The New York Mets have recently pulled to the front of the pack for Johan Santana, but there has been news of an impending deal for Livian Hernandez to join up with his brother Orlando at Mets. If this were to be done, it could mean the Mets pulling out of the race for Santana, since their Plan B was to be Livian Hernandez or Kyle Lohse.

However, ESPN threw this deal in doubt as well when Jerry Crasnick mentioned that Kyle Lohse would be their preferred Plan B option rather than Livian. Of course, until anything has been set in stone, that can change anytime.

It could be the steroid that have bloated his body but shrunk his brain, but Roger Clemens seems to be attempting a McGwire. In an interview with 60 Minutes soon to be released, Clemens claimed that he never took steroids and was only injected with lidocaine and the vitamin B-12.

Except that Canseco was there before, telling the world in his book "Juiced" how B-12 was the common term for steroids amongst professional baseball players.

Interestingly, Canseco also wrote about his theory on McGwire's androstenedione scandal, which he thought could have been set up by Mark himself. Or Clemens could be trying to emulate Barry Bonds. We shall see when he has to testify under oath before Congress on Jan 16, if he does a "I never knowingly took steroids".

It is not so much that players are taking performance enhancing drugs, but how they seem to be hiding from the fact. I do not think there will be a day when steroids can be stamped out from sports, as long as money is involved. Sports is a business, and in business, it is ultimately about money and everyone wants to make more, without that, most would not take it up as a career. Simple as that.

I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere as yet, but Jose Canseco, the man who first put baseball's steroid issue into the forefront with his book "Juiced", will soon be releasing his followup.

Appropriately titled "Vindicated", the book will build on the revelations from the Mitchell Report and subsequent fan and public opinion of the players named and baseball's drug problem. Jose Canseco highlighted this on a recent episode of HDNet's Inside MMA on which he appeared to talk about a new reality TV show he was producing. The show will pit him and a team of professional sportsmen outside of MMA (mixed martial arts), against a team of MMA stars.

Canseco spoke briefly on the steroid issue on Inside MMA. He reiterated his opinion (first mentioned in "Juice") that while steroids definitely gave a person size and some advantage in strength and speed, but if not used in conjunction with proper training and natural talent, it would not provide any significant advantage over other players. He stated that during his time, many players had already been using (as proven by the Mitchell Report), but just as many did not become superstars as a result. Several of the players named in the Report also gave credibility to his argument.

It will be interesting to read the book once released. While not having the best of image as a result of his straight talking, Canseco does speak a lot of truths. Unfortunately, they are usually only understood when things have gone too far.

Susan Slusser has a piece on Oakland's interest in signing Barry Bonds for '08. Given Billy Beane's recent assertion that the A's wanted to win in '08, this might be a strong possibility. Slusser also spoke to a Major League exec who indicated this was a deal waiting to happen.

The Washington Nationals today signed Aaron Boone to a one-year, $1 mil contract with incentives. Boone was with the Marlins for 2007 and went .286/.388/.423.

Willy Mo Pena also received a $2 mil extension, with a mutual option for '09.

Additionally, Ryan Langerhans has also been re-signed on a minor league deal.

From Adam Rubin, the Tigers might have to spin Dontrelle Willis to the Mets (or any other team). Apparently the Marlins insisted that Detroit take both Cabrera and Willis, which the Tigers willing took on despite knowing their payroll could not accomodate both players.

Inside sources in the Mets are looking at this possible scenario and would be willing to speak to the Tigers. There has also been talk of Ivan Rodriguez included in the mix but I don't really see that happening since the Tigers exercised their option on him.

Bryan Hoch reported that the Giants have inquired about Hideki Matsui's availability, in a bid to boost their offense. Despite the veteran outfielder's full no-trade clause, Hoch implied that the Yankees might consider any possible trade if it improves their pitching - a primary objective of the team this off-season.

Hoch suggested Noah Lowry as a potential target for the Yanks in any deal with the Giants, who would fit in the middle rotation to beef up a still unknown innings totals from the trio of youngsters Chamberlain, Hughes and Kennedy.

There's not been much happening the past 2 days on the Johan Santana talks after a mad start to the week. Theo Epstein left without any end in sight, although they still seem to be ahead of the pack, but just slightly.

Now, the rest of the pack includes the Yankees, Mets, Mariners and perhaps Angels. Newsday says Mets won't have a chance unless they include Jose Reyes in the package, which won't happen.

La Velle E. Neal III shares his thoughts on the whole affair. He believes the Red Sox are serious about Santana after speaking to some officials last night, but does not believe the Twins will budge easily without both Lester and Ellsbury in the deal. His sleeper pick is the Angels although they have not spoken to the Twins as yet, apparently.

