Talking Baseball With Mets GM Omar Minaya  —  The general manager of the Mets, Omar Minaya, was the guest speaker at the ninth annual “21 Days of Clemente” sponsored by Latino Sports Ventures, Inc. The event is a remembrance by the South Bronx community of the legendary Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder …

Nationals Agree to Terms with 1B Josh Whitesell and INF Eric Bruntlett on Minor-League Deals  —  The Washington Nationals today agreed to terms with first baseman Josh Whitesell and infielder Eric Bruntlett on 2010 minor-league contracts that include invitations to big league Spring Training.

Source: Giants close to deal with DeRosa  —  The San Francisco Giants are closing in on a two-year deal with Mark DeRosa, according to a major-league source.  —  The Giants are expected to use DeRosa at third base and also as a super-utility man who could fill in at multiple positions.

Bills contact Weis about coaching  —  Ex-Notre Dame Coach a possibility  —  Ralph Wilson Stadium - He was just fired at Notre Dame, after five years.  Now, sources tell News 4 Sports that Charlie Weis has been contacted by the Buffalo Bills, to see if he's interested in becoming head coach.

Chicago Cubs are interested in former White Sox pitcher Jose Contreras  —  As the new year approaches, the Chicago White Sox seem to have only one more important move to make while their crosstown rivals are in the planning stages of what needs to be done to bring them back to elite status.

Making my case for the Hall of Fame  —  Numbers stack up well with others from my era already in Cooperstown  —  Bert Blyleven was 287-250 in 22 seasons, but his career was about more than wins and losses.  —  Voting for the Hall of Fame is currently underway.

A familiar face is still out there waiting  —  The Yankees non-tendered Chien-Ming Wang in early December and it was widely assumed by most baseball officials that the move would be the end of Wang's tenure in pinstripes.  At this point, that is still the most likely scenario.

Best And Worst Signings So Far  —  Free agent deals this offseason have totaled about $400MM so far, according to ESPN's free agent tracker.  The offseason is young - by our count, almost 200 notable free agents remain unsigned.  Before the signings pick up again, let's discuss the best and worst so far.

Inbox: Will chemistry remain intact?  —  Beat reporter Bryan Hoch answers Yanks fans' questions  —  One of the things that made the '09 Yanks winners was the chemistry these guys had.  What do you think will happen to the mojo?  Don't you think Robinson Cano will be affected without Melky Cabrera?

Tampa Bay Rays' Reid Brignac grinds on, ready to fit any opening  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Reid Brignac sees the opportunity in front of him.  And the 23-year-old infielder is willing to do whatever it takes to seize it.  —  Since getting drafted in the second round in 2004 …

Don't like Braves roster ... just wait  —  Some Braves fans are restless, perhaps understandably so.  Watching this offseason roster construction process — they traded Javy Vazquez for Melky Cabrera? — can be like watching sausage being made.  Not as appetizing as the end result.