Mets in L.A. to meet Zito  —  The Mets took their pitch to Barry Zito yesterday, flying to Los Angeles to court the free-agent pitcher.  —  Team officials remained hopeful the pitcher would eventually visit New York, but they had to go to agent Scott Boras' turf for their first face-to-face meeting with the lefthander.

DOUG: I DIG YANKS  —  Doug Mientkiewicz would love to play for the Yankees, but if he doesn't, the free agent says another team is going to get a completely healthy first baseman.  —  "I am doing great," said Mientkiewicz, who underwent back surgery in late August to repair a herniated disc that invaded his nerve root.

White to sign with Twins  —  Rondell White and the Twins are close to a deal that would guarantee him $2.75 million next season, according to sources with knowledge of the negotiations.  The deal is expected to be completed by the end of the week, pending him passing a physical.

Veteran Klesko a Giant; now what about Bonds?  —  Ex-Padre gets one-year deal; club still working on language of Barry's contract  —  Ryan Klesko became the latest in a swell of former San Diego Padres to follow manager Bruce Bochy up the coast Tuesday, when the Giants signed the veteran …

Yankees Are Taking a Look at Loretta  —  The Yankees' search for a first baseman has veered from one veteran to another, with a homegrown player and a Rule 5 draft pick mixed in.  The latest name to surface is Mark Loretta, a free agent, who spent last season as the second baseman for the Boston Red Sox.

Agent says Pirates among top suitors for Suppan  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  The Pirates' hot-and-cold pursuit of free-agent starter Jeff Suppan apparently is heating up again.  —  They are one of three teams making the most serious bid for his services …

Matsuzaka will give this a spin  —  Lifestyle issues aside, the biggest change Daisuke Matsuzaka may face here is pitching in a five-man rotation, according to lefthanded pitcher Alex Graman, a former Yankee farmhand who last season spent his first year in Japan as Matsuzaka's teammate on the Seibu Lions.

It's Official: Vidro Leaves Nats for Seattle  —  The Washington Nationals' offseason has been spent eliminating big, expensive, aging pieces and replacing them with smaller, cheaper, younger ones.  So it was that on a day made notable by the official elimination of the longest-tenured …

Rose backs McGwire, hopes exhibit helps with reinstatement  —  CINCINNATI (AP) — Pete Rose thinks Mark McGwire should be in baseball's Hall of Fame, and hasn't given up hope that he'll get there someday, too.  —  Baseball's banished hits king said Tuesday that McGwire …

Phillies close to deal with Barajas  —  Veteran will help tutor young, up-and-coming backstop Ruiz  —  PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies appeared to have upgraded at catcher Tuesday by agreeing to a deal with Rod Barajas.  —  A baseball source said the team was close to signing the veteran backstop, though the terms were unknown.