SCOTT-STOVE LEAGUE  —  RAYS MAY DANGLE KAZMIR - HEAR THAT, METS?  —  The free- agent market is deep in center fielders, Scott Boras clients and Grade C possibilities - and all of it is expected to be very expensive.  —  "It will be worse than a C [grade]," an NL executive countered.

Marlins expected to shop Cabrera  —  Baseball's hot-stove season gets under way today with one scenario already sizzling - Alex Rodriguez replacing Miguel Cabrera at third base for the Marlins.  —  Sound crazy?  Perhaps.  But at least one half of the equation is real.

Probabilistic Model of Range, 2007, Teams  —  Baseball Info Solutions sent me their final stats for 2007 over the weekend.  That means it's time to start presenting the 2007 Probabilistic Model or Range.  If you're new to this, you can find explanations in this archive.

The Bill James Handbook 2008 - Part One  —  A United States Postal Service Priority Mail envelope was sitting on my desk at home when I returned from a two-day trip to Arizona last Friday.  I opened it up and was pleasantly surprised to find The Bill James Handbook 2008 inside.

Dodgers to introduce Torre as manager  —  LOS ANGELES —Joe Torre will be front and center for his first day in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform.  The new manager's introductory news conference Monday was to be held in center field at Dodger Stadium, not in some room in the ballpark's interior …

Breaking down all MLB team needs  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  The Hot Stove is upon us once again.  —  With the Boston Red Sox newly crowned, it's time for the focus to shift to next season.  That, of course, means that all clubs will be working to address their needs in the coming weeks.

A-Rod's agent represents 2 things: himself and greed  —  This isn't about A-Rod.  It's about the A-gent.  Although when the agent in question is Scott Boras, you really have to go easy on the "gent" part.  —  Of course this is about Boras.  It always has been and it always will be …

Q&A with Andy MacPhail  —  O's president of baseball operations answers Sun reporter Jeff Zrebiec's questions ahead of the general managers meetings  —  Hired in June to head the Orioles' front office, president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail faces a daunting task this offseason …

Hey Pedro, give Mets blessing to get Schilling  —  Pedro Martinez, if you're reading this, please don't throw a fit just yet.  Give me a chance to explain.  —  I know Curt Schilling is far from your best friend - surely you're not having sleepovers, as Alex Rodriguez would say - but let's put aside your personal issues for a second.

'We need to evolve'  —  Even if he was not the Cardinals' first choice as general manager, John Mozeliak resounded as an extremely popular one when announced Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium.  —  The fit was a comfortable one.  Club chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. introduced Mozeliak …

Cordero testing the market  —  Brewer among handful of free-agent closers available  —  Doug Melvin doesn't expect a lot of serious trade talk to take place at the annual meeting of major league baseball general managers this week in Orlando, Fla.  —  "There are so many free agents out there," said the Milwaukee Brewers' GM.

Padres must get better to get back  —  Towers takes short list to GMs meeting, will seek center fielder via trade route  —  Padres General Manager Kevin Towers will try to trade for a center fielder this month.  If he doesn't find the right deal, he'll look harder at free agents such as Andruw Jones and Mike Cameron, among others.

Ringing endorsement  —  Team of stars and hidden jewels dazzled its fans in a season filled with special diamond moments  —  It's the celebration of the year for the Red Sox after they finish off a four-game sweep and take home another world championship.  (BARRY CHIN/GLOBE STAFF)