Red Sox face competition for Beltre  —  The Boston Red Sox have made an offer to free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre, according to a major league source, but are facing competition from other teams, a list that could include the Orioles, Athletics and Angels.

Plenty of talent still up for grabs — for the right price  —  The holidays are over, but Baseball's shopping season is not.  —  More than 100 free agents remain unsigned, including several of the biggest names — and virtually all of Scott Boras' clients.  —  Spring training begins in approximately six weeks.

Explaining my Hall of Fame ballot … Normally at this time I reveal my Hall of Fame ballot.  This time, I'll spend most of the time explaining it.  —  Already, my ballot has been met with considerable ridicule on Twitter and other cyberspace spots.  And at the risk of further ridicule …

Jason Bay passes physical; New York Mets to introduce outfielder Tuesday  —  Free-agent outfielder Jason Bay has passed his physical exam and will be introduced as the newest New York Met on Tuesday at Citi Field, the team announced Monday.  —  Bay, 31, reached agreement with the Mets …

Shanahan could be introduced Tuesday  —  Mike Shanahan is expected to be named head coach of the Redskins, according to sources in the organization, and, barring unforeseen glitches, will likely be introduced in a news conference Tuesday.  —  That timeline makes sense, they said …

Q&A with Matt Capps  —  Matt Capps agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Nats some time around 1 a.m. on Christmas Eve.  He was visiting family in Asheville, N.C., at the time.  Hours later, he went to the local mall in hopes of buying a Nats hat at the Lids store.  But they were already sold out.

Shelley Duncan signs with the Indians  —  Look out Cleveland.  The storm is coming through.  And it's running right up on you.  —  Turns out, The Band had it right all along.  —  Shelley Duncan has signed with the Cleveland Indians.  Their depth chart lists two young players …

Finalists for Frick Award announced  —  Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum to name winner Feb. 1  —  The 10 finalists for the 2010 Ford C. Frick Award were announced on Monday, a slate of beloved baseball broadcasters that consists of Billy Berroa, Skip Caray, Tom Cheek, Jacques Doucet …

The Year and the Decade to Come  —  First off, I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season.  As it turned out, 2009 was a successful year for Prospectus Entertainment Ventures, but this coming year has the potential to be the biggest for us since the year we went to a premium product …

Peter Gammons' MLB Network Debut on Weds.  —  Hall of Fame award-winning baseball writer Peter Gammons will make his debut on MLB Network with the 2010 Baseball Hall of Fame Election announcement show on Wednesday, January 6.  MLB Network's Bob Costas, Harold Reynolds, Matt Vasgersian …

Rockies finalize one-year deal with Olivo  —  DENVER — Yorvit Torrealba's time with the Rockies is over.  After unable to reach terms on a two-year contract, the club moved on Monday, signing free agent Miguel Olivo to a one-year deal with a club option.  —  Terms of the deal were not disclosed …