Mets going after Willingham, Rivera to fill left-field hole  —  INDIANAPOLIS— Fearing the market for Jason Bay and Matt Holliday will soar beyond their financial parameters, the Mets have intensified their pursuit of the Nationals' Josh Willingham and the Angels' Juan Rivera to fill their left field hole, the Post has learned.

Yanks, Tigers, D'Backs Blockbuster Unlikely  —  8:29am: SI's Jon Heyman tweets that this one “looks very unlikely.”  In his scenario Heyman had Daniel Schlereth, Scherzer, and more going to Detroit.  He adds that the Yankees are saying no to the deal, which would've cost them the four prospects named below.

Carl Pavano, Rafael Soriano, Rafael Betancourt accept arbitration  —  INDIANAPOLIS — Minnesota starter Carl Pavano, Atlanta reliever Rafael Soriano and Colorado setup man Rafael Betancourt accepted salary arbitration offers before Monday's midnight deadline, keeping them with their teams for next season.

Nats sign free agent Ivan Rodriguez  —  The Washington Nationals' bid to add a back-up catcher ended Monday night with the acquisition of free agent Ivan Rodriguez, a future Hall of Famer whose stature and salary suggests a significant role, according to a team source.

Mozeliak acknowledges pending deal with Penny, meeting with Boras  —  INDIANAPOLIS — While not yet ready to announce a deal with free-agent pitcher Brad Penny, St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak confirmed that the team has an agreement in place with a starter and that the only thing left to be done is a physical.

Looking to Add Arms, Yankees First Deal One  —  INDIANAPOLIS — As the World Series champions, the Yankees are the object of envy at the winter meetings.  Yet as executives and agents huddled in hotel suites Monday, safe from the snow outside, the Yankees were just like the rest of baseball.

Relationship no longer dicey  —  INDIANAPOLIS - The relationship between Daisuke Matsuzaka and the Red Sox became strained during parts of last season.  The righthander fell out of contact with the team during the World Baseball Classic, returned out of shape, and spent much of the season on the disabled list.

Sox prospect Kelly decides to focus on pitching  —  INDIANAPOLIS - Gary DiSarcina asked the question four times to Casey Kelly, the prospect splitting his 2009 season between the pitching mound and the infield: Would you rather spend 5-7 years battling to get to the big leagues as a shortstop …

Relievers move up wish list for Crew at Indy  —  Pitching still main focus for Brewers after Day 1 of Meetings  —  INDIANAPOLIS — The Brewers' primary focus this winter is acquiring at least one starting pitcher, but club officials have lined up a wish list of relievers, too.

Latest buzz from MLB winter meetings … SI.com's Jon Heyman will report from baseball's winter meetings in Indianapolis, which take place from Monday, Dec. 7 through Thursday, Dec. 10.  —  Mariners ace Hernandez seeks $100 million deal  —  Mariners superstar Felix Hernandez will be seeking …

O's eye pitchers at start of meetings  —  Team, Rangers discuss deal for Millwood; club examining Bedard's medical records  —  INDIANAPOLIS - The Orioles' focus on Day One of baseball's winter meetings was on trying to upgrade a pitching staff that has been one of the worst in baseball.

The end of the Most Valuable Network, MVN.com  —  It is with regret that I'm writing to announce that I have made the decision to close down MVN.  —  There are many factors that led to this decision, and thusly I will not attempt to work through all the factors and the various happenings that led to this decision.