Brewers designate Mench for assignment  —  The Milwaukee Brewers have designated outfielder Kevin Mench for assignment, clearing the way for reliever Salomon Torres to join the 40-man roster, the team announced in a statement this morning.  —  Mench appeared in 101 games last season with the Brewers …

Yankees closing in on LaTroy Hawkins with one-year, $3.75 million deal  —  Looking for short-term solutions in a relief market that is booming with expensive contracts, the Yankees are close to finalizing a one-year, $3.75 million deal with righthander LaTroy Hawkins, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

Source: Nats agree to terms with Lo Duca  —  The Washington Nationals have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with free agent catcher Paul Lo Duca, a source with knowledge of the situation said today.  Terms were not immediately available, though Lo Duca was thought to be seeking $5 million.

Padres focus on Fukudome as Bradley heads to Texas  —  Japanese star might give his answer today  —  Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome remains the central figure in this Padres offseason, certainly no less so now that former Padres outfielder Milton Bradley has agreed to terms with the Texas Rangers.

Bob Dutton Addresses the BBWAA Inclusion Process  —  Bob Dutton, President of the Baseball Writers Association of America Addresses Process of Credentialing  —  Before I get started, it's important to make mention of the incredible willingness that Bob Dutton, president of the Baseball Writers Association …

Baseball is a business, don't blame Marlins  —  We wouldn't want our boss to be a jerk dictator.  But we seem to like it when our team is coached by one, filing it under the needed discipline and leadership of a Bill Parcells or Bobby Knight.  —  The salesperson isn't OK if the company is doing very well financially but he/she isn't.

Red Sox, Tigers command respect  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  Baseball's Winter Meetings are behind us, and, believe it or not, pitchers and catchers report in less than two months.  —  Sure, some notable free agents are still available, and blockbuster trades are still yet to be made …

BMF Open Letter to Santana  —  I know I declared myself sick of all the Santana talk last week but I can't deny I'm still thinking about you.  —  If you've been reading this site you'll know I even posted the headline, "F- Santana Let's Get Haren" but please don't let that hurt your feelings.

More Reasons Not to Worry about HGH in Baseball  —  With the Mitchell Report supposedly being released this Thursday, I wanted to post some links to more studies of the performance-enhancing effects human growth hormone (HGH).  You can read more here and here.

Okaji talks about his transition  —  Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima talked about how tough his transition was to the major leagues and looked back at last season in an interview with a Japanese radio station recently.  —  Daigo Fujiwara, the Globe's graphic designer who does a great job …