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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

Rays look East to bolster pen  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA - The Rays' search for relief help may again lead to Japan.  —  Right-handers Kazuo Fukumori and Masahide Kobayashi are among several pitchers eligible to leave as free agents, and the Rays have been linked to both in Japanese media reports.

O Captain!  My Captain!  Rise up and Hear the Bells  —  Dave Pinto over at Baseball Musings just posted his Probabilistic Model of Range for Shortstops in the 2007 season.  This year Dave worked out the models both by team and by individual.  I've listed his findings below.

Park Returns to Dodgers  —  With his Major League Baseball (MLB) career hanging by a thread, Park Chan-ho is heading back to where the magic all started.  —  The 33-year-old South Korean said Thursday he signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he started his Major League career in 1994 …

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 …

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 …

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 …