Tim Wakefield set to return  —  Sox to exercise option  —  Tim Wakefield spent the last 14 seasons with the Red Sox [team stats].  Today, the Sox are expected to officially invite him back for a 15th year.  —  Wakefield recently completed an end-of-year physical and MRI …

Vazquez has role as Sox trade bait  —  Right-hander Javier Vazquez had stood by his locker during the final days of the White Sox' postseason collapse, answering the same question over and over again without a hint of emotion or a sign of hesitation.  —  Did he want to be traded?  —  “No,” Vazquez said.

End of year means Baldelli a free agent  —  Outfielder thanks Rays for sticking with him during illness  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Rocco Baldelli is a free agent now that the season is over, and on Thursday afternoon, the veteran outfielder said he did not know what to expect heading into the offseason.

Omar Minaya gears up for busy winter, inks Fernando Tatis  —  With the World Series finally out of the way, GM Omar Minaya officially can get to work retooling the Mets to compete with the world champion Phillies.  He has his work cut out.  —  Minaya's first order of business came Thursday …

Sabathia a big target for Yanks  —  Yanks figure to be one of his suitors, may eye Teixeira, Ramirez  —  The Yankees can't officially negotiate financial terms with any free agents - aside from their own - until Nov. 14, but the countdown to the all-out pursuit of ace CC Sabathia is on.

Macha's staff to include familiar faces  —  Sveum, Sedar and Castro expected to return; waiting on Maddux  —  MILWAUKEE — The Brewers will make an announcement on Friday about new manager Ken Macha's coaching staff, and some familiar names will be on the list.

It's never too early to start looking at 2009 Phillies season  —  The offseason technically began the moment Eric Hinske swung and missed.  —  For those who root, root, root for the Phillies, that means a hearty celebration that will gradually give way to a gentle afterglow that should warm …

130-game baseball season?  Why not  —  There are age-old tribal conflicts that don't last as long as a major-league baseball season.  —  In the time it takes to get through the 162-game regular season and the slow-drip playoffs, you could write a chemistry textbook, crack a North Korean spy code …

It could be time to bring Griffey back - at a discount  —  I've generally been among the last to jump on the Ken Griffey Jr. bandwagon.  —  I've covered the Mariners since 2000, the spring Griffey forced his way off the team, and I never saw him work other than from covering the other team.

Baseball must be more fan-friendly  —  PHILADELPHIA — Years from now, when the champagne smell is gone from the clubhouse carpet and the Phillie Phanatic has gray fur, this World Series will be remembered for the weather.  —  It's a shame, really.  That's like being famous in high school for getting the worst wedgie.

News: Mets Pick Up Delgado's Option for 2009  —  The Mets have picked up Carlos Delgado's 2009 option, which will reportedly pay him $12 million.  —  However, as I wrote in early October, despite picking up his option, it sounds like Delgado's future with the Mets will depend …

Her mention of the world-champion Phillies doesn't go over well with a crowd that has different loyalties.  —  A swing and a miss in Erie  —  It was a throwaway line meant to be a crowd-pleaser.  But it fell flat.  —  On Thursday at a rally in Erie, Pa., Sarah Palin touted the victors in the World Series to thousands of supporters.

The New Testament of Fielding Stats and Awards  —  With the World Series behind us, the baseball world now turns its attention to award winners, free agents, the Rule 5 draft, and the hot stove league.  We will cover all of these matters - and much more - this off-season.