Nutting: Pirates' payroll to rise as roster matures  —  Says $75M range of Brewers, Reds is ‘where Pittsburgh needs to be’  —  SEVEN SPRINGS, Pa. — A year ago, at the opening of the Pirates' Winter Caravan promotional tour here, the franchise's controlling owner, Bob Nutting …

Back in PSL  —  Welcome back to Port St. Lucie.  The Mets are holding a three-day minicamp beginning today, although it will be sparsely attended.  Oliver Perez and Daniel Murphy have arrived, but John Maine canceled because of the weather, according to Jay Horwitz.

Omir the No. 1, Smoltz being wooed  —  Jerry Manuel suggested Omir Santos would be the favorite to be the No. 1 catcher if the Mets don't add another backstop before Opening Day.  That presumes Henry Blanco as the backup and Josh Thole and Chris Coste at Triple-A Buffalo.

Mets, A's among teams eyeing Sheets … The A's, Rangers and Mets are among teams considering free agent pitcher Ben Sheets, who raised his value with what was described by several scouts as an excellent showcase last week in Monroe, La.  —  The A's tried this winter for Marco Scutaro …

Ollie says he's ready to go  —  Oliver Perez, who underwent Sept. 1 surgery to remove scar tissue from his right knee, pronounced himself fit.  Literally.  —  Perez spoke about how he's relocated to Arizona as his offseason home.  At the Mets' request, he trained all winter at Fischer Sports …

Texas Rangers  —  Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel.  All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible.

Unconfirmed Report: Yanks inquired about Nelson Cruz  —  Via Frankie Piliere of AOL FanHouse, the Yankees are exploring trade options for left field, and one player they may have asked about is Rangers' outfielder Nelson Cruz.  Piliere makes it clear that this is an unconfirmed report, so make sure you take it with a big grain of salt.

Byrdak, Astros agree on one-year deal  —  Wandy remains last arbitration-eligible player on club  —  HOUSTON — The Astros have just one arbitration-eligible player remaining after reaching a one-year deal Sunday with left-hander Tim Byrdak for $1.6 million, which was the midpoint between the club's offer and the player's number.

All Set: Ruiz Agrees to 3-year Contract Extension  —  Carlos Ruiz is about to get a nice birthday present.  —  The Phillies' catcher, who turned 31 on Friday, has agreed on a three-year contract extension for close to $9 million, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

On Overreaction: What We Scream About When We Scream About Gary Matthews Jr.  —  Gerard noted the Mets' acquisition of extravagantly well-compensated journeyman Gary Matthews Jr. when it happened last week, and the two bemused grafs he gave it almost certainly qualified as giving this ultra-minor trade its due.

Alex Rodriguez chokes up when accepting writers' playoffs MVP award  —  NEW YORK — Alex Rodriguez looked at the award he just received from Babe Ruth's granddaughter with big eyes and a broad grin.  It was as if he almost couldn't believe it was his.  —  “Postseason MVP.  Wow,” Rodriguez said Saturday night.

Prospectus Roundtable: Analyzing RoboPitcher by Baseball Prospectus  —  Analyzing RoboPitcher  —  The following is an edited transcript of an in-house discussion among the Baseball Prospectus team about a hypothetical pitcher capable of delivering a guaranteed performance.  —  Kevin Goldstein: Hi everyone.

Tampa Bay Rays prospect Andrew Bellatti involved in fatal car crash in California  —  Rays minor-leaguer Andrew Bellatti was the driver in a California car crash that killed a 50-year-old man and injured two others.  —  Bellatti, a 2009 draftee who pitched in the Gulf Coast League …

Tigers outright Larish to Toledo  —  The mystery of how the Tigers would create roster space for Jose Valverde has been solved.  They outrighted the contract of corner infielder Jeff Larish to Triple-A Toledo.  —  It's a surprising move when you consider how valued he was last winter …