Yankees move closer to DH deal with Johnson  —  The Yankees and Nick Johnson are moving toward a one-year deal for the left-handed hitter to be the club's DH, and it could be announced Friday morning.  —  Asked today by The Post if there was deal to be announced, Brian Cashman said, “Not at this moment.”

Mets might have to battle ‘mystery’ team in Bay derby, plus more notes … Jason Bay reportedly has a mystery team bidding on him.  But beyond the Mets, who remain keenly interested and in touch with his agent Joe Urbon, nearly all of Bay's market is remains mystery at this point.

2009 Sporting News Pro Athlete of the Year: Mariano Rivera, Yankees closer  —  It was a long time coming, but Mariano Rivera finally has his fifth ring.  —  On a team full of superstars, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera went about his usual way in 2009, dominating opponents and helping New York claim its 27th World Series.

Lowell-to-Texas deal hits snag over possible thumb injury  —  Now that Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein has locked down a starting pitcher and an outfielder in John Lackey and Mike Cameron, the GM's next order of business is Mike Lowell.  —  The Sox and the Rangers are in the midst …

Mariners, Cubs in talks over Bradley … The Mariners and Cubs are back discussing possible trades involving Milton Bradley as Chicago continues to try to unload their roster albatross.  —  While the Cubs have talked to as many as four teams regarding Bradley, perhaps the most prominent possibility …

Stubborn Francoeur has a ways to go  —  Matthew Cerrone has a fine interview with sabermetric whipping boy Jeff Francoeur over on Metsblog.com, where you can watch the video or read the text.  I'll just post the first question and response, since it was the one most interesting to me:

Catching Sabathia: Jorge's vs Jose's way  —  Today we are going to compare C.C. Sabathia's pitching patterns when he is caught by Jorge Posada with those when he is caught by Jose Molina.  —  I know, I know.  It's A.J. Burnett who wasn't in the same page with Jorge, prompting manager Joe Girardi …

Season's best claim TYIB Awards  —  Stars Mauer, Greinke, Jeter among fan favorites for 2009  —  We set up the ballots, and once again, the fans spoke loud and clear in naming this past season's best hitters, pitchers, performances and moments in the 2009 MLB.com This Year in Baseball Awards.

Francis eager to get back into fold  —  Left-hander preparing to return to top of Colorado rotation  —  DENVER — The best measure of the health of Rockies pitcher Jeff Francis' left shoulder isn't in how he is throwing.  It's who is catching his throws.  —  “I can go out and play catch without a trainer,” Francis said.

Mendoza impressing Rangers this winter  —  Righty keeps name in rotation mix with solid stint in Mexico  —  ARLINGTON — Luis Mendoza, the forgotten right-hander who has slipped to the back of the Rangers' pitching pecking order, may be starting to reassert himself down in Mexico.

Nationals a finalist to acquire Capps  —  Former Pirates closer impressed with team's recent moves  —  The Nationals are a finalist to acquire the services of free-agent right-hander Matt Capps, according to a baseball source.  —  If the Nationals sign Capps, he would serve as a late-inning reliever …

Crisp could fill need for Padres  —  Outfielder's agent has been in discussions with San Diego  —  SAN DIEGO — Has free-agent outfielder Coco Crisp landed squarely on the Padres' offseason radar?  —  Steve Comte, the agent for Crisp, said on Thursday that both sides have had discussions …