Nationals To Sign Brad Lidge  —  The Nationals have agreed to sign free agent right-hander Brad Lidge to a one-year deal, the team announced.  Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com tweets that Lidge will earn $1MM plus incentives.  MLB.com's Bill Ladson reported the agreement via Twitter after Salisbury first tweeted that a deal was close.

Indians P Carmona placed on restricted list  —  CLEVELAND (AP) — Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona has been placed on baseball's restricted list following his arrest for false identity.  —  Carmona was arrested last week in the Dominican Republic on charges he falsified his name and birthdate …

Dodgers secretly bid big for Prince  —  Although they managed to stay under the radar all the while, the Los Angeles Dodgers pushed hard for weeks to try to sign Prince Fielder and thought for a while they might have a legitimate shot at their own secret signing.

Orioles may find fit with players represented by agent Scott Boras  —  So the Prince Fielder truck rolled along I-95 without ever stopping on the interstate.  —  Well, that doesn't mean the Orioles can't get on the Scott Boras Free Agent Bandwagon before spring training starts.

Elsa/Getty Images  —  What the Hell Are the Red Sox Doing?  —  While the rest of the American League elite is reloading, all seems too quiet at Fenway Park  —  Nine point four two.  We're years past the point of obsessing over ERA, understanding that it's a flawed stat subject to the whims of defense …

Athletics Designate Adrian Cardenas For Assignment  —  The Athletics announced that they designated infielder Adrian Cardenas for assignment.  The move creates 40-man roster space for Bay Area native Jonny Gomes, whose signing is now official.  —  Cardenas, 24, spent the 2011 season …

No room for Isringhausen in Mets' bullpen  —  Mets on Twitter  —  It doesn't appear there is going to be room in the Mets' retooled bullpen for Jason Isringhausen.  —  Sources said the team “hasn't ruled anything out,” but they don't expect him back.  —  “There probably isn't a fit for him here,” another source said.

Terry McGuirk discusses Braves' payroll, ownership, TV deals  —  The Braves have set a player payroll budget of $94 million for this year, leaving them with several million dollars still to spend, the team's chairman and CEO said.  —  Terry McGuirk, in a wide-ranging interview …

In the Book  —  Baseball Prospectus 2012 has some really cool stuff, including  — in-depth coverage of over 1600 players  — a Ken Tremendous/Michael Schur foreword  — Rookie of the Year co-editors King Kaufman (who also wrote the foreword to Best of Baseball Prospectus Vol 1) …

Inbox: How will Feliz fare as a starter?  —  Beat reporter T.R. Sullivan answers Rangers fans' questions  —  Do you think Neftali Feliz can put up similar numbers this season as a starter that he did his first couple of seasons as a closer?  Two hundred innings would put him in Derek Holland/Matt Garza territory.

Rockies and RHP Rafael Betancourt Agree on Contract Extension  —  Two-Year Contract Includes Option for 2014  —  The Colorado Rockies announced today that the club has agreed to terms on a contract extension with right-handed relief pitcher Rafael Betancourt through 2013, with an option for 2014.

Breaking down MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects  —  MLB.com's first Top 100 Prospects list is now, as they said in “Mission: Impossible,” out in the open.  Now the fun is just beginning.  —  The whole purpose of this kind of list is to get people talking, arguing, pushing and shoving.  OK, not that last part.

MLB Declares Yoenis Cespedes A Free Agent  —  The bidding for Yoenis Cespedes can begin.  —  Major League Baseball informed teams today that Cespedes, a 26-year-old Cuban outfielder, is now a free agent.  Cespedes recently received his Dominican residency, a prerequisite for MLB to declare …