Derek Jeter, Yankees brass meet in Tampa to start talking about new deal for star shortstop  —  Brian Cashman might have traveled alone to Arkansas for his meeting with Cliff Lee Wednesday, but the general manager had plenty of company last weekend when he sat down with Derek Jeter.

A's strike first in MLB offseason  —  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.  —  People forget, the A's were pretty good last season.  —  They finished 81-81 despite playing …

Carlos Beltran: Waiving no-trade possible if New York Mets want  —  NEW YORK — Carlos Beltran would consider waiving his no-trade clause if the New York Mets approach him with a deal.  —  The 33-year-old was limited to 64 games this year and 81 the previous season because of right knee injuries.

Jays thinking of trading for Greinke  —  The Blue Jays have inquired about the availability of Kansas City right-hander Zack Greinke.  —  With Cliff Lee the top free agent on the market, Greinke would appeal to also-rans in the Lee sweepstakes such as the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels.

Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus dies  —  SEATTLE — Dave Niehaus, the Hall of Fame broadcaster who called Seattle Mariners games from their first season through this year, has died of a heart attack.  He was 75.  —  The team confirmed the death Wednesday night.

From the field to the silver screen  —  Royce Clayton to play the role of Miguel Tejada in “Moneyball” movie  —  Baseball has a funny way of throwing perceptions for a curve.  Just consider recent events involving the two teams in the Bay Area.  —  San Francisco general manager Brian Sabean …

Could Carl Crawford be Angels' first $100-million man?  —  The Angels consider Crawford their primary target in free agency, but they may be competing with some big spenders for him.  —  Left fielder Carl Crawford would be a good fit in Anaheim, according to Angels outfielder Torii Hunter.

How Important Are Managers?  —  Not very, according to my new paper. … Here's an old blog post on some preliminary results from the study.  I really wished that I had written a chapter in Hot Stove Economics on this topic, but I just didn't have the time.

HALL OF FAME PUTS ITS SHAME ON THE LINE  —  In his concession speech after losing the 1962 California gubernatorial race, Richard Nixon told the assembled reporters they would miss him.  “You don't have Nixon to kick around anymore,” he said.  The baseball Hall of Fame this week made sure …

Mets Put Out Word That Jose Reyes is Available  —  According to sources, the Mets have put word out to teams that SS Jose Reyes is available and will look to trade Reyes during the Winter Meetings.  —  The Red Sox, Orioles, and Rays have called to get a feel for the situation and trade talks …

Boras: Great interest in Beltre  —  Free agency is officially underway.  Scott Boras has arrived.  —  Boras was on MLB Network Radio today and told the hosts that in his career as an agent, he has never seen more interest in a player than Adrian Beltre has this year.  —  Of course.

Pitcher Release Points  —  Mechanics are one of the most important parts of the pitching craft, but they have historically been among the most difficult subjects to study with large samples of objective data.  Most published work has involved the comparison of a handful of photos or videos …

Marines, not baseball, Coleman's proudest days  —  NEW YORK — Jerry Coleman wore the Yankees' pinstripes for nine seasons, patrolling the infield dirt in front of the frenzied World Series crowds that filled a triple-decked stadium.  —  But on Veterans Day, Coleman remains the proudest …