Shelley not coming back to Yankees  —  Shelley Duncan was outrighted to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but that doesn't mean he'll end up there.  —  The first time a player clears waivers and is sent outright to the minor leagues, he has no choice but to accept the assignment.

Marlins' Johnson facing one-year deal  —  Seeking four years, ace forced to settle for short-term solution  —  MIAMI — A couple of conversations that lasted roughly a half hour appear to have changed Josh Johnson's long-term future with the Marlins.  —  Talks between the Marlins and Matt Sosnick …

Cuban defector Chapman fires agent  —  Cuban pitching phenom Aroldis Chapman has fired the representative who helped him gain free agency, his former agency confirmed Saturday.  —  Edwin Mejia, of Athletes Premier International, had represented Chapman soon after he defected from the Cuban national team in July.

Yankees can wait for Halladay  —  Talent, first.  An ocean of coin to follow.  —  That's the price tag hanging around Roy Halladay's neck as the small collection of teams that can afford him hatch their plans to acquire arguably the best pitcher in baseball from the Blue Jays.

Mets can't ditch Castillo  —  The Mets opened free agency quietly yesterday, stirring only long enough to scotch reports of a potential three-way trade involving Luis Castillo.  —  The proposed deal, originally reported by the Chicago Tribune, also involved the Cubs and Rangers …

Mets expand club presence at Citi Field  —  Parts of stadium will be re-named for influential Mets  —  FLUSHING, N.Y. — The New York Mets today announced plans to expand the presence of club history at Citi Field next season in a variety of ways including renaming areas of the ballpark after Casey Stengel …

THE WHISPERS  —  Many in the Cubs' front office think they would be foolish to give up Starlin Castro to get Curtis Granderson, but there are a lot of other ways to do the deal.  General manager Jim Hendry appreciates all Granderson brings to the table, even though he has had trouble hitting left-handers …

BATTLE OF BULGE  —  Jenks, Guillen at odds over closer's weight, whether it affected down year in 2009  —  South Side, we have a problem.  —  A 6-4, 285-pound problem that better be resolved before feelings get hurt and relationships are destroyed.  —  After a calf injury ended closer …

San Diego Padres GM Jed Hoyer has ‘cordial’ meeting with Adrian Gonzalez's agent  —  Adrian Gonzalez's agent met with San Diego general manager Jed Hoyer on Friday, amid ongoing speculation that the Padres might consider trade proposals for the two-time All-Star or offer him a multiyear contract extension this offseason.

Contreras, Son Reportedly Looking for Move to Japan  —  Here's one I didn't think of: Jose Conteras is reportedly looking for a job in Japan.  —  Sanspo reported a few days ago that Contreras reached out to the Hanshin Tigers, who despite being in need of pitching, aren't interested in his services.

Ortiz says Sox need to power up  —  He seems to think pleas went unheeded last year  —  David Ortiz is among the players the Red Sox want to report in better shape next spring.  (Aram Boghosian/For The Globe)  —  David Ortiz suggested around this time last year that the Red Sox needed more power in their lineup.