Cubs sign OF Byrd to 3-year contract  —  The Chicago Cubs made their first major addition of the offseason, signing former Texas Rangers outfielder Marlon Byrd to a three-year, $15 million deal on Thursday.  —  The Cubs hope Byrd can fill their center field void.

Cards, Holliday closing in on deal  —  The wait might have been worth it for the Cardinals, as the club and free-agent outfielder Matt Holliday are working toward an agreement that multiple sources described as gaining momentum and potentially is the largest ever offered by the franchise.

Lowell's surgery a success  —  According to a source, Mike Lowell was found to have a 95-percent tear in the radial collateral ligament in his thumb when Dr. Donald Sheridan operated on him today.  —  The surgery went well, Lowell will return to his home in Florida tomorrow and will need 6-8 weeks of recovery.

Former teammate Sean Casey says New York Mets made right move signing Jason Bay  —  After the Mets suffered through a lackluster, injury-ravaged season that left them a baseball punchline, their first big move of the winter - nabbing free-agent slugger Jason Bay - is a huge step toward jolting …

Pitching notes from Mark Newman  —  Let's start the pitching notes with the very last player Mark Newman and I talked about last week.  He's not in the organization, but you know the name well.  —  • Aroldis Chapman is arguably the most intriguing free agent pitcher still on the market.

Raines should easily walk right into Hall  —  Speedster had more than 800 stolen bases and reached base nearly 4,000 times  —  We've all got our prejudices, and Hall of Fame voters have any number of them.  —  Unfortunately, two of the voters' many prejudices work squarely against Tim Raines.

Rockies could cut ties with catcher Torrealba  —  With the Rockies and catcher Yorvit Torrealba struggling to bridge the gap on the allocation of a $6 million contract, the club is moving toward signing Miguel Olivo, according to a major-league source.  —  The Rockies and Torrealba …

Five worst deals of MLB offseason  —  When it comes to the Hot Stove, do we tend to talk about the sensible value additions, or do we prefer to delight in the Ed Whitsons, the Mark Davises, the Wayne Garlands, and the Mike Hamptons?  You know, they're the ones who grandly flame out before our eyes …

Teen Ramirez wins MiLBY as top starter  —  19-year-old Yankees prospect dominant in debut season  —  There's been a bit of a renaissance in the lower levels of the Yankees farm system, particularly when it comes to young, intriguing arms.  —  That's largely been because of a renewed effort …