According to Jon Heyman, the Met are offering Carlos Gomez, Mike Pelfrey, Aaron Heilman, including others for Santana. Here's how the other teams shape up with their packages:

Boston - Jon Lester, Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie, Justin Masterson
Yankees - Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera, Jeff Marquez
Mariners - Adam Jones, Brandon Morrow (what's this? A joke?)

Boston Herald's Rob Bradford had a talk with Josh Beckett and the Boston ace said he was earning enough money as it is and was more concerned about winning than any contract re-work if Santana joins the team. He did state that he would be upset with good friend Jon Lester being traded but understands that baseball is a business and that Boston would do whatever it takes to ensure that. And he would be fine with that.

Update: Joel Sherman reported that the Twins and Yankees had a brief discussion on including Joe Nathan in the deal. If this were to be realised, would the Red Sox change their stance on Ellsbury?

Not much of a choice there - Andruw Jones had only 2 teams in for him with concrete offers - the Dodgers and Royals. With the latter's offer being for two-years, $25 mil, it was an obvious choice for the Boras corporation. Dodgers offered two-years, $36.2 mil.

Still, it was good business by Ned Colletti - remember Jones is a Boras client - they could have gotten more if not for their falling stock with recent star departures and Jones poor 2007, which by the way, has been attributed to a secret elbow injury.

Moving on, Tony Jackson suggests that the Dodgers will now trade Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier for a frontline starter.

Joel Sherman has reported that Lo Duca might have made a deal of one-year with the Toronto Bluejays after meetings between the player's agent and the team earlier today. The deal was rumored to be worth less than $5 mil, but it appears that Lo Duca might have accepted it with final figures reported to be around $3-4 mil, according to Robert MacLeod.

Update: Robert MacLeod and then Joel Sherman are saying the deal is in the stage of being finalized and signed, with Lo Duca coming on board for one-year $3 mil.

There are now four teams interested in Mark Prior - the Reds, Padres, Phillies and Rangers. Seattle might also some interest but I am not sure how far that would go.

It appears that even the Yankees have a payroll ceiling - Brian Cashman pulled out of the Santana negotiations as he felt that the Yankees could not afford to load their payroll now that Pettitte had re-signed.

What had heated up last night now seems to have gone soft - Boston are still talking and shuffling their feet over the whole deal. They are STILL talking to the Twins and looking over their shoulder at the Yanks. It appears that some doubts still remain over going for the ace lefty.
The Twins are also turning out to be quite a player - they insist they do not necessarily want to trade Santana, and are spinning the roundtable again by re-opening invitations to other teams. The Mets are one of them and suddenly they appear to have pushed their way into the reckoning according to Santana's agent Peter Greenberg.

There was also an earlier rumor that a three-team trade was on the cards with Santana going to the Mets, Haren to the Twins and Jose Reyes to A's. But this has been quashed as a hoax but it was fun while it lasted. Good reporting if you ask me.

Despite earlier assurances that manager La Russa and Jimmy Rolen could play happy as a team, it appears that La Russa has re-opened old wounds, this time with a scathing attack on the player.

La Russa basically questioned the player's responsibility to the team and fans - that is extremely heavy accusations and in effect, calls for the fans to turn on Rolen if it continues like this.

I wouldn't be surprised if fresh talks with teams are opened again soon. The Brewers were interested earlier before talks broke down. Perhaps they would come back in again given the fresh revelations.

The embattled batter still wants to play next year, according to his agent Jeff Boris. He would be able to do so as his trial would likely only start at the end of the year, thus freeing him up for the season.

However, with his baggageluggage, would any team take him on, that remains the question. He might increase his chances with a lower asking price, since any possibility of him providing service beyond 2008 seems remote.

If anything, perhaps Hank Steinbrenner should take him on for an annual boost. Would you take Barry Bonds on with all the issues surrounding him?

Most of the talk flying around has dwindled to Boston being in the prime seat for Santana now. There have been a million stories circulating throughout the day on this, with many saying the deal has been done, naming different combinations of players involved.

Theo Epstein expects negotiations with the Twins to carry on throughout the night and that they are likely to finalize an agreement. The Twins have also stated that they hope to end the whole affair by tonight. Meanwhile, here's what you might have missed:

- Lester, Crisp, Ellsbury and Lowrie?
- Lester, Crisp, Lowrie and Masterson?
- 3 for 1 or 4 for 1?
- Yankees have no chance to best Boston's offer?
- Hank does not want Santana anymore and that's final
- it's Lester, Masterson and Kalish

It would be interesting to see what happens next if the Red Sox do get Santana. The Beckett contract renegotiations would become an issue.

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times mentioned that Kosuke Fukudome would likely get a similar deal to that of Torii Hunter's five-year, $90 mil, even though Fukudome is not looking for such a long term arrangement.

But here's what's interesting - Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times has claimed that the Japanese outfielder is certain to sign with the Cubs.

