Mets, Maine agree to terms on contract  —  Feliciano, Francoeur, Green, Pagan remain without deals  —  NEW YORK — The Mets agreed to terms with John Maine on Friday evening, avoiding arbitration with the right-hander moments after he and four other Mets filed for the process.

Padres deal Kouz to A's for outfielders  —  San Diego reportedly set to receive Hairston, Cunningham  —  SAN DIEGO — The Padres and A's have reached agreement on a deal that would send San Diego third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and Minor League infielder Eric Sogard to Oakland …

Let's quiet the Damon talk  —  As we head toward the weekend, I still haven't gained any reason to think any different about the possibility of the Braves signing Johnny Damon.  —  There's no doubt that Damon could benefit the Braves from an offensive perspective.

Kemp Signs Two-Year Deal To Avoid Arbitration  —  The Dodgers avoided arbitration with Matt Kemp today and signed him to a two-year contract worth nearly $11MM.  The deal, which the sides have been working on all week, is now official, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.

How about Baldelli?  —  While we still believe that Xavier Nady would ultimately be the best solution to fill the Yankees' need for a corner outfielder/right-handed hitter, Rocco Baldelli might be the next best choice (considering the Yanks' need and their hard-line budget).

Griffin: Jays overcame some tough odds  —  On Dec. 12, the Blue Jays were within 48 hours of keeping Roy Halladay for the 2010 season and having to settle for two compensation draft picks in the June 2011 draft.  —  The Phillies' offer of Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor and Travis D'Arnaud …

Younger brother continues Adenhart's legacy  —  Sophomore Gigeous plays high school baseball in Illinois  —  On a lazy March afternoon, lounging at a picnic table outside the home clubhouse at Tempe Diablo Stadium, Nick Adenhart was talking about his future with the Angels when he suddenly took a detour.

Incentives for J.J.  —  There is some extra incentive for Josh Johnson and the Marlins to have a good season.  —  Johnson, who reached agreement Thursday on a four-year, $39 million contract, has some attractive bonuses attached to the deal.  —  If the soon-to-be 26-year-old wins the Cy Young Award, he will collect a $500,000 bonus.

McCourt not showing vulnerable side  —  Six years after Frank McCourt came to town from Boston and took stewardship of one of the city's most treasured jewels, the hotly debated issue of whether the Dodgers owner is a good baseball man remains an open question.

Gaudin, Logan file for arbitration  —  Agreements may be reached prior to February hearings  —  NEW YORK — The two eligible Yankees, Chad Gaudin and Boone Logan, both filed for salary arbitration in advance of Friday's deadline.  —  Gaudin, 26, came to the Yankees in a midseason trade with the Padres in 2009.

Danks, Jenks file for arbitration  —  Fellow White Sox Quentin, Pena round out list  —  CHICAGO — The last time the White Sox went to salary arbitration with a player was in 2001, when reliever Keith Foulke won his hearing and saw his salary jump from $445,000 to $3.1 million.

‘Fakes, phonies, creeps, cheaters’  —  (J.B. Forbes/PD and Otto Gruele/Allsport)  —  Former Cardinals slugger Jack Clark apparently isn't enamored of the current hitting coach, especially in light of Mark McGwire's admission a few days ago that he had used steroids in 1998-99 when he played …