by Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, FOXSports.com

Tuesday

Jays looking to get younger -- 12:57 a.m.

The Blue Jays have won between 83 and 88 games seven times in the past 12 seasons. Their goal under new general manager Alex Anthopolous is to reach the next level and finish with 95 or more wins.

Roy Halladay could be switching teams before next season. (Morry Gash / Getty Images)

Such a plan is not immediately realistic — the Jays, coming off a 75-win season, play in the highly competitive AL East. But every move the Jays make this offseason will be with the idea of adding young, core players who could be part of the Jays' next contending team.

Thus, the Jays are likely to make the best possible trade for right-hander Roy Halladay. They are trying to move Lyle Overbay for younger parts to clear first base for Adam Lind. And they almost certainly will offer salary arbitration to shortstop Marco Scutaro, a Type A free agent who could bring the Jays two high draft picks if he signed with another club.

Brewers unlikely to land Lackey -- 12:48 a.m.

The Brewers badly need starting pitching. They bid $100 million for left-hander CC Sabathia last winter. But they do not expect to be a serious player for righty John Lackey, the top free agent available this offseason.

Lackey, Brewers officials believe, would prefer to go to a larger market. The Brewers almost certainly would not make the best offer, and Lackey might only use their proposal to persuade other clubs to bid higher.

The Brewers' most pressing decision involves whether to exercise the $6.5 million option on right-hander Braden Looper or pay him a $1 million buyout. They are likely to pursue mid-rotation starters such as left-handers Doug Davis and Jarrod Washburn.

Nats down to 2 managerial finalists -- 12:33 a.m.

The Nationals, down to two finalists for their managerial vacancy, expect to make a decision by the end of the week, general manager Mike Rizzo said Monday night.

Interim manager Jim Riggleman is one of the finalists, Rizzo said. Bobby Valentine is the other, according to a major-league source, but Rizzo declined to specify the identity of his other candidate. Full story ...

Guardado to play in 2010? -- 12:20 a.m.

Over the weekend, veteran reliever Eddie Guardado told his agent, Kevin Kohler, that he wants to play one more year.

Kohler said Guardado visited Dr. Lewis Yocum recently. Yocum prescribed a rehabilitation program for his ailing left knee, and Guardado has been pleased with the results.

Guardado, who lives in California, has a strong preference for West Coast teams, Kohler said. The left-hander pitched for the Rangers this year.

Monday

BoSox keep V-Mart, sign Wakefield to 2-year deal -- UPDATED 9:21 p.m.

Victor Martinez hit .302 with 23 home runs and 108 RBIs between Cleveland and Boston this past season. (Lisa Blumenfeld / Getty Images)

The Red Sox announced that they have exercised their 2010 option on catcher Victor Martinez and declined options on catcher Jason Varitek and shortstop Alex Gonzalez.

They also confirmed the signing of knuckleballer Tim Wakefield to a two-year contract worth $5 million. He can earn $10.5 million in bonuses, according to a major-league source.

A report on NESN.com Monday night stated that Varitek will pick up the option. While it would be very sensible for him to do so — a catcher who batted .209 this year would probably not earn $3 million on the open market — one source said that Varitek has yet to make a final decision.

Sources: Bradley in 3-way deal being discussed -- 6:13 p.m.

The idea, while described as a longshot, is at least one way for the Cubs to trade outfielder Milton Bradley.

Bradley to the Blue Jays. First baseman Lyle Overbay to the Mets. Second baseman Luis Castillo to the Cubs.

The teams indeed have discussed the framework of such a deal, though not in direct fashion, according to major-league sources. Full story ...

Mets seeking more pop -- 6:10 p.m.

Mets general manager Omar Minaya just said he wants his team to "slug more".

Paging Matt Holliday?

ChiSox looking for more offense -- 6:03 p.m.

Several days after acquiring Mark Teahen from Kansas City, White Sox general manager Kenny Williams said he would like to add another left-handed bat to his lineup.

"As we stand right now, there's not anything obvious that we need, other than perhaps another left-handed hitter," Williams said Monday. "Whether that guy's a power guy, or an on-base-percentage/speed guy, or some combination of both, I don't know."

Kenny Williams is eyeing some more pop. (Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)

But after adding Alex Rios and Jake Peavy during the season, it doesn't appear that the White Sox will invest heavily in the free agent market.

In time, the Chicago farm system could produce the left-handed hitter that Williams wants. The GM said he feels "the same way about" 23-year-old outfielder Jordan Danks "as I felt about Gordon Beckham at this stage last year."

"That's pretty good," Williams added.

Beckham, of course, came up this season and blossomed into a Rookie of the Year candidate. Beckham is slated to play second base in 2010.

Dodgers to bring back entire coaching staff -- 6:02 p.m.

