Craig Wilson would welcome return to Pirates  —  PITTSBURGH (AP) — Craig Wilson would welcome a return to the Pittsburgh Pirates.  —  Wilson, the power-hitting first baseman-outfielder who hit 29 homers for the Pirates in 2004, is seeking a bench job in the majors and would like to play again for Pittsburgh.

Gotta hand it to him  —  Pedroia played through broken bone in playoffs … In 2004, it was Curt Schilling [stats]'s surgically repaired ankle.  Three years later, Dustin Pedroia [stats]'s broken hand offered perhaps the most remarkable tale of the Red Sox [team stats]' run to a World Series championship.

Seven first-timers win Silver Sluggers  —  New class of talented players joins baseball's hitting elite  —  If you got the feeling while watching baseball this year that a new class of exciting hitters was emerging, well, you were right.  And confirmation came once again on Friday …

Torre Won't Close Door on Williams as a Dodger  —  A Bernie Williams-Joe Torre reunion in Los Angeles could become a reality next season.  —  Neither Williams nor Torre would dismiss speculation last night that Williams could return to the major leagues in 2008, perhaps as a member of the Dodgers.

Rays planning waterfront ballpark  —  ST. PETERSBURG - The Tampa Bay Rays are planning a $450-million stadium on the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront site of Al Lang Field.  —  The stadium, with about 35,000 seats, would be paid for primarily by the team, which would contribute about $150-million …

Goin' to Arizona to see some fall ball  —  Looking forward to getting on a plane bound for Phoenix tomorrow morning, and not simply because it'll be 90 degrees when I get there (but that sure sounds nice about now, doesn't it?).  No, I'm eager to see The Kid play a little fall ball …

A-Rod or not, Mets will try to bolster starting rotation  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Scott Boras' late-night presentation to Omar Minaya regarding Alex Rodriguez may have dominated the headlines, but before Mets brass departed the GM meetings yesterday afternoon, it had laid groundwork for more practical …

Giants keep SS Vizquel for 1 year, $5.3M  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Omar Vizquel got his wish to return to the San Francisco Giants.  —  The 11-time Gold Glove shortstop agreed Friday to a $5.3 million, one-year contract, a deal that includes a club option that could make it worth $10.2 million over two seasons.

Rockies not interested in A-Rod this time around  —  ORLANDO, Fla. — Agent Scott Boras doesn't even call the Rockies in his efforts to market free agent Alex Rodriguez.  —  He knows better.  —  The Rockies have been there.  Done that.  And aren't going there anymore.

Towers hopes to lock up Greene with multiyear deal  —  The Padres plan to find out if they can cut a multiyear contract with shortstop Khalil Greene.  —  "He's one of our better players, and we'd like him to be here for some time," General Manager Kevin Towers said yesterday.

Agent: Rocket considering Olympics  —  Clemens may pitch for Team USA during 2008 Summer Games  —  ORLANDO, Fla. — Roger Clemens may not play in the Major Leagues next season, but that doesn't mean he isn't going to play baseball.  —  Clemens, if healthy, would consider pitching for Team USA …

Notes: Cabrera talks heating up  —  Long-term contract could be sticking point in trade of slugger  —  MIAMI — A factor that could come into play in possibly trading Miguel Cabrera is getting the four-time All-Star signed to a multiyear contract.  —  Rumblings are surfacing that if a team parts …

New York Mets  —  Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel.  All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible.

A Little History Shows Why The MLBPA Talks Collusion  —  This evening, MLB Players Association (MLBPA) Executive Director Donald Fehr issued the following statement in which the MLBPA announced its plan to investigate comments attributed to MLB personnel with regards to the pending free agent market:

Mitchell Report May Name Free Agents, Union Says  —  With George J. Mitchell's investigation into drug use looming over Major League Baseball, player agents were informed by union officials earlier this week that up to 11 players who are now free agents could be named in Mitchell's report when it is ultimately issued.

Yankees not making any progress with Jorge Posada  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The general managers' meetings wrapped up yesterday, but Brian Cashman and the Yankees are no closer to solving any of their problems than they were when the sessions began four days ago.