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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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)

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) …

After getting rid of Milton Bradley, Chicago Cubs have 3 priorities in offseason  —  Finding leadoff hitter, center field and possible middle infielder on wish list  —  Milton Bradley leaves the game for a pinch runner in the 6th inning.  (Brian Cassella, Chicago Tribune / September 17, 2009)

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 …

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.

Padres only open to dealing stars for right price  —  There're probably 28 teams who'd like to have Adrian Gonzalez.  But Ken Rosenthal says the Padres should hold out for the right deal.  Don't get too comfy.  Teams may be willing to deal some big-time talents, including Adrian Gonzalez of the Padres, Ken Rosenthal says.