Report: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers agree to five-year, $80 million contract  —  The Detroit Tigers and Justin Verlander have agreed to an $80 million, five-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.  —  The person spoke on the condition …

Bedard on the path of returning to Seattle  —  Now that the Mariners have avoided salary arbitration with first baseman Casey Kotchman, signing him to a one year, $3.5 million contract on Wednesday, the next order of business might be — surprise, surprise — re-signing left-hander Erik Bedard.

FEWER PITCHERS  —  Joel Sherman seems to think that Phil Hughes gets the starting job of the Yankees in 2010.  I'm not sure from the article how much is wishful thinking and how much is from conversations with the Yankees front office.  Sherman does say one really interesting thing however:

MEET THE MESS  —  The word is multitasking.  It is such a relatively new word that it doesn't appear in my dictionary, the third edition (1992) of the American Heritage Dictionary.  A nice lady at Houghton Mifflin, the publisher, told me multitasking first appeared in the fourth edition published in 2000.

Bisciotti takes a swing at the Yankees  —  Clearly, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti is a proponent of the NFL salary cap, and took a light-hearted shot at the Yankees during today's big news conference for their inability to totally dominate Major League Baseball with their huge revenue and payroll advantage over the other 29 teams.

‘Ramirez Provision’ is banned  —  Major league teams cannot require players to donate to club charities as part of a contract.  Manny Ramirez donated to the Dodgers' charitable foundation last year and owner Frank McCourt later said he  —  As part of the $45-million contract he signed last March …

Giants on Thin Ice with Lincecum  —  There's no need to freak out — pun semi-intended — in light of recent comments from Tim Lincecum's agent, Rick Thurman, who suggested to the San Jose Mercury News that the Giants are low-balling his client.  —  No need to read much into the virtual …

Full Nelson: Figueroa impresses in start  —  Righty tosses complete game; Mets' Martinez goes deep  —  MARGARITA ISLAND , Venezuela — Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Port St. Lucie, Fla., in two weeks, but Nelson Figueroa's audition for a spot on the Mets' pitching staff is already under way.

Save the anthem at ballparks  —  Many perform painful versions of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’  —  We will all hear again this spring about “pace of game” issues, as Major League Baseball makes mild attempts to speed things up and trim that dreaded down time.  —  But let's take this issue from the top.

Twins in position of strength with Hudson, Washburn  —  The Twins are in a good position, as free agents Orlando Hudson and Jarrod Washburn finalize their decisions on where they want to spend 2010.  —  The Twins don't need either player.  Sure, Hudson would be a natural fit in the No. 2 spot …

Buzz: Mets still interested in Rod Barajas  —  C Rod Barajas is still available on the free-agent market.  —  Barajas hit just .226 last season, but with 19 HR and 71 RBI, in 125 games for the Blue Jays, while hitting .267 against left-handed pitching.

The 2010 Interview with Josh Byrnes, Part One  —  Josh Byrnes, left, and Colorado Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd, right, look over the desert view prior to MLB meetings last month in Paradise Valley.  Either that, or they were pointing at the Giants' offense, and laughing.  —  Browse more photos »