Nats to sign Jason Marquis  —  MASNsports.com has learned that the Nationals will sign starting pitcher Jason Marquis.  Stay tuned for more on this breaking story.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman eyes starter by new year  —  Yankees GM Brian Cashman's list of naughty and nice still includes a few starting pitchers in the latter category.  —  With his everyday lineup for 2010 set, Cashman has turned attention to the rotation, and will almost certainly add …

Montero ready to move one step closer  —  Last year's stint in Double-A was cut short by a finger injury, but the Yankees believe Jesus Montero is ready to open next season in Triple-A.  —  Vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman said this afternoon that the Yankees plan …

New York Yankees charged with $25 million luxury tax penalty for 2009  —  NEW YORK — Winning came with a hefty price for the New York Yankees.  —  The World Series champions were hit with a luxury tax of nearly $25.69 million Monday, the penalty for once again crossing the payroll threshold …

Indians acquire pitchers Talbot, Rivera  —  Tribe completes trade that sent catcher Shoppach to Rays  —  CLEVELAND — The player to be named from the trade that sent catcher Kelly Shoppach to the Rays has a name, and it's Mitch Talbot.  —  The Indians announced Monday that they have selected …

Mets edgy as Bengie & Bay stall  —  Radio silence from Jason Bay and Bengie Molina continued for the Mets over the weekend, leading some within the club to wonder if either player is truly interested in coming to Queens.  —  The Mets remained at a negotiating standstill with Bay and Molina …

Caray to call games for Fox Sports Net  —  Chip Caray received an early Christmas present on Monday morning, when Fox Sports Net hired him to serve as their play-by-play announcer for all the Braves games televised by Fox Sports South and SportSouth.  —  This was the role previously held by Jon …

Yankees After Starting Pitcher  —  9:11pm: Now Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News tweets that the Yankees are “close to a deal for a starting pitcher, says a source.  Still working on who, but I'm told it's not a salary dump deal.”  —  8:55pm: Now Ken Davidoff of Newsday tweets …

Tampa Bay Rays Top 10  —  Tampa Bay Rays … At first glance, 2009 looks like a disappointment for the defending American League champion Rays.  —  Not only did they fail to repeat, but they also finished a distant third in the AL East.  A strict budget kept them from making a major move at the trading deadline.

No takers thus far for Valverde  —  Closer turned down Astros' offer of arbitration on Dec. 7  —  HOUSTON — It seems to happen every year: Veteran player coming off a solid season declines his club's offer of arbitration with visions of multi-year offers dancing in his head …

What do stats tell us?  —  Statistics basically tell us what happened.  If a pitcher gives up 20 earned runs in 50 innings, his ERA is 3.60.  Given a league average of around 4.40 for starters, a 3.60 ERA means that the pitcher did a good job when he was on the mound—in terms of results.

Inbox: Any other additions on tap?  —  Beat reporter Adam McCalvy fields Brewers fans' questions … Do you think there is a chance that general manager Doug Melvin is done adding players for next season?  —  Not likely, because everything points to a Mark Mulder signing …

Lowell clarifies thumb situation  —  Speaking by phone from Orlando, Mike Lowell clarified the history of the thumb injury that ultimately led to the cancellation of the trade that would have sent him and $9 million to Texas for minor-league catcher/infielder Max Ramirez.

Blue Jays To Acquire Brandon Morrow  —  The Blue Jays and Mariners reached a tentative agreement on a swap that will send Brandon Morrow to the Blue Jays for Brandon League and a prospect, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Presumably it'd take a solid prospect to balance out the deal.