Collins top candidate for Mets manager: source  —  Mets on Twitter  —  Tweet  —  When Mets general manager Sandy Alderson explained last week that “I think that a fiery manager is actually quite desirable,” the sense was he was sending out a message at his introductory press conference that the door was open to Wally Backman.

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.

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 …

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 …

Sources: A's target Japanese pitcher  —  Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005.  He appears weekly on MLB on FOX.  Follow him on Twitter.  —  The A's could be on the verge of pulling off the first major surprise of the offseason.

Yankees will be ‘in early’ on Cliff Lee, source says, will face competition from Angels and Rangers  —  Two years ago, the Yankees started the free agency period with a blockbuster offer to CC Sabathia that helped pave the way to signing the big lefty.  After the clock strikes midnight Saturday night …

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” …

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 …

‘Out.  The Glenn Burke Story’ aims to strike out intolerance  —  Comcast SportsNet Bay AreaGlenn Burke, mid-1980s, openly gay and out of baseball.  —  If the celebration of Fernando Valenzuela was a highpoint in the history of the Los Angeles Dodgers and baseball, an exhilarating transcendence …

First base tops Cubs' offseason priority list  —  Dunn, Huff, Martinez possibilities; Hendry also seeking starting pitcher  —  Washington's Adam Dunn rounds third base on the game-winning home run.  (Evan Vucci, Associated Press / September 28, 2010)  —  The Cubs need to make a splash …

Oliver Perez on His Contract, 2010, Jerry, the Fans, etc.  —  Last month, Oliver Perez spoke with Hector Meza from Territorioscore.com about a variety of topics in the Q&A below:  —  HM: In your opinion what went wrong this year?  —  OP: Well, remember that I had surgery in September …

Where did all the runs go?  —  The following is an excerpt from the introduction to the Hardball Times Annual 2011:  —  The Hardball Times Annual proudly displays statistics you won't find anywhere else, Batted Ball Stats.  Even web sites like FanGraphs and Baseball Reference don't provide what you can find in the Annual.