Lou downplays interest in Peavy  —  NL manager of the year says primary need is lefty batter  —  The Cubs' interest in Jake Peavy appears to be only so much talk.  —  Manager Lou Piniella said as much Wednesday, when he nabbed the Cubs' second major postseason award by being voted the National League Manager of the Year.

K-ROD: METS ‘GOOD FIT’  —  K-Rod is looking to pitch in the same town as A-Rod.  —  The Mets will have a new closer next season, and Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez wants to be the guy who fills their most pressing need when free agency starts at midnight tonight.

YANKEES READY TO BLOW AWAY CC WITH BIG OFFER  —  THIS is not about flowers or candy.  This is about the diamond ring, and just how gaudy it is.  This is about the end game.  CC Sabathia does not need the Yankees to flirt with him.  He knows their intentions already.

Mussina still mulling '09  —  Free agents can start receiving offers from teams at midnight Thursday.  Mike Mussina is one of those free agents, but the veteran pitcher still hasn't made up his mind about retirement.  —  Mussina, who won 20 games this year for the first time in his career …

White Sox GM might consider dealing Dye  —  Williams might trade slugging outfielder; Jenks not untouchable  —  In his attempt to field a younger and quicker team for the future, White Sox general manager Ken Williams and high-level staff members currently are evaluating talent at the Arizona Fall League.

Wolf to test free agent market  —  Veteran lefty ‘flattered’ by Astros but wants to look around  —  HOUSTON — The Astros have made their pitch to Randy Wolf, but the free agent left-hander said he will test the market before making a decision on where he will pitch in 2009.

Yankees' Choice: Sabathia or Mediocrity  —  Free agency opens on Friday.  The Yankees need to sign C.C. Sabathia as soon as possible once it does.  He is not the final piece—but it will be extremely difficult for New York them to win in 2009 without him.  He represents something the Yankees do not have: an in-prime superstar.

MORE BY KEN ROSENTHAL  —  FOX SPORTS MLB VIDEO  —  Back on Topps: The McBama of Baseball  —  Leyland and Leif decide to take their quest to the Nation's capital and galvanize their base to vote for Julio.  They have a dream - that one day Julio will make it back in baseball.  Can they make it happen?

Angels will let K-Rod go; Arte Moreno likes Manny Ramirez  —  Angels owner indicates that Ramirez could be pursued if the team can't sign Teixeira.  —  The chances of the Angels retaining record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez went from slim to virtually none today, with owner Arte Moreno saying …

ESPN's Kurkjian shares stories at Ford Museum  —  GRAND RAPIDS — This is all you need to know about Tim Kurkjian:  —  The ESPN “Baseball Tonight” analyst and senior writer for ESPN The Magazine has a deep passion for the game.  —  His baseball stories not only are humorous, they're endless.

Jack Morris: Babblefest 2009  —  Another year, another day to talk about the Hall of Fame candidate Jack Morris, known as the “pitcher of the decade”.  —  The best pitcher of the 1980s.  I'm sure you've heard that plenty, right?  About Jack Morris?  Just take some arbitrary 10-year period …

Twins sign Gardenhire to extension  —  Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him with the club through the 2011 season.  —  Gardenhire will begin his eighth season as Twins skipper in 2009.  He has guided the club to a record of 622-512, including 88-75 in 2008.

‘Baltimore’ is back: O's unveil new uniforms  —  Rallying for change, fans turn out as city's name is returned to road jerseys after 36-year absence  —  The look was a new one to Nick Markakis, Adam Jones and Jeremy Guthrie, a trio Orioles fans hope will eventually make up the nucleus of a championship-caliber club.

Deserving Halladay won't win Cy  —  The '08 AL Cy Young results are announced today and Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay deserves to win ... but won't.  Instead, Halladay's solid 20-11 record and 2.81 ERA will duke it out for second place with Angels reliever Francisco (K-Rod) Rodriguez and Daisuke …

Holliday bringing big bat to Oakland  —  A's finalize four-player deal with Rockies for three-time All-Star  —  OAKLAND — A's general manager Billy Beane has made no bones about it.  Since late in his club's 75-win 2008 season, he's said it time and again.

Agent: Tigers looking at Darren Oliver  —  The Tigers are one of four teams interested in signing free-agent reliever Darren Oliver, the left-hander's agent confirmed to the Free Press on Wednesday.  —  Mike McCann said Detroit and the Los Angeles Angels, for whom Oliver has pitched since 2007 …