New York Mets eye upgrades as John Smoltz, catchers on radar  —  PORT ST. LUCIE - When Johan Santana delivers the first pitch of the Mets' season on April 5, Omir Santos very well could be behind the plate to receive the offering.  What's more, John Smoltz could follow Santana in the rotation.

Pinch hitting: Lucas Vanderwarker  —  Next up in the Pinch Hitters series is Lucas Vanderwarker, who crunched some numbers to write about Derek Jeter's chances of breaking Pete Rose's all-time hits record.  —  Lucas grew up in upstate New York, and his grandfather played …

The Top 100 Prospects of 2010: 1-25  —  Spring training and the 2010 regular season are right around the corner, which means it's time to take stock of the top potential future stars in the minor leagues.  —  Below are the first 25 players in my rankings of the top 100 prospects in baseball right now …

Mark Loretta announces retirement after 15-year playing career  —  Former Padre returns to San Diego as Special Assistant to Baseball Operations  —  SAN DIEGO - Mark Loretta today announced that he has retired from playing Major League Baseball and will join the Padres front office as Special Assistant to Baseball Operations.

Thome not returning to White Sox  —  Manager Ozzie Guillen said he informed free agent slugger Jim Thome Sunday night that he wouldn't be returning to the White Sox.  —  “It's all about at-bats, and it was going to be hard to get him at-bats,” Guillen said Monday night after returning to Miami.

Angels lock up Izturis through 2012  —  Extension leaves Halos with three eligible for arbitration  —  The Angels have signed Maicer Izturis, avoiding an arbitration hearing with the versatile infielder and locking him up for three seasons.  —  By extending Izturis through 2012, the Angels are buying out two years of free agency.

Nationals To Sign Tyler Walker, Chuck James  —  The Nationals reached an agreement with reliever Tyler Walker, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The deal is pending a physical.  They also added lefty Chuck James on a minor league deal.  —  Walker, 34 in May, posted a 3.06 ERA, 6.9 K/9 …

Why Damon is still available … If we were to create a “no-tool player” — a Frankenstein's monster crudely stitched together using only the worst individual skills possessed by active major leaguers — we might give him the foot speed of one of the senior Molina brothers.  We might give him the glove of Adam Dunn.

Runs remain the most important stat  —  OPS and VORP more sophisticated stats, but ultimately don't decide wins and losses  —  Editor's note: Hot Stove U. is a six-week course devoted to higher learning, a series consisting of 30 need-to-know topics for 2010.  —  The setup

Acta a hit with fans at Town Hall  —  New Tribe skipper talks ball, garners standing ovation  —  BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio — Before asking a question of Manny Acta at a Town Hall session Monday night, an Indians season-ticket holder took his moment at the microphone to start an ovation for the new Tribe skipper.

Mesa approves spring training deal with Chicago Cubs  —  MESA, Ariz. — An agreement that would help keep the Chicago Cubs' spring training home in Arizona cleared a hurdle Monday, winning approval from city officials in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa.  —  Under the deal, Mesa will build …

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 …

Ankiel will play center field for KC  —  Buzz up!  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—The Kansas City Royals are reshaping their entire outfield and making Jose Guillen  —  their full-time designated hitter.  —  While introducing newcomer Rick Ankiel  —  on Monday, general manager Dayton Moore …

McGwire return a distraction  —  Cardinals brass will need a plan when Spring Training begins  —  There's no doubt about the intent or its sincerity.  Mark McGwire loves to teach hitting, as we've heard the past few offseasons when he took in Matt Holliday, Shelley and Chris Duncan, Skip Schumaker and others.