The Pirates are talking to free-agent starter Runelvys Hernandez about returning. Hernandez, 29, pitched for Kansas City from 2002-06 and made four starts for Class AAA Indianapolis last season -- 8.47 ERA -- but sought his release in September after the Pirates did not add him to the 25-man roster.

It appears most likely free-agent pitcher Matt Clement, who missed last season with Boston after undergoing shoulder surgery, will sign with either the Pirates or Cleveland. He wants to stay close to the new home he built this year. Clement is hopeful of landing a major-league contract, something Pittsburgh doesn?t seem willing to offer.

The Mets have touched base with representatives for several free-agent pitchers they consider fallback options if they are unable to land a marquee starter in a trade this winter. One of those contingency arms apparently belongs to former Yankee righty Jon Lieber, according to agent Rex Gary. "We've been in contact with the Mets, but as we sit here today it'd be wrong to suggest something is imminent," Gary said last night. "There has been a lot of interest in (Lieber) from other teams. ... but he has absolutely no problem with the idea of pitching in New York. He liked pitching in New York with the Yankees and he likes to win." Lieber, who went 14-8 for the Yankees in 2004 before signing a three-year contract with Philadelphia, was sidelined for the second half of 2007 after needing surgery to repair a torn tendon in his left foot.

The Philadelphia Phillies have shown continued interest in right-hander Akinori Otsuka, who missed the final three months of last season with elbow soreness and wasn't tendered a 2008 contract by the Texas Rangers.

The Red Sox are still searching for a backup at catcher. Right now it looks more likely that Doug Mirabelli will return.

The Pirates have expressed their disappointment with 2006 All-Star catcher Ronny Paulino by pursuing Johnny Estrada and Miguel Olivo, who were non-tendered by the Mets and Marlins, respectively, while exploring a trade for Michael Barrett with San Diego. "Ronny is a good player, but he's going to start being accountable," said new Pirates' Manager John Russell, a former catcher.

Bartolo Colon and Jason Jennings have both received interest from the Texas Rangers who have backed out of their pursuit of Freddy Garcia and Mark Prior.

ESPN's stable of baseball reporters linked 14 teams to the pursuit of Mark Prior, but that list drops when teams check out his medical reports. Texas was the latest to back out. San Diego makes the most sense, but the Padres ended trade talks with the Cubs after looking at the medical file. Prior wants to stay on the West Coast but could wind up in Cincinnati or Houston.

Texas Rangers' GM Jon Daniels said Saturday that the Rangers are close to a one-year deal with LHP Eddie Guardado, who could serve as something of a mentor to LHP C.J. Wilson as he grows into the closer's role. The Rangers likely won't do anything until after Christmas.

The San Diego Padres appear to be the front-runner to sign pitcher Mark Prior, who figures to make a final choice among many offers very soon, perhaps within the next 24-48 hours. The Padres have offered a modest base salary plus a performance bonus package to Prior, according to sources, but other teams continue to talk with Prior; other more aggressive offers could take shape. The former Cub pitcher lives in San Diego County, and in the end he may opt to play for the team located closest to his home in what figures to be a transitional year in his career. After being selected as the No. 2 pick in the 2001 draft, Prior went 41-23 in the first four seasons of his career. But he has had injury problems since 2003, and after pitching in nine games in 2006, he didn't throw in any games last year. The 27-year-old Prior had surgery last Apri l, with Dr. James Andrews repairing his surgery. There were enough questions about Prior's future that the Cubs decided to not tender him a contract for 2008, in spite of the remarkable early success he had in his career.