's 2013 option is mutual with a buyout, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark, meaning it's just a way for the team to push some of the guaranteed money to a later date.  —  WEDNESDAY, 7:00am: The Madson contract appears to be worth less than initially reported …

Nationals unlikely to sign Prince at current price  —  WASHINGTON — There is a “99 percent” chance that the Nationals will not sign free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder, according to a baseball source.  —  The news comes a few weeks after ownership met with Fielder and his agent, Scott Boras, in the nation's capital.

Mets receive good news on Ike Davis  —  PHOENIX — Finally, some good news for Mets fans: Ike Davis said Tuesday he is “good to go” for spring training after more than two months of hard rehab on the freakish left ankle injury that cost him most of the 2011 season.

Angels, Morales agree to one-year contract  —  Slugger who missed past 1 1/2 seasons avoids arbitration  —  ANAHEIM — The Angels avoided arbitration with first baseman Kendrys Morales by agreeing on a one-year contract Wednesday.  Terms of the deal were not disclosed …

Dodgers settle with Fox, ending battle over TV rights sale  —  The Dodgers and Fox Sports ended their legal hostilities Tuesday night, with the team agreeing to abandon its proposed sale of television rights and Fox agreeing to withdraw its objection to the settlement between Major League Baseball and outgoing owner Frank McCourt.

Luke Scott agrees to one-year deal with Tampa Bay Rays  —  Luke Scott, the outspoken, energetic slugger who spent four seasons in Baltimore and was named the 2010 Most Valuable Oriole, has agreed to a one-year deal with the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays that includes a 2013 option, according to an industry source.

Integrity, character make future Hall votes easy  —  Steroid users have eliminated themselves from consideration  —  You heard of “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”  This is about how “Mr. Bonds Blew Cooperstown,” but before I get to that, I'm not saying the following proudly …

Do Quad-A Players Exist?  —  Just days before acquiring first-base prospect Anthony Rizzo from the Padres, Cubs president Theo Epstein appeared on Chicago radio and reiterated his support for Bryan LaHair.  —  “Bryan LaHair is our first baseman,” said Epstein.  “I don't believe in the concept of 4-A players.

A Proposal To Break The Territorial-Rights Logjam Between The A's And The Giants  —  Since just before Christmas, there's been a flutter of rumors suggesting that MLB owners are close to making a decision on whether to permit the Oakland Athletics to move to a new, still-unbuilt ballpark in San Jose, about 40 miles to the south.