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3:49 PM: McGwire just got done answering questions from the media at the team’s Winter Warm-Up event in St. Louis. Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune reports that the event “was cut short after six minutes of a testy give-and-take.” 2:32 PM: Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports that “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns…

Eric Byrnes, who was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks last week, told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that he would be interested in signing with his hometown Giants: “It’s not a real secret (that) I’d definitely be interested,” Byrnes said in a phone interview. “The Giants, of course, that’s the best fit…

The Orioles are talking to free agent third baseman Joe Crede, reports Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune. Crede, who turns 32 in April, is coming off his third back surgery since 2007, so he’d surely have to accept a modest one-year deal at this point. Limited to just 90 games last season, Crede batted…

Jon Heyman of SI.com tweets that the Angels, Dodgers and Mets are “all in” on free agent Joel Pineiro. The Mets have been connected to the 31-year-old right-hander all winter, while the Dodgers have stepped up their pursuit in recent weeks. The Angels, meanwhile, expressed interest early on, but have money to spend after losing…

The White Sox and reliever Bobby Jenks avoided arbitration on Saturday by agreeing to a one-year, $7.5 million contract. Jenks, who turns 29 in March, will receive a $1.9 million raise over a 2009 season that saw him post a 3.79 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 27 saves in 35 chances. Jenks fought a very public…

Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Cubs are planning a complete renovation of Wrigley Field in conjunction with the 100-year anniversary of the park in 2014. The “Wrigley 20-14″ project includes the long-rumored “triangle building,” a large open-air courtyard, the possible addition of a restaurant, widened concourses and expanded restrooms, some…

Everybody already assumed as much, but Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak finally confirmed it on Saturday when he said his willingness to hire Mark McGwire as the team’s new hitting coach was contingent upon him addressing his past use of performance enhancing drugs: “He needed to be honest,” Mozeliak told the media during a press…

There’s plenty of activity this weekend, as players and teams settle on new contracts to avoid arbitration. Here’s a couple deals that were announced on Saturday: – The Reds signed reliever Nick Masset to a two-year, $2.58 million contract. Masset entered 2009 as a potential rotation candidate, but ended up being one of the most…

3:10 PM: Yikes. Donnelly signed for $1.5 million guaranteed, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. He could make $3 million with incentives. 2:02 PM: Kovacevic confirms that the Pirates have come to terms with Donnelly on a contract, pending a physical. 11:15 AM: The Pirates have officially signed right-hander D.J. Carrasco to a minor league…

Mets general manager Omar Minaya quickly tried to smooth things over with Carlos Beltran after the team publicly expressed their displeasure in his decision to undergo surgery on his right knee this week, telling David Waldstein of the New York Times that the whole controversy may have stemmed from a miscommunication of protocol: “It was…

There’s a war of words in St. Louis. You may have already heard that Jack Clark, who spent three years with the Cardinals, thinks Mark McGwire should be banned from baseball. He also questioned Tony La Russa’s claim that he didn’t know McGwire was on steroids during his tenure in Oakland and St. Louis: “[McGwire's]…

Tim Lincecum was one of 128 players to file for arbitration on Friday, paving the way for him to surpass the record $10 million salary for a first-time eligible player. Ryan Howard set the bar in 2008, a year after he won the National League MVP award. Lincecum, 25, has won the National League Cy…

The Mets and right-hander John Maine avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.3 million contract on Friday. Maine, who turns 29 in May, could earn an additional $225,000 in performance bonuses based on number of starts. Limited to just 15 starts last season due to shoulder problems, Maine was 7-6 with a 4.43 ERA…

Their exclusive 30-day negotiation window has closed without a deal, but an investment group led by Pittsburgh sports attorney Chuck Greenberg and Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan said “extraordinary progress” had been made in talks to buy the Rangers from Hicks Sports Group. “We are on the verge of an agreement that would provide…

During an introductory conference call on Friday, new first baseman Adam LaRoche called the Diamondbacks his “first choice.” ‘This all came together obviously really fast,” LaRoche said. “There were some other options out there and to be honest with you, this was at the top of the list if we could work it out. From…

2:46 P.M.: Jeff Blair of the Toronto Globe and Mail is confirming that it is indeed the Reds. Given how late the Jays were in the hunt, they, and thus he, would probably be in a position to know.  UPDATE: Jeff Passan, who had the original report, confirms as well. 1:56 P.M: Surprise! It looks…

When Vladimir Guerrero agreed to terms with the Rangers on Saturday night, it dealt a heavy blow to the market for free agent outfielder Jermaine Dye. The Rangers maintained dialogue with Dye even as they negotiated with Guerrero, offering both similar base salaries in the area of the $3-5 million. According to Evan Grant of…

According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, the Marlins plan to meet with Josh Johnson’s agent Matt Sosnick about a new contract this week. Johnson is arbitration-eligible for the second time this winter, and figures to see his salary jump to around $4.2 million in 2010. According to Frisaro, Sosnick will listen to offers on a…

According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, nobody’s biting on 41-year-old Gary Sheffield. The veteran slugger, who is representing himself this winter, still feels he can be an everyday player and provide some right-handed thump, but so far no major league team has agreed with him. After being released by the Tigers during Spring…

Johnny Damon, the unfortunate victim of the lengthy Matt Holliday negotiations, is still awaiting his next contract. “Well, I knew I’d have to wait until some of the bigger hitters like Jason Bay and Matt Holliday went places, and now I’m just waiting to see what’s in store for me,” Damon said. “I knew I’d…

The Rangers weren’t done after the signing of Vlad, as they also inked Khalil Greene to a one-year, $750,000 contract, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Limited to 77 games last season due to anxiety-related issues, the 30-year-old Greene hit just .200/.272/.347 with six home runs and 24 RBI. With Elvis Andrus as the clear…

T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports that the Rangers have come to terms with free agent Vladimir Guerrero. A source tells Sullivan it is a one-year deal with an option for 2011. Guerrero, who turns 35 in February, batted .295/.334/.460 with 15 homers and 50 RBI in 383 at-bats last season. His 794 OPS was his…

We haven’t heard much from the Erik Bedard camp this winter. After undergoing shoulder surgery last August there have been some wide-ranging opinions on when he’ll be ready to to pitch in the majors again. Some say it could be as early as May, while others have suggested it could be mid-season. Orioles president Andy…

Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com tells us that the Red Sox are starting to “pull back” in their efforts to sign Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman. The Red Sox were one of the first teams to offer Chapman a contract, but as the price tag for the young fireballer has topped $20 million, McAdam reports that the…

Daisuke Matsuzaka told a Japanese publication that he hurt his inner thigh before Spring Training in the early part of 2009, but didn’t disclose the injury to anyone. Take a look at the (loosely) translated version of the story here, but it’s pretty clear something was off with Dice-K upon joining the Red Sox after…