Ever-confident Sheffield game for a comeback  —  The old-guy market may not be so hot this offseason, so Gary Sheffield is making sure he's not one of the old guys shut out of the 2010 season.  —  Sheffield, 41, said he has dedicated himself to a grueling workout regimen featuring mixed martial arts and boxing exercises.

New York Mets jump into bargain hunt for free agent Jose Guillen  —  The Mets have a backup option if the Matt Holliday and Jason Bay bidding gets out of hand.  The Royals, who are looking to deal outfielder Jose Guillen, identified the Mets as a potential trading partner, although there was no deal considered close, sources said.

A's invite McPherson to spring training  —  Free agent third baseman Dallas McPherson has agreed to terms with the Oakland A's on a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training camp, his agent said.  —  McPherson  —  McPherson is expected to compete for a starting job …

Tampa Bay Rays plan to be aggressive in addressing bullpen, catcher  —  ST. PETERSBURG — With the free agency period starting last Friday, the Rays find themselves in a somewhat similar situation to last winter.  —  They like their nucleus, so they don't have many holes to fill …

Sabermetrics system: stats redefine award winners  —  Tim Lincecum helped explain his second consecutive National League Cy Young Award, saying, “You can see where it's taken a turn to complete numbers and stats and what people do with that.  It puts more options in the voters' heads.”

Trading Chad Billingsley for Roy Halladay would create more problems than it solves  —  Phil Gurnee of True Blue L.A. wrote a post I enjoyed today, “Frustrations and Celebrations,” that looked at the good and bad of the Dodgers.  A snippet of that post reflected the disappointment …

Betts has ligament tear, Rinehart broken fibula (updated)  —  Ladell Betts has a torn MCL and Chad Rinehart has a broken fibula, according to Coach Jim Zorn.  Betts will have an MRI tomorrow.  —  “It is bleak,” Zorn said.  “Being 3-7 is bleak.”  Said secondary coach Jerry Gray …

Arizona native lifts Peoria to AFL title  —  Retherford hits decisive shot; MVP Desme homers in loss  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — White Sox prospect C.J. Retherford is a local product to whom the Arizona Fall League dynasty of Phoenix meant something.  —  So bringing the Desert Dogs' dominance …

Rockies kick tires on catcher Schneider; Contreras could head to Japan  —  Bracing for the potential loss of starter Yorvit Torrealba, the Rockies have expressed preliminary interest in free agent catcher Brian Schneider.  —  Schneider suffered through a disappointing 2009 with the Mets …

Curtis Granderson a good fit for Chicago Cubs  —  Stats don't tell whole story about center fielder who is a leader on, off field  —  Statistics are sucking the life out of baseball.  —  I know this to be true because some Cubs fans are concerned Curtis Granderson struck out too many times last year.

To Hang In, a Series Winner Must Learn to Let Go  —  More than any other team in American professional sports, the Yankees cannot afford to rebuild.  The team's partnership with the YES regional sports network is too lucrative when the Yankees are winning, their hulking palace of a stadium …