Source: Red Sox still have chance with Oswalt  —  BOSTON — After indicating late Friday night that pitcher Roy Oswalt was signing with the St. Louis Cardinals “soon,” the same major league source acknowledged Wednesday that Oswalt had not yet made a decision and that the Red Sox still “had a great chance” of signing him.

Yankees' Mark Teixeira is set to lay it down this year like never before  —  Switch-hittter batted a careeer-worst .224 from left side in 2011  —  At the Munson awards (l. to r.)  Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey, Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira, Diana Munson, former NBA center Dikembe Mutombo …

Blue Jays complete Francisco Cordero signing  —  The Toronto Blue Jays have signed veteran reliever Francisco Cordero to a $4.5-million, one-year contract.  —  The 36-year-old right-hander was 5-3 with 37 saves last season for the Cincinnati Reds.  He posted a 2.45 earned-run average and held opponents to a .198 batting average.

Dodgers' Loney won't face charges from crash  —  Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman James Loney won't face any criminal charges resulting from a Nov. 14 traffic accident in which he was briefly detained on suspicion of DUI, a spokesman for the Los Angeles City Attorney's office confirmed on Wednesday.

Rangers: No Fielder, but Darvish joins team  —  The Texas Rangers were one strike away from winning the World Series and, perhaps, one injury away from landing the man who would have made them the favorites for a return trip.  —  Rangers general manager Jon Daniels had serious discussions …

NY Mets, Daniel Murphy will embrace underdog role next season after losing Jose Reyes to Miami Marlins and cutting payroll by $50 million  —  Murphy puts in OT during offseason after having injuries last two seasons  —  Daniel Murphy, who is coming off an injury last season …

Mariners sign veteran Guillen to Minors deal  —  Three-time All-Star to compete for third base, outfield job  —  SEATTLE — Veteran infielder Carlos Guillen, who began his career with the Mariners from 1998-2003, signed a Minor League deal with Seattle on Wednesday that includes an invitation to Major League camp.

Chipper Jones upbeat about 18th season with Braves  —  One year has made a big difference in Chipper Jones' outlook.  —  Jones is feeling optimistic about his health as he moves closer to his 18th season with the Braves.  Despite two knee surgeries in the last two years …

Fact-Checking Scott Boras  —  Combing through Scott Boras' statements for inaccuracies is a little like tilting at windmills (or so I assume—it's been years since I've seen a windmill, let alone tilted at one).  That's because Boras' greatest ambition isn't impeccable candor …

Report: Sox sign ex-Rays 1B Johnson to minor league deal  —  The Chicago White Sox apparently have secured the services of a player who handed them one of their worst losses in 2011.  —  According to a tweet by longtime St. Petersburg Times beat writer Marc Topkin, the Sox have signed left-handed hitting …