The Dodgers announced that Joe Torre's entire coaching staff will return: bench coach Bob Schaefer; third base coach Larry Bowa; first base coach Mariano Duncan; hitting coach Don Mattingly; pitching coach Rick Honeycutt; bullpen coach Ken Howell; instructor Jeff Pentland; and coach Manny Mota.

D-backs tip hand at 2B plans -- 4:41 p.m.

The Diamondbacks are saying that their 2010 second baseman will "most likely" be an internal solution, either the gritty Ryan Roberts or newly-acquired Tony Abreu.

So far, they seem to have little interest in a trade market that includes Florida's Dan Uggla and Atlanta's Kelly Johnson.

Hernandez open to catching for Cincy in '10 -- 4:36 p.m.

Catcher Ramon Hernandez remains open to rejoining the Reds, who paid him a $1 million buyout rather than exercise his $8.5 million club option.

Ramon Hernandez won't rule out a Reds return. (Christian Petersen / Getty Images)

"He likes Cincinnati. He liked playing there. There's a chance he could go back there," said Hernandez's agent, Eric Goldschmidt.

Hernandez, 33, cannot declare free agency until Nov. 15 due to a clause in his original contract with the Orioles. He is talking to the Reds about a two-year deal at a salary for less than what his option was worth.

He appeared in only 81 games last season, missing nearly two months after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee July 21.

"He had a bad left knee. He hurt it in spring training," Goldschmidt said. "You will see a completely different player in 2010 than you saw in 2009."

Melvin Mora training at other positions -- 4:24 p.m.

Melvin Mora, after playing third base almost exclusively the past six seasons, is training at other positions in Venezuela in an effort to increase his value as a free agent.

Mora, 37, could market himself as a super-utility man if he is unable to find a job as a regular third baseman.

He played every position but pitcher and catcher before becoming a regular at third with the Orioles.

Braves pondering other options besides LaRoche -- 4:04 p.m.

While the Braves are interested in re-signing first baseman Adam LaRoche, they plan to explore other possibilities on the trade and free-agent markets.

Club officials are concerned about LaRoche's history of poor performance in the first half of seasons. They do not want to overpay LaRoche and then regret it.

The Braves are looking for offense, but some of their solutions should come from within.

The team expects Chipper Jones to rebound and Yunel Escobar to continue improving. Nate McLouth learned he needed contact lenses at the end of the season and top outfield prospect Jason Heyward, who figures to join the team at some point in 2010, possesses game-changing ability.

Market values becoming much clearer -- 4:02 p.m.

The market value of several free agents became a little clearer today.

The players' union released the Elias Rankings, which determine draft pick compensation for free agents.

In many cases, teams must forfeit draft picks in order to sign Type A free agents. That can adversely affect the market value of those players, since many teams place a high value on their draft picks.

By contrast, teams don't have to part with draft picks to sign Type B free agents.

This year's group of Type B free agents will include Vladimir Guerrero, Andy Pettitte, Adrian Beltre, Mark DeRosa, Nick Johnson, Joel Pineiro, Jason Marquis, Brandon Lyon and Fernando Rodney.

All of those players will be able to seek free agent riches without worrying about whether they will be offered salary arbitration by their original clubs.

Perhaps most surprisingly, a number of notable free agents — including World Series MVP Hideki Matsui — won't have any involvement in draft pick compensation at all. That can only help their market value.

Pedro Feliz, Pedro Martinez, Gary Sheffield, Jarrod Washburn, Aubrey Huff and Kelvim Escobar also fall into that category. Jason Giambi and Brad Penny do, too, because they weren't on a major league roster on Aug. 31.

Who will Carl Crawford's team be in 2010? (Stephen Dunn / Getty Images)

Meanwhile, a number of players who had underwhelming 2009 seasons ended up as Type A free agents, including Cubs reliever Kevin Gregg, White Sox reliever Octavio Dotel, White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye and Dodgers second baseman Orlando Hudson.

Gregg, Dotel, Dye and Hudson might need to wait awhile to learn where they will be playing in 2010.

Rays exercise option on Crawford -- 3:50 p.m.

As expected, the Tampa Bay Rays have exercised their $10 million option on outfielder Carl Crawford for the 2010 season.

The Rays declined their options on catcher Gregg Zaun and left-handed reliever Brian Shouse.

Source: O's unlikely to deal Guthrie -- 3:09 p.m.

One major league source said the Orioles are unlikely to trade Jeremy Guthrie, the arbitration-eligible right-hander, unless they are overwhelmed by an offer.

Guthrie had an inconsistent 2009 season, and the Orioles don't want to sell low.

Agent unsure if Unit will be back in '10 -- 3:06 p.m.

