Mets have backup plan for Zito in Suppan  —  Left-hander Barry Zito wasn't the only free-agent pitcher that Mets' executives visited in southern California.  —  The Mets, perhaps lining up an alternative if Zito signs with another club, also met with free-agent right-hander Jeff Suppan, major-league sources tell FOXSports.com.

Rangers gamble on Gagne  —  Good day, Akinori Otsuka.  —  You once saved the Texas Rangers from Francisco Cordero, who'd blown five save attempts before the 2006 season was four weeks old.  —  You then saved 32 games in 36 tries, driving a bullpen that logged 534 innings …

Phils shape outfield, add veteran catcher  —  The Phillies expect outfielder Jayson Werth to be healthy and ready to play come spring training.  —  The team officially announced yesterday that Werth, who missed 2006 and part of 2005 with a left-wrist injury, had signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with performance bonuses.

Klesko aboard, not Bonds  —  LF'S CONTRACT STILL NOT DONE  —  Ryan Klesko became the latest in a swell of former San Diego Padres to follow Manager Bruce Bochy up the coast when the Giants signed the first baseman/outfielder to a one-year, $1.75 million contract Tuesday.

Phil Sheridan |  Another great athlete leaving too soon  —  Step up onto the float, Allen Iverson, and wave to the crowd as you go by.  —  The parade has a new grand marshal.  Unfortunately, it's not the parade Philadelphia has been waiting for since 1983.

Braves name new TV broadcast team  —  Sciambi to join Simpson for FSN, SportsSouth telecasts  —  ATLANTA — For more than a decade, fans could turn on a television broadcast of a Braves game and know there was a good chance that they'd see either Pete Van Wieren, Skip Caray, Don Sutton or Joe Simpson.

Gayo finding talent in fertile territory  —  Spearheads Pirates' scouting efforts in Latin America  —  Rene Gayo, the Pittsburgh Pirates' director of Latin American scouting, recently summed up what baseball means to people in that part of the world when he said: "In America …

Average MLB salary up 9 percent to nearly $2.7 million … NEW YORK // Baseball salaries were booming even before the free-agent escalation that began more than a month ago.  —  The average salary shot up 9 percent this year to $2,699,292, according to final figures released Wednesday by the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Hendry nears deal with Floyd  —  Cubs general manager Jim Hendry began recruiting Cliff Floyd as the baseball coach at Creighton nearly 16 years ago.  Now he's finally on the verge of reeling him in.  —  Sources said late Tuesday the Cubs were close to signing Floyd to an incentive-laden deal …

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.

Astros shifting from Generation Last  —  In the days since Andy Pettitte bid a painful farewell to his hometown and Jeff Bagwell a warm one, the Astros have been coming to grips with an exit strategy from Generation Last.  —  The Astros are of course willing to wait on Roger Clemens to decide whether to pitch again, and where.

Nats sign Fick to Minor League pact  —  Versatile veteran hopes to get more playing time in 2007  —  WASHINGTON — Before the 2006 season ended, catcher Robert Fick said he wanted to return to the Nationals and play with Brian Schneider and Nick Johnson again.

Mailbag: A's planning any big moves?  —  A's beat writer Mychael Urban answers fans' questions  —  Welcome to a rare mid-week edition of the mailbag.  We're breaking form in part because it's been a month since the last edition, and the e-mails continued to pour in as I was recovering from shoulder surgery.

Yankees  —  'Embrace' A-Rod  —  Strawberry urges pal Jeter to bring Rodriguez into Yanks' inner circle  —  Darryl Strawberry admitted that he hasn't been around the Yankees much in the last few years.  Nor has he communicated much with Derek Jeter, his old teammate.