Halladay unanimous NL Cy Young winner  —  Phillies ace, perfect-game artist fifth to win award in each league  —  PHILADELPHIA — Expectations seemed impossibly high for Roy Halladay in 2010.  —  Imagine what they might be in 2011.  —  The Baseball Writers' Association of America named Halladay …

Sources: BoSox ask about Justin Upton  —  FOX Sports  —  The Red Sox have expressed interest in trading for Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton, multiple major-league sources told FOXSports.com on Tuesday.  —  Discussions between the clubs are not far advanced, according to one person in the industry.

Braves Close To Nearing Deal For Dan Uggla  —  The Braves “appear to be very close to nearing a deal” for Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla, tweets MLB.com's Mark Bowman.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted minutes ago that the division rivals are discussing a deal that would send Uggla …

Oquendo enthused after Mets interview  —  ORLANDO, Fla. — Whether or not the New York Mets hire Jose Oquendo as their next manager, the Cardinals' third-base coach is convinced he is a serious candidate.  —  Mets general manager Sandy Alderson traveled Monday to the site …

Pujols' contract talks to heat up  —  • While maintaining the issue is independent of this winter's team-building, the Cardinals intend next month to engage three-time MVP Albert Pujols in long-anticipated talks regarding a contract extension.  —  General manager John Mozeliak …

Five Teams Interested In Jeff Francis  —  Free agent lefty Jeff Francis is drawing interest from at least five clubs, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick: the Pirates, Mariners, Brewers, Astros, and Rockies.  —  Francis, 30 in January, posted a 5.00 ERA, 5.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9 …

Yankees may have Rick Peterson on radar as pitching coach  —  Yankees general manager Brian Cashman did not rule out Rick Peterson as a potential candidate for the team's vacant pitching coach job, though he did shoot down any chance that former Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone would be considered.

Dodgers sign Hiroki Kuroda  —  The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Monday that they have re-signed free-agent left-hander Hiroki Kuroda to a one-year, $12-million contract.  —  The contract will pay Kuroda $8 million in 2011, plus a $4-million signing bonus that will be paid out in 2012 and 2013 …

Rockies release former closer Corpas  —  ORLANDO — A long way from the 2007 World Series and the cold-blooded saves of a magical fall, Manuel Corpas was quietly released by the Rockies today, according to a major league source.  —  As I first reported on Twitter earlier …

Free-agency market for Manny Ramirez could be slim  —  Demand for a 38-year-old designated hitter doesn't appear high, so the slugger might have to settle for whatever he can get or perhaps walk away from baseball.  —  Of all the nouns used to label Manny Ramirez over the years …

Cubs chairman pushes plan for state aid  —  CHICAGO—Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts is trotting out organized labor to help him argue for state money to renovate Wrigley Field.  —  Flanked by union leaders and others, Ricketts told reporters Tuesday that the project would be a boon …

Yankees have interest in Pedro Feliciano  —  Feliciano would likely end up earning around $4 million in arbitration, assuming the Mets offer it to him.  He's rumored to be seeking at least a two-year deal.  He's letting more runners on base, he's pitched a ton of innings over the last few seasons …