Sox reach deal to trade Lowell to Rangers  —  The Red Sox have agreed in principle with the Rangers to a trade that will send popular third baseman Mike Lowell to Texas for catcher Max Ramirez, according to a baseball source.  A money issue has also been resolved, the source said.

Rule 5 Draft, Pick By Pick  —  RULE 5 DRAFT  —  ROUND ONE  —  Pick  —  Selecting  —  Team  —  Player  —  Original Team  —  The Skinny  —  Physical grinder with big league experience could stick as extra outfielder.  —  No. 2  —  Pirates  —  John Raynor, of  —  Marlins

Astros reach one-year deal with third baseman Feliz  —  INDIANAPOLIS — Heading to the winter meetings Sunday night, Ed Wade's ability to maneuver while trying to build the 2010 Astros revolved around Jose Valverde.  Once the star closer declined arbitration late Monday night and LaTroy Hawkins bolted …

Cashman holding off on next move  —  Yankees may pursue Damon, but only at right price  —  INDIANAPOLIS — The Yankees have used the Winter Meetings to move closer to the finish line of the offseason, but they will still have ground to cover if Johnny Damon is to return for the 2010 season.

Winter meetings end with a lot of unfinished business  —  Winter meetings ended with lots of unfinished business, and many moves still to come  —  INDIANAPOLIS — It's one of baseball's most time-honored annual rituals, right up there with Opening Day and Alex Cintron's first designated-for-assignment transaction.

Dodgers frozen, and falling behind  —  The wind here in Indianapolis shook light poles, and the snow rode the same horizontal plane as a Lincecum fastball.  Winter meetings, indeed.  But inside the lobbies at the Marriott, you began to sense the first seeds of optimism that blossom fully by the start of spring training.

Sox have a bridge to sell us  —  Fans shouldn't buy this approach  —  Storm the gates of Fenway Park.  Cancel your NESN package.  Stick your head out the window and say, “I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!”  —  Do not buy the bill of goods the Red Sox are selling.

Braves trade reliever Soriano to Rays  —  Atlanta to receive righty Chavez; deal is pending physicals  —  INDIANAPOLIS — It appears that Braves general manager Frank Wren will be able to exit this year's Winter Meetings on Thursday without having to spend any more time focusing on trading Rafael Soriano.

Ken Davidoff's baseball insider  —  Yankees, Mets, trade rumors and more MLB musings … Head home today, weather permitting.  It has been an extremely productive week for the Yankees, obviously, and not so much for the Mets.  —  Found out an interesting nugget about the Mets …

The Worst Signing Of The Winter  —  I'm one of those people who doesn't really enjoy Saturday Night Live sketches, because to me, the joke is made in the first 15 seconds and then just repeated over and over for the next several minutes.  You drive a Dodge Stratus and you think that makes you important - okay.

Sources: Phils, Angels lead chase for Halladay  —  To ink Harden?  —  • Sources: Brewers agree with Wolf |  Hawkins  —  • Sources: Astros nearing 3-year deal with Lyon

About Jamie Hoffmann  —  The Rule 5 draft is a bit of a crapshoot.  The Yankees (essentially) had the first pick in today's draft and took Jamie Hoffmann, a guy who was generating absolutely no media buzz until 15 minutes before the selection.  I talked to another executive who said his team …

The untold tales of the winter meetings  —  The hot stove league temperature is never higher than during the annual winter meetings.  So much baseball news and so many rumors are flying around in Indianapolis this week, you may have missed these items:  —  Los Angeles Dodgers

Dodgers may play spring set in Taiwan  —  Possible series in 2010 would involve split squad  —  INDIANAPOLIS — The Dodgers, who played an exhibition series in China during Spring Training of 2008, are in talks to play another exhibition series in Taiwan during the Spring Training of 2010.