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.

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.

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.

Yanks, Red Sox still vying for Santana  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Red Sox roared back into the Johan Santana sweepstakes Monday night after the Yankees refused to add right-hander Ian Kennedy to their proposed trade.  —  "They are in it now," a major-league source said of the Sox.

Haren doesn't want trade  —  (12-03) 04:00 PST Nashville — Like nearly everyone else in baseball, A's starter Dan Haren is monitoring the Johan Santana trade rumors.  In Haren's case, however, the pricey Santana's destination could determine Haren's place of employment.

Notes: Kearns could be on the move  —  Outfielder may be traded to deepen Nats' starting rotation  —  NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nationals general manager Jim Bowden said on Monday that there will be four players — Wily Mo Pena, Lastings Milledge, Elijah Dukes and Austin Kearns …

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.

Andruw to Dodgers?  Roaming, reporting from Nashvegas  —  There are about 400 laptops opened for business in this cavernous media work room, but only about 100 of them have people tapping at keyboards on this chilly Monday afternoon in Nashville.  Other laptops sit lonely, at the ready.

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 …

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.

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 …