Cabrera's status a hot topic at meetings  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  ORLANDO, Fla. - The Marlins are almost certain to trade third baseman Miguel Cabrera.  The question is where.  —  The Cabrera talks intensified at the general managers' meetings on Wednesday, with the Angels emerging as a particularly intriguing possibility.

Red Sox sit down with Boras  —  Agent pitches Rodriguez to Epstein at meetings  —  ORLANDO, Fla. - Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein and his staff headed into a meeting with agent Scott Boras last night as good listeners.  —  There was no need to jump feetfirst into the Alex Rodriguez sweepstakes.

Twins seem willing to part with pitching  —  The team has plenty of good, young arms, so teams such as the Padres and Devil Rays might deal talented hitters.  —  ORLANDO - The San Diego Padres are one of several teams that have expressed interest in the Twins' young starting pitchers this week at the general managers meetings.

Players may squash trip  —  Spring trek to Japan jeopardized by Sox  —  Johnny Damon will be the Yankees leadoff hitter and left fielder.  (FILE/ASSOCIATED PRESS)  —  Text size - +  —  ORLANDO, Fla. - While Major League Baseball is pushing hard toward Boston and Oakland playing in Tokyo March 22 …

Phils pull trigger on blockbuster  —  Astros' closer Lidge arrives in 5-player swap; Myers in rotation  —  ORLANDO, Fla. - The Phillies jolted the annual general manager meetings late last night and kick-started the trading season with a blockbuster deal that was both bold and risky.

Nationals target Gomez, Pelfrey  —  Outfielder, righty would help add youth to roster  —  WASHINGTON — The Nationals are not close to making any deals at the General Managers Meetings in Orlando, Fla., but, according to a baseball source, the team has its sights on Mets outfielder Carlos Gomez and right-hander Mike Pelfrey.

Damon meets with Girardi, Cashman, likely will stay  —  Johnny Damon waits for a decision by the umpires about his first inning home run.  (Newsday/Paul J. Bereswill / October 4, 2007)  —  ORLANDO, Fla. - With the general managers' meetings here a "12-minute" drive from his house, Johnny Damon met Joe Girardi for breakfast yesterday.

Posada and Rivera at Top of Yanks' List  —  The Yankees are preparing new offers to their top free agents, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera, in an effort to sign them before other teams can negotiate with them.  —  "The offers are going to be very generous offers," the senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner …

Brian Cashman: Jason Giambi will play some first base  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Brian Cashman has been hard at work trying to figure out what to do at third base next season.  First base, however, is not taking up much of his time.  —  The Yankees' GM said yesterday that he expects Jason Giambi …

Runner's Reluctance - Part One  —  Sometimes I think most baseball strategy has been figured out thanks to sabermetricians like you and me.  Then I discover that a major facet of the game is being mismanaged at a shocking rate.  —  Let me explain.  I recently undertook a study to analyze …

Risky strategy in place  —  ORLANDO, FLA. — With the Chicago Cubs expressing serious interest in second baseman Kazuo Matsui, the likelihood he returns to Colorado will decrease dramatically if he chooses the biggest contract over personal comfort.  —  Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd …

Cubs picking up Japanese  —  ORLANDO, Fla. — A year after beefing up their Far East scouting, the Cubs seem poised to make a big splash this offseason in the Japanese free-agent market.  —  During their recent organizational meetings, sources say, the Cubs focused much of their attention …