Why Rangers don't need to pay Lee  —  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.  —  If I were the Rangers, I would almost want to lose Cliff Lee.  —  Don't get me wrong, Lee would be a tremendous asset.

Sources: Red Sox meet Crawford, Werth  —  BOSTON — Just days before Monday's opening of baseball's winter meetings, the Boston Red Sox have stepped up their pursuit of the two free-agent outfielders at the top of their list, Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth, meeting with both players and their agents, according to sources.

John Maine likely won't receive contract offer from Mets; Angel Pagan, R.A. Dickey should get deals  —  John Maine's five-year career as a Met will likely end Thursday, when the team is expected to non-tender the pitcher, making him a free agent.  —  Angel Pagan, R.A. Dickey …

UPDATED: Giants and Pat Burrell agree to discounted, one-year contract (10)  —  UPDATED: This file was rewritten at 8:50 p.m. with confirmation, plus more info on the signing.  —  A couple hours ago, I was on KNBR with Ralph and Tom and told them that Pat Burrell wasn't a front-burner priority …

Yankees' Aceves breaks bone in bike accident  —  NEW YORK (AP) — New York Yankees relief pitcher Alfredo Aceves is expected to miss the start of spring training after breaking his left collar bone in a bicycle accident in Mexico.  —  The Yankees say Aceves had surgery Tuesday in New York.

Crew GM wants to accelerate talks with Weeks  —  MILWAUKEE — The Brewers would love to lock up second baseman Rickie Weeks with a multiyear contract extension, but they're having trouble getting those talks started, general manager Doug Melvin said this week.

Adding Theriot should help Cards refocus  —  The Cardinals had enough talent to dominate lesser teams last season.  They didn't, so they missed the playoffs.  —  Why did they lose so many games they should have won?  —  Pitching injuries forced the team to get by with three quality starters for much of the season.

D'Backs To Sign Wily Mo Pena  —  The Diamondbacks will sign Wily Mo Pena to a minor league deal with an invitation to major league Spring Training, MLBTR has learned.  The outfielder drew interest from multiple major league teams, including the Tigers, White Sox and Orioles.

Tampa Bay Rays may be better off punting on 2011, building for future  —  As of now, the Rays are still contenders in the American League East.  —  Even without Carl Crawford.  Even without Rafael Soriano.  Even without Carlos Peña and Joaquin Benoit.

Overlooking McGriff for Hall would be crime  —  First baseman was feared slugger with numbers to prove it  —  Contrary to an increasingly widespread perception, the Braves teams of the mid-90s didn't win regularly by scores of 1-0 and 2-1.  A member of their Cy Young staff occasionally required …

Rockies trying to sign former all-star Lance Berkman  —  In the Rockies' search for a big bat to enhance their lineup, the team is aggressively pursuing veteran slugger Lance Berkman.  —  Berkman, a switch-hitter and former all-star, is coming off a disappointing season with the Astros and Yankees.

Greetings from Gate B-22  —  Good morning from Logan Airport.  We're here waiting for a 6 a.m. flight to the Dominican Republic (via JFK in New York) to cover David Ortiz's charity golf tournament.  —  There are expected to be a bunch of Red Sox players on hand including Dustin Pedroia …

Inbox: If signed, where will Nishioka play?  —  Beat reporter Kelly Thesier answers questions from Twins fans … If the Twins are able to sign Tsuyoshi Nishioka, would they put him in at shortstop or second base for the 2011 season?  —  Nishioka can play both positions and has won …