2010 Top 50 Free Agents  —  It's time for the fourth annual MLB Trade Rumors Top 50 Free Agents list!  The entire list of available free agents can be found here.  —  A note before we begin - this is a complicated puzzle, and I'll be satisfied if I'm correct on a quarter of these guesses.

Victor Zambrano's mother kidnapped in Venezuela  —  The mother of former major league pitcher Victor Zambrano was kidnapped Sunday, Zambrano's agent Peter Greenberg said late Sunday night by phone.  —  Elizabeth Mendez Zambrano was abducted sometime Sunday morning from her son's farm …

THE DEAL HUNTERS  —  Is Milton Bradley still here?  —  Yeah, and he's holding up some of the decisions the Cubs might make as the hot-stove season gets started in earnest with the general managers meetings this week at the O'Hare Hilton.  —  But the flip side for the Cubs is that (1) …

Phillies decline option on Feliz  —  The Phillies have declined the option for 2010 on third baseman Pedro Feliz' contract, general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. announced in a press release.  The Phillies had a $5.5 million option, a $5 million salary for 2010 and a $500,000 buyout.

Sox decline option on Gonzalez  —  The Red Sox have declined a $6 million option on shortstop Alex Gonzalez, according to a source, but the club still may have interest in bringing the player back in 2010 on a lesser salary.  —  News of the Sox' decision to forgo the option on Gonzalez comes …

Royals covet a catcher as the next step in offseason overhaul  —  The next step in the Royals' offseason makeover is to acquire a catcher before Dec. 12 and therefore provide an alternative to offering a contract to arbitration-eligible John Buck.  —  “We led all of baseball (last season) …

Artful Dodgers, bleeding, blue  —  Here, Frank and Jamie McCourt were a formidable team.  In LA, their second act may be just about up  —  Jamie McCourt (far left) and Frank McCourt (far right) at a Dodgers playoff game against the Phillies.  (Kevork Djansezian/ Getty Images)

Minor's rough start uncharacteristic  —  Prospect hit hard in Rising Stars game but has bright future  —  SURPRISE, Ariz. — The all-star event of the offseason league dubbed baseball's “finishing school” turned out to be the school of hard knocks for Mike Minor.  —  Well ... some hard knocks.

Hall of Fame Thoughts  —  Hall of Fame time already?  Well, no. But to beat the rush, here are a few thoughts about four interesting new candidates ...  Question: Who is the best eligible hitter who is not in the Hall of Fame?  —  I think this is an interesting question.

Now comes the hard part for New York Yankees  —  (David J. Phillip, Associated Press / November 5, 2009)  —  Can aging team regroup for another World Series title?  —  On Baseball  —  Now for the really hard part.  —  The Yankees won the World Series they were supposed to win …