In what would be a blockbuster trade involving up to 8 players, the Detroit Tigers are set to acquire Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins in exchange for 6 studs!

There was an earlier report by Jim Molony with regards to the rumor, but now Joe Frisaro of MLB.com has published another to substantiate the whispers.

The Tigers will be packing outfielder Cameron Maybin, lefty starter Andrew Miller, catcher Mike Rabello, and pitchers Dallas Trahern, Eulogio De La Cruz and Burke Badenhop. Badenhop, De La Cruz and Trahern have been ranked as the Tigers' prospect list as #1, 7 and 11 respectively, by Kevin Goldstein of The Baseball Prospectus.

While there has been no official confirmation, several of the named players involved are already making statements based on the assumption. Expect some announcement before the end of the Winter Meetings on Thursday.

There are now 11 teams officially interested in the Baltimore Orioles' southpaw ace Erik Bedard. These include the Phillies, Cardinals, Yankees, Mets, Mariners, Angels, Dodgers, D'backs, Tigers, Jays and Cubs.

The Dodgers appear to be the frontrunners, as noted by Joel Sherman. Peter Angelos does not want Bedard to be traded within the division as well, so the Yanks and Jays would seem to be out of the running. I would also doubt that the Tigers would have much interest, as they are now involved in an 8 player swap with the Marlins for Cabrera and Willis.

The Rays have traded Elijah Dukes to the Washington Nationals. In return they will get Glenn Gibson, a 20 year old southpaw starter.

Jim Bowden hopes that Dmitri Young will act as a mentor for Dukes, who's widely known to be trouble. It also leaves the Nationals with an outfield surplus, although Bowden does not appear to be worried.

Gibson would be a good trade for the Rays. He is known to have "a decent fastball, very good curve, and tons of polish.".

Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune had an interesting writeup on the whole Johan Santana affair. He says that Hank Steinbrenner's earlier comments on the whole negotiation process was blatant tampering, and goes on to give his assessment of how the Yankees are really the only serious party for Santana, and they might be pulling off a similar stunt to that of Randy Johnson a few years ago - back the Twins into a corner and get Santana later on a deal better weighed for them (Yanks).

The Twins themselves are not amused with Steinbrenner's comments, and it appears that they will pursue tampering charges. They are also stated to be in no hurry to trade Santana and would keep him if required.

According to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, the Dodgers have offered Andruw Jones a two-year, $32 mil contract. On the one hand, Jones is asking for an offer similar to Torri Hunter's five-year, $90 mil signing with the Angels. On the other hand, he had a less than stellar 2007 and the Dodgers would not want to risk a long term deal.

The MLB.com report added, for what it's worth, that the Dodgers are actively and aggressively pursuing Hiroki Kuroda for rotation depth.

Not very good news for White Sox fans - they will send Chris Carter to the D'Backs for outfielder Carlos Quentin.

Chris Carter was recently ranked as the White Sox's 4th best prospect, and best positional prospect by Baseball Prospectus. In return they will get Carlos Quentin who has had recent injury problems, although he has been making a nice progress at Triple A. It does look like a better trade for Arizona in my opinion.

Jon Heyman says that the Giants and Astros are keen on Miguel Tejada. Again, there are more details on Astros' interest - they're moving a lot for many players along with the Angels. Heyman noted that Tejada's production has been dropping in recent years, and this time, the Orioles would like Michael Bourn, Adam Everett and other prospects from Astros.

Another blockbuster move in the off-season would obviously be that of Marlins' Miguel Cabrera. This is definitely on as the latest Marlins' marketing materials do not include him, despite all the protracted negotiations with other teams.

The Angels have laid their offer on the table and stopped further talks and asked Florida to get back to them on an acceptance. The Marlins demanded both Nick Adenhart and Ervin Santana, while Angels would only push either one. It is highly unlike LA will surrender both.

It'll be interesting to see how far Marlins can push their luck on this trade. They need to shave Cabrera's high salary off their budget and push might come to shove with Angels backing out. The Dodgers have already pulled their names out of the hat, although there are other teams still showing strong interest.

Earlier, the news making the round was that the Yankees were in the clear in the race for Santana's pitching arm, but ESPN's Buster Olney has reported that the Red Sox have decided to include Jacoby Ellsbury in the deal. On the other hand, this offer will not include Lester.

The Twins are now expected to decide on one of the two offers, as Santana has told them he will not waive his no-trade clause during the season. The main sticking point appears to be the Twins desire to milk the trade for all it's worth. They insist on better selections with each offer the Yankees or Red Sox return on the table.

With the renewed Red Sox package, I might have to retract my earlier assessment and feel that the Red Sox might have edged closer to Santana.

More on the Red Sox, Eric Gagne will not take up Boston's offer of arbitration as he prefers to close. Texas are keen to take him on, but only for one year.

Update: The Yankees have placed a deadline on their offer at end of Monday.