NFL	MLB	NBA	NHL	COLLEGE
	NASCAR	SOCCER	GOLF

If the Giants are serious about prying left fielder Manny Ramirez from Boston, they apparently will have to engage a third team to engineer a trade. According to a source familiar with the Red Sox's thinking, the Giants do not have the players Boston wants in return for Ramirez. Boston also is looking for a closer, presumably more of a sure bet than Armando Benitez, and a bat.
-- San Francisco Chronicle

The usual suspects, Texas and Anaheim, appeared improbable destinations for Manny Ramírez. The Red Sox are all but conceding that they cannot wrest shortstop Michael Young from the Rangers, while the Angels have no interest in moving setup man Scot Shields, and have little motivation to surrender top prospects for Ramírez.
-- Boston Globe

Though the Cubs have talked to representatives of almost all available starting pitchers?including Jason Schmidt's more than once?they seem willing to wait until next week's winter meetings to see where the market is headed.
-- Chicago Tribune

The A's began talks with Padres catcher Mike Piazza last week about becoming the team's DH. While negotiations are continuing, according to a source, Oakland is unlikely to sign Piazza, a Type-A free agent, until after the Dec. 1 arbitration deadline so that the team does not lose a draft pick.
-- San Francisco Chronicle

Adam Kennedy could be reunited with former double-play partner David Eckstein in St. Louis if the free-agent second baseman, who in October completed his seventh season with the Angels, accepts a three-year offer, believed to be in the $15-million range.
-- Los Angeles Times

Randy Wolf has agreed to sign with the Dodgers for less money and security than other teams offered because he wants to return to L.A., baseball sources said Monday. A source close to the negotiations said the Cubs and Cardinals made offers to sign Wolf for three years, with the deals ranging from $21 million to $24 million. The Diamondbacks had a similar offer on the table.
-- Los Angeles Times

The posting closed for a second Japanese pitcher yesterday, and while the competition for lefty Kei Igawa is not as high-profile as it was for Daisuke Matsuzaka, sources have indicated that both the Yankees and Mets bid for Igawa.
-- New York Daily News

The Pirates have two primary pieces on their wish list, a left-handed power hitter they hope to acquire through a trade and a reliable right-handed arm to complement Ian Snell in the rotation and offset the three lefthanders, Zach Duke, Paul Maholm and Tom Gorzelanny. The Pirates are among a dozen teams pursuing free agent Jeff Suppan.
-- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Considering baseball's dramatically increasing free-agent market, had the Twins not picked up their $12 million option on Torii Hunter after the season, the center fielder probably could have signed a deal in the $50 million, four-year range with any of several teams, a top industry insider said.
-- St. Paul Pioneer Press

	NFL	MLB	NBA	NHL	COLLEGE
	NASCAR	SOCCER	GOLF