Texas sends top '03 pick to Chicago for McCarthy  —  ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas acquired right-hander Brandon McCarthy from the Chicago White Sox in a five-player deal Saturday in which the Rangers gave up their 2003 first-round pick.  —  John Danks, the ninth overall pick three years ago …

It's Too Early for the Yankees to Celebrate Their Tax Bill  —  At $26 million, it's a bargain, and next year, the tax the Yankees will have to pay on their payroll will be even less.  Life is beautiful.  —  Where else could a tax bill for $26 million induce everybody in the office to exchange high-fives?

Shea prices going up  —  The Mets, in the wake of their first National League East title in 18 years, are raising their ticket prices for 2007.  As is standard for professional sports teams, the high-end ticket-holders will suffer the biggest hit to their wallets.

Rivera breaks left leg in winter league game  —  An offense in need of additional power lost a big chunk of its existing pop — and possibly for a significant amount of time — when Angels designated hitter/outfielder Juan Rivera suffered a broken left tibia in a winter league game in Venezuela on Friday.

Braves must adjust to new role in NL East  —  Last season, the Atlanta Braves' astounding run of success came to an end.  —  For the first time since 1990, the Braves finished a full season somewhere other than first place, and they even recorded a losing season for the first time since before Bobby Cox returned to the dugout in '91.

John feels he's Hall of Fame material  —  Despite consistency and longevity, lefty on outside looking in  —  At some point, having more wins than anyone not in the National Baseball Hall of Fame loses its distinction and becomes just a festering frustration.  —  Tommy John, winner of 288 games, reached that point a long time ago.

Maine acts just like a kid at Christmas  —  Mets right-hander talks about the holidays with MLB.com  —  NEW YORK — When the Mets traded Kris Benson to the Orioles in January, most of the attention focused on reasons for Benson's departure and Jorge Julio, the reliever the Mets obtained.

Pirates touch base with Huff  —  Free agent had 21 home runs last season  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  The Pirates have made contact with Aubrey Huff, the most prominent left-handed power hitter remaining in free agency, and are one of a handful of teams considered to be in the running for his services.

Roundtable #5—Mike Gonzalez  —  If Pittsburgh Pirates Roundtable participant Jake from Bucco Blog has it right, Mike Gonzalez is going to be a Yankee before 2007.  I've asked for some outside support on this issue, though, and bloggers representing four teams interested in Gonzo were willing …

Nationals Owners To Dig Even Deeper  —  Lerners Plan to Spend Millions More On Improvements to D.C. Ballpark  —  The owners of the Washington Nationals plan to spend at least $30 million to improve the city-financed ballpark under construction on the Southeast waterfront, according to Mark Lerner, son of principal owner Ted Lerner.

Washington vows quick turnaround  —  Once again, the Texas Rangers are looking for pitching.  They want starter Barry Zito, arguably the best of the offseason's free agent class.  —  They have wined Zito.  They have dined him.  They have offered him an undisclosed contract.

O'Dowd: Helton rumors not true  —  Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd on Friday denied a story in the Los Angeles Times that quoted major league sources saying the Rockies have renewed talks with the Los Angeles Angels about a Todd Helton trade, a deal that was discussed briefly at the annual winter meetings.