Nationals Acquire Troubled Dukes  —  The Washington Nationals began baseball's winter meetings Monday with a dramatic and potentially controversial move, trading for troubled Tampa Bay outfielder Elijah Dukes, a 23-year-old whose skills are undisputed but whose long and varied list of legal issues sent his standing in the game tumbling.

Yankees might pull out of Santana talks for good … NASHVILLE — With the Yankee's self-imposed deadline approaching, the Twins and Yankees were getting nowhere Monday night in their attempt to complete a deal for Johan Santana.  So the Yankees were again making noises that they might pull out of the Santana talks for good.

Sources: Royals, Guillen closing in on deal  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Royals, plunging into the free-agent market for the second straight year, are working toward an agreement with outfielder Jose Guillen, according to major-league sources.

Brewers survey options on Day 1  —  Melvin discusses Rolen, needs for team at Winter Meetings  —  NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Brewers general manager Doug Melvin spent last week downplaying rumors that he is interested in trading for Cardinals third baseman Scott Rolen.

Rolen is star of trade talks  —  NASHVILLE, TENN. — There was a former Cardinals World Series-winning manager elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame here on Monday.  It just wasn't the one many expected.  —  Whitey Herzog, who directed the Cardinals to the 1982, 1985 and 1987 National League pennants …

Lobby blogging: The Francona Rule  —  Red Sox manager Terry Francona officially has a rule named after him.  —  "There's going to be, for lack of a better term, a 'Francona Rule,'" said Bob Watson, Major League Baseball's Vice President of Rules and On-Field Operations.  "You can only wear your uniform top or jacket.

Buzz: Mets work with O's on Bedard  —  During an appearance on WFAN, beat-reporter Sweeny Murti said, "There is news floating around that the Mets are close on Erik Bedard." … ...Update...8:45 pm...  ...earlier, i was sent on a wild-goose chase suggesting that the Mets could be working …

Notes: Pitching Phils' main focus  —  Club also hoping to work out a deal to keep Rowand  —  NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, a sprawling city unto itself, contains many pathways and directions.  —  The Phillies, however, remain on the same road in their search for pitching.

Santana?  —  A rotation featuring Beckett, Santana as the top two is pretty much as good as it can get.  The thought of pitching behind these guys has to fire ya up.  That being said I look at it like this.  —  If we make the move we'll have done so with Theo knowing whatever he had to trade …

Santana and Yankees are close but not yet joined  —  NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Monday evening bore down on The Steinbrenner Deadline, or the moment the Minnesota Twins supposedly will no longer be allowed to unload the best left-hander in baseball on the New York Yankees, and baseball's winter meetings began to skew even more toward pitching.

The New Look Dodgers...An Interview with Ned Colletti  —  When I spoke with Ned Colletti back in January, he had only been General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers for about 14 months.  He had just watched his team finish a season with 88 victories and earn a Wild Card berth in the 2006 playoffs.

Pettitte takes $16 million, adding to total  —  Just received an e-mail back from Randy Hendricks.  —  Andy Pettitte will play for his original $16 million next season.  There are no options.  He decided on Saturday, they talked it over on Sunday and now it's done.

Cubs looking at all options  —  Fukudome on radar, but Reds' Hamilton also a possibility  —  NASHVILLE — The Cubs are unlikely to walk away from the winter meetings with Kosuke Fukudome under contract, and general manager Jim Hendry gets a little touchy whenever the Japanese outfielder's name comes up in conversation.