Wally Backman feels good about Sandy Alderson meeting, who will also see Terry Collins, Chip Hale  —  Sandy Alderson already has said he doesn't expect the Mets to make a huge splash in the free-agent market that opened at 12:01 Sunday morning.  —  Instead, the recently hired GM continues …

Busy offseason is ahead for Cardinals  —  Full contact free agency officially opens today.  Any team may now contact any representative for any free agent.  The Cardinals accordingly have prepared their shopping list.  —  A talented but thin club that just left an unfulfilling 86-win season behind believes …

Jamie Moyer Facing Retirement After Elbow Injury?  —  Jamie Moyer has pitched in the majors since 1986, but it may be an injury sustained outside of MLB that forces him to hang up his cleats.  Dionisio Soldevila of Tiempo de Juego reports that Moyer left a game in the Dominican winter league today …

Series MVP Edgar Renteria will return to play another season  —  ORLANDO — Edgar Renteria, the 2010 World Series MVP, has decided against retirement and will return for at least one more year in Major League Baseball.  —  “I'm staying, I feel that I still have a lot of baseball in my body …

Source: Jhonny Peralta, Tigers close  —  Jhonny Peralta and the Detroit Tigers are close to completing an agreement for two years and $11.25 million, according to a source close to the negotiations.  —  “There are some details to be worked out, but there is a mutual interest to finalize this” …

Keith Law's top free agents, Nos. 11-30  —  Hiroki Kuroda, Derek Jeter and Paul Konerko reside on this list  —  Welcome, again, to MLB free agency.  It's a good class, although the 2009-10 group — with Jason Bay, Matt Holliday, John Lackey et al — might have been better.

Anderson's homer wins Rising Stars Game  —  After a frenetic first three innings gave way to a nail-biter, Leslie Anderson ended the 2010 Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Game with a walk-off solo homer in the ninth Saturday night in Surprise, Ariz.  —  The tie-breaking homer …

Odds and ends from today's Sabean/Bochy news conference, plus a not-so-crazy, crazy idea for shortstop  —  My story from today's annual postmortem news conference is on the Gate and linked here.  Actually, I don't know if you can call it a postmortem if the Giants won the World Series.

Game on: Free-agent Madness commences  —  While a Facebook campaign for Brian Wilson to host Saturday Night Live gains steam — the San Francisco reliever's beard had 24,000 votes by midday Saturday — perhaps another headlining pitcher should be on the third-floor stage at 30 Rock.

Astros Tell Berkman's Agent They Will Not Pursue Lance  —  HOUSTON - Houston Astros general manager Ed Wade told FOX 26 Sports Friday he informed the agent for free agent first baseman Lance Berkman that the Astros will not pursue their former star.  —  Berkman's agent, Mike Moye …