Houston deals for Colorado's Jennings  —  The Astros have acquired right-hander Jason Jennings from the Rockies, FOXSports.com has learned.  —  The Rockies will receive center fielder Willy Taveras and right-handers Jason Hirsh and Taylor Buchholz for Jennings and right-hander Miguel Asencio, major-league sources said.

Braves' Giles, Reitsma hit free-agent market  —  ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves decided against offering a contract to second baseman Marcus Giles in a cost-cutting move Tuesday.  —  The Braves tried to trade their leadoff hitter from this past season but couldn't reach agreement on a deal.

Rangers, Gagne agree to deal  —  Former All-Star reliever to join Texas pending physical  —  ARLINGTON — The Rangers have agreed to a one-year, $6 million contract with reliever Eric Gagne.  The agreement is pending a physical but the Rangers have already checked out his medical reports and are satisfied that he is healthy again.

Wells done?  —  The Toronto Blue Jays have one of those adult decisions to make, 2½ months after finishing 10 games behind the New York Yankees and a game ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.  —  Its name is Vernon Wells.  —  He is the signature position player for an organization that …

Kapler retires, named Class-A skipper  —  Popular Red Sox outfielder Gabe Kapler today announced his retirement, though he is going to stick with the organization.  —  The Red Sox named Kapler the manager of the Greenville Drive, the team's Single-A team in South Carolina (which plays in the South Atlantic League).

Mets non-tender Zambrano  —  Talented, but oft-injured starting pitcher is now a free agent  —  The Mets regularly had tracked the progress of Victor Zambrano as he rehabbed his surgically-repaired right elbow.  They appeared to maintain a level of interest in the pitcher who had been a member …

Report: Cirillo, Twins agree to terms on 1-year deal  —  Enticed by the lure of more playing time in Minnesota, infielder Jeff Cirillo is leaving his hometown Brewers for a free-agent deal with the Twins.  —  Cirillo and the Minnesota Twins reached preliminary agreement Tuesday on a $1.5 million, one-year contract.

BaseBrawl of champions at TNA event  —  Catcher A.J. Pierzynski of the 2005 world champion Chicago White Sox picked a fight with World Series MVP David Eckstein of the 2006 world champion St. Louis Cardinals during the TNA pay-per-view Turning Point on Sunday, Dec. 10 from Universal Studios Orlando.

Gomez, Piniero, Guiel among non-tendered crop  —  DETROIT — Playoff hero Alexis Gomez was not offered a contract by the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, making him a free agent.  —  Gomez split last season between Detroit and Triple-A Toledo.  He batted .272 with a home run and six RBI during …

Analysis: Need for top-end starter not met  —  Team running out of time to bolster pitching rotation  —  On their way out of Orlando after the winter meetings, members of the Mariners organization said they were down, but not out.  —  "We've made some progress," they said.

The Matsuzaka Dilemma  —  John Thorn is a contributing writer for The Biz of Baseball  —  From "Play's the Thing," Woodstock Times:  —  This whole swirl may be over by the time you read this, but the meaning is the same, no matter how it comes out, and so is the moral.