Yankees and Rodriguez Receive Approval for Deal  —  Four weeks after Alex Rodriguez walked away from his contract with the Yankees, he and the club have gained approval for a marketing deal tied to his home run milestones, the last significant step in completing a contract that restores Rodriguez to the Yankees' roster.

Give Santana a look … Publicly, at least, the Minnesota Twins are saying they still hope to re-sign Johan Santana.  Privately, according to at least one official from another major league team, the Twins have given indication they will trade Santana before the start of spring training …

Mets interested in Freddy Garcia  —  The Mets tried to trade for Freddy Garcia last December, but the Phillies made a better offer and got the hulking righty from the White Sox.  —  The Mets, though, remained interested, and now that Garcia is a free agent, they've called his representative several times to discuss signing him.

SERBY'S SUNDAY Q&A WITH...  HANK STEINBRENNER  —  The Post's Steve Serby chatted with the new Yankees boss about his expectations for 2008 and beyond, his life as George Steinbrenner's oldest son, and his memories of a lifetime in and around the world's most famous ballclub.

Source: Reds, closer Cordero agree to $46M deal  —  The Cincinnati Reds have reached preliminary agreement on a four-year, $46 million contract with closer Francisco Cordero, a baseball source confirmed to ESPN.com.  —  The deal, which includes a club option for a fifth year, is subject to Cordero passing a physical exam.

16 months after crash, Duaner Sanchez back on comeback trail to Mets  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - On a mound shielded from the drizzle outside, and just 20 feet from the spot where his recovery from a taxi-cab accident suffered a serious setback, Duaner Sanchez's right foot is touching the rubber for the first time since March.

Sign of turnaround in LA  —  Torre and young stars key to Dodger success  —  They were not about to get into the silly money the Angels gave Torii Hunter.  They would not go four years on Mike Lowell.  They are unwilling to part with four or even three top prospects for Miguel Cabrera …

Boras still has Pena's confidence  —  The amount the Rays will have to pay 1B Carlos Pena after his AL comeback player of the year performance remains a mystery.  —  Pena's friends were in an uproar last week, texting and calling his cell phone when they heard he placed ninth in the AL MVP voting.

Mitchell Report Could Have a Major Impact on Visas  —  Ten days ago, Robert Hill sent a memo to clients and other interested parties.  "ALERT," the memo began in capital letters.  "Anticipated December Release of Mitchell Report May Have Unintended Consequences for Foreign Athletes."