Barry Meister, the agent for left-hander Randy Johnson, said he doesn't know yet if the 300-game winner will pitch in 2010. Full story ...

Twins, Pavano to talk on Tuesday -- 3:04 p.m.

Tom O'Connell, the agent for Carl Pavano, said he expects to meet with Twins officials on Tuesday to discuss the free agent right-hander.

O'Connell expects the Twins and Indians — the two teams for whom Pavano pitched in 2009 — to have interest in his client.

Andy Pettitte leans toward returning in '10. (Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images)

"Carl showed that he is a good teammate," O'Connell said. "He took on a leadership role and exorcised the demons that haunted him in New York."

Pettitte likely back in '10 -- 2:57 p.m.

During the playoffs, Andy Pettitte told me, "I'm not going to pitch a lot longer, I'm just not. I know I'm close (to retirement). I really am. I want to be home with my kids."

One of Pettitte's friends, however, indicates that he is "leaning" toward pitching in 2010. He was healthy enough to make 37 starts last season, including the playoffs. And his family remains supportive of his career.

Pettitte, 36, has four children, ages 4 through 15. Two of his sons, Josh and Jared, rode with him in the Yankees' victory parade.

The Yankees ended up paying Pettitte $10.5 million last season — a $5.5 million base plus $5 million in incentives. This time, his base likely would start with his final number from last season, or perhaps be even higher.

Brewers deciding what to do with Looper -- 2:56 p.m.

The Brewers already have made several cost-cutting moves, trading shortstop J.J. Hardy, declining their $3.7 million option on reliever David Weathers, acquiring Carlos Gomez to replace free agent Mike Cameron in center field.

Their next financially-based decision will be whether to pick up their end of right-hander Braden Looper's $6.5 million mutual option or pay him a $1 million buyout.

If the Brewers part with Looper, they will need to replace his 34 starts and 194 2/3 innings at a time when they already are looking for starting pitching. On the other hand, while Looper went 14-7 last season, he also had a 5.22 ERA.

Looper, 35, likely would stay in Milwaukee rather than become a free agent if the Brewers exercised their part of the option. He lives in Chicago and enjoys playing for the team.

Red Sox in talks with Wakefield -- 2:03 p.m.

Barry Meister, the agent for knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, said he has discussed a number of contractual scenarios with Red Sox management.

A multiyear deal is one possibility, Meister said.

The Red Sox must decide by the end of Monday about Wakefield's perpetual option.

Mariners may consider dealing ace -- 1:07 p.m.

Jack Zduriencik will be asked about the availability of Felix Hernandez, as long as the ace right-hander remains property of the Seattle Mariners.

Zduriencik, now beginning his second offseason as the Seattle general manager, isn't eager to trade Hernandez. The Mariners' budget is in good shape, so there is no pressing need to move Hernandez and his increasing salary.

But Zduriencik hasn't ruled out the possibility, either.

"As we stand now, he's an integral part of what we're doing," Zduriencik said Monday, as the general managers' meetings opened at the Hilton O'Hare Airport.

When it comes to Hernandez's status, Zduriencik has stayed on message very well.

Asked in August about trade discussions involving Hernandez at the non-waiver trade deadline, Zduriencik replied, "I have to listen. That's part of my job." Zduriencik added then that Hernandez would be the team's Opening Day pitcher in 2010 "unless we get Koufax or Marichal." Full story...

Braves to deal Vazquez? -- 12:53 p.m.

One of the big questions of the winter is whether the Braves will trade right-hander Javier Vazquez for a hitter.

Vazquez's contract allows him to veto deals to the NL West and AL West. And the Braves, before compromising their starting pitching depth, must weigh whether they can get a strong enough bat in return.

Twins right fielder Michael Cuddyer is not available, but that's the type of slugger the Braves likely would want for Vazquez, who went 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA last season. Trading Vazquez for say, a slightly above-average hitter and Class AA prospect would make little sense.

Another option for the Braves would be to trade right-hander Kenshin Kawakami for a lesser hitter.

Marlins' Uggla, Cantu available? -- 12:53 p.m.

The Marlins have received calls from three teams on second baseman Dan Uggla and two on first baseman Jorge Cantu. Club officials will meet at the general managers' meetings to determine whether trading either or both will be necessary to meet payroll.

The early signs are that the Marlins, after trading outfielder Jeremy Hermida, can afford both Uggla and Cantu. But the team still might want to move Uggla to clear second base for Chris Coghlan or Emilio Bonifacio.

Hermida no longer fit with the Marlins, who are committing to Cody Ross in right field and Cameron Maybin in center. Left-hander Hunter Jones, the more advanced of the two pitchers the Marlins received from the Red Sox, is viewed by some scouts as a fringe major leaguer. The Marlins see him as a potential seventh-inning man.