The Orioles met with Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman on Friday in New York City. "He's willing and interested to come and visit Baltimore," international scouting director John Stockstill told the Baltimore Sun. The Orioles are interested, but management is unlikely to pursue Chapman strongly if his reported asking price -- between $40 million and $60 million -- is accurate.

The Astros have declined the 2010 option on the contract of reliever Doug Brocail. The team re-signed third baseman Geoff Blum to a one-year, $1.5 million contract. Blum's deal includes a mutual option for the 2011 season worth $1.65 million.

The Twins remain committed to re-signing catcher Joe Mauer to a long-term deal. Kelly Thesier of MLB.com writes that "everything that I've heard from people within the organization is that the club is committed to getting a deal in place with Mauer. And yes, they are well aware of what it will likely cost to lock up the All-Star catcher." Mauer's contract will expire at the end of the 2010 season.

The Diamondbacks are ready to spend money this winter in order to bolster their bullpen. They are looking specifically for a veteran reliever to serve as a setup man for closer Chad Qualls. "I just think we're open to any way to make that a strength," general manager Josh Byrnes told MLB.com. "When we pitch well out of the bullpen the last two years, those have been the times we've played well. Obviously, it's a very hard part of the roster to predict, but if we can bring in a guy or two in the offseason that can bring more power and depth back there, it's something we will take a look at."

The Mets will have interest in catcher Yorvit Torrealba if the Rockies decline his $4 million option. It would require some fence-mending for Torrealba to end up with the Mets. He has a pending grievance against them for backing out of a three-year deal when he was a free agent after the 2007 season.

The Orioles have declined the $8 million option on the contract of third baseman Melvin Mora. Mora, Baltimore's longest-tenured player, will be eligible for free agency. His best season was 2004, when he hit .340 with 27 homers and 104 RBIs.

Albert Pujols says that he wants to retire as a member of the Cardinals. "The fans know and the Cardinals know that I want to be a Cardinal for my whole career," Pujols told WXOS-FM on Thursday. "I love this city. The way that this city has embraced me and my family." Pujols has one year left on his contract plus an option year.

Jason Bay continues to maintain a home in Seattle, but laughed off the notion that he might be more interested in playing on the West Coast. "The window for my career doesn't last forever, so limiting myself to one geographical spot really has no bearing on my decision," said Bay.

Appearing on St. Louis sports station WXOS 101.1 FM on Thursday morning, Albert Pujols was asked to explain comments made during an interview in the Dominican Republic. In the interview, Pujols suggested he was in no hurry to sign a contract extension with the Cardinals. ?I?m not desperate to sign a contract extension. I still have one year remaining in my contract for 2010 and a club option for 2011. I leave the rest in God?s hands,? Pujols told Dominican radio station CDN 92.5 FM. Pujols was asked on Thursday if anything had gotten lost in translation. ?The fans know and the Cardinals know that I want to be a Cardinal for my whole career,? Pujols said. ?I love this city. The way that this city has embraced me and my family, I don?t deserve the city to do that. And when you hear all of the players that come around to this town and say, ?You guys are lucky that you are playing in St. Louis,? we have the best fans. I want to be a Cardinal for the rest of my career. ?And what I told those people (in the D.R.) was ?Listen, why do people keep talking about my contract? I have two years (left) and we don?t have to worry about it.? You know the Cardinals need to worry about signing Matt Holliday and all the free agents. There?s no rush for me to sign right now, you know? But if they come tomorrow and say ?Albert, you know, we want to lock you up,? ? hey they know that we?re open to that. ?But I think part of that was (me) putting things in their place and the Cardinals don?t have to rush to sign me right now because we still have two years. But I?d love to finish my career here. And all that got all confused, or whatever, maybe because of the way that I said it. But people know that I want to be a Cardinal for the rest of my life. I?ve said it in the past.?

The Mariners will pursue Aroldis Chapman, the left-handed pitching phenom from Cuba. The club has asked to meet with the 21-year-old Chapman and his agent, Edwin Mejia, in the coming week, according to a source. There are no details yet on a date or location of a potential meeting by Chapman with Seattle officials, but the source described the Mariners' interest as "serious." Chapman is being pursued by numerous teams, the Yankees and Red Sox most fervently, according to reports.