Padres acquire free-agent pitcher Jon Garland  —  Free agent pitcher Jon Garland is apparently becoming a Padre.  —  Padres President Tom Garfinkel, speaking at a Military Appreciation Luncheon Tuesday afternoon at the Torrey Pines Hilton, said the Padres have signed the 30-year-old free agent …

Same old Mets even with Johan Santana  —  In the most narrow sense, it was a good day for the Mets, who watched Johan Santana throw off a mound for the first time since last September's elbow surgery.  The great ace, attending the Mets' minicamp in Port St. Lucie, Fla., also played catch with Oliver Perez …

Yankees deal for outfielder Golson  —  Infielder Hilligoss sent to Rangers to complete trade  —  The Yankees added to their outfield depth Tuesday, acquiring Greg Golson in a trade with the Texas Rangers.  —  New York, which gave up Minor League infielder Mitch Hilligoss in the deal …

A's sign Ben Sheets  —  Free agent right-hander Ben Sheets has signed with the A's, CBSSports.com has learned.  —  Sheets agreed to terms on a one-year deal for $10 million, plus incentives.  He passed a physical today, and the deal is expected to be announced this afternoon.

Source: Cubs set to acquire IF Tracy  —  The Chicago Cubs will announce on Wednesday that they have signed former Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Chad Tracy to a minor league contract, according to a major league source.  —  If Tracy makes the Cubs' big-league roster, he would earn $900,000 …

Damon's return to Yanks highly unlikely  —  Cashman says free agent's price exceeds team's budget  —  NEW YORK — Johnny Damon was hoping to find his team by the end of this week, and it appears that his employer will not be the Yankees.  —  Yankees general manager Brian Cashman all but closed …

After Three Months, Only 35 Subscriptions for Newsday's Web Site  —  In late October, Newsday, the Long Island daily that the Dolans bought for $650 million, put its web site, newsday.com, behind a pay wall.  The paper was one of the first non-business newspapers to take the plunge by putting up a pay wall …

Minnesota Twins, Jim Thome agree to incentive-heavy contract  —  The Minnesota Twins have agreed to a one-year incentive-laden contract with veteran slugger Jim Thome, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Pioneer Press today.  —  The Thome-to-the-Twins speculation began on Friday …

Another move possible  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  I asked Brewers general manager Doug Melvin if he was done with personnel moves before spring training and he said he might make one more move.  Melvin wouldn't say what he was looking for, however.

Villanueva inks deal with Crew for '10  —  Hart now sole remaining arbitration-eligible player  —  MILWAUKEE — The Brewers and reliever Carlos Villanueva agreed to a one-year, $950,000 contract on Tuesday, leaving outfielder Corey Hart as the team's only arbitration-eligible player left unsigned.

Andre Dawson to enter Hall of Fame as an Expo  —  Andre Dawson will be going into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a member of the Montreal Expos, the Tribune has learned.  —  Dawson, who played the first 11 seasons of his major league career with the Expos, signed a blank contract to play …

Nationals remain in mix for Hudson  —  Free-agent second baseman said to be nearing decision  —  WASHINGTON — The Nationals have a good chance of signing free-agent second baseman Orlando Hudson, according to a baseball source.  —  The source pointed out that Hudson has two great friends …

Melvin Mora top target in Rockies' search for utility player  —  The Rockies' front office met early this offseason and identified the players it would like in a bench role.  The executives calculated that a handful of players could fall into their laps if they exercised patience.

Cubs Reach Agreement With Xavier Nady  —  12:57pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that Nady will make $3.3MM in 2010 plus an additional $2MM in incentives tied to games played.  —  11:41am: Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports tweets that the team has reached an agreement with Nady on a one-year deal, pending a physical.