Source: Don't count out Mets in Johan trade derby  —  A major league executive with knowledge of the Twins' trade talks told 1050 ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand that the Mets should not be counted out of the Johan Santana Sweepstakes.  Mets general manager Omar Minaya has had talks with Twins GM Bill Smith.

Sources: Rays, Twins close to Young-Garza swap  —  The Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays are close to a swap of two potential future stars.  —  The Twins would acquire outfielder Delmon Young in exchange for right-hander Matt Garza, sources told ESPN.com's Keith Law.

Rangers seeking three areas of need  —  Veteran bullpen help, center fielder and impact bat wanted  —  ARLINGTON — By the time the Rangers assemble in Nashville, Tenn., for baseball's Winter Meetings on Monday, their offseason will be two months old.  —  In that time, nothing has changed.

Don't believe those rumors  —  Don't believe the rumors you read and hear that suggest the Brewers might trade for Minnesota closer Joe Nathan or Washington's Chad Cordero, in the wake of losing free agent Francisco Cordero to Cincinnati.  —  General manager Doug Melvin said today it is unlikely …

It's official: Reds land closer Cordero  —  Reliever signs four-year deal, with a club option for 2012  —  CINCINNATI — The Reds made the addition of Francisco Cordero official on Wednesday by announcing that they had signed the All-Star closer to a four-year contract.

Crasnick: Sizing up the starting pitching market … A few new truths have come to light in Major League Baseball this offseason.  Such as:  —  Hank Steinbrenner is a budding quote machine.  The Los Angeles Angels are dead serious when they say they're tired of falling short in the postseason.

Early Rule 5 Preview  —  Buckle your seatbelts.  This year's Rule 5 draft will likely be more exciting than 2006, thanks to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.  —  Included in the new CBA, which went into effect last October, was an alteration to the Rule 5, giving teams an extra year …