Torii Hunter wants to sign soon  —  Free-agent outfielder Torii Hunter told MLB Network on Monday morning that he's going to wrap up a decision about where to sign quickly, and a source indicated that the timeframe is about two weeks.  —  The most aggressive pursuer thus far has been the Detroit Tigers …

Youkilis drawing interest from Dodgers, Phils, others  —  In one respect, Kevin Youkilis hit free agency at the wrong time: He had a .745 OPS during the 2012 season, the lowest mark of his career.  —  Then again, he's entering the market at a time when a number of general managers are unsatisfied …

Trout, Harper Win Rookie Of The Year Awards  —  Angels center fielder Mike Trout and Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper have been named AL and NL Rookies of the Year, respectively, the Baseball Writers Association of America has announced.  —  Trout becomes the youngest player in league history …

Choo to miss World Baseball Classic  —  Outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, the biggest South Korean baseball star, isn't expected to play for his home country during the upcoming World Baseball Classic.  —  Choo's agent, Scott Boras, said in a recent interview that the 30-year-old instead will focus …

Lefty star Affeldt, Giants appear to have agreement on new 3-year deal  —  October hero Jeremy Affeldt appears headed back to the World Champion San Francisco Giants on a three-year deal.  —  Affeldt and the Giants have agreement on terms of a new deal, sources say.

Cubs Agree To Sign Scott Baker  —  The Cubs have agreed to terms with Scott Baker on a one-year contract, the team announced.  The deal includes a $5.5MM base salary with $1.5MM in incentives, reports Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune and MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith (Twitter links).

Cards release McClellan; Garcia throws off mound  —  • By Derrick Goold dgoold@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8285  —  The Cardinals released relief pitcher Kyle McClellan today.  The Florissant native and Hazelwood West High product pitched for the Cardinals from 2008-2011 and won 12 games …

Big win for Bay: Mets payments will be deferred over only two years  —  Bay batted just .165 with eight home runs and 20 RBI in his third season in New York.  (US Presswire)  —  Jason Bay may have gotten a better deal for himself by leaving the Mets than he did when he initially signed with them.

Orioles Sign McCutchen, Meyer; Rangers Sign Simons  —  The Orioles have signed Daniel McCutchen and Dan Meyer to minor league deals, and the Rangers have done the same with Zach Simons, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned.  —  McCutchen, 29, has pitched to a 4.77 ERA in 188 2/3 innings in parts of four seasons with the Pirates.