The Yankees have a Plan B at shortstop should they not come to terms with free-agent Derek Jeter on a new contract. The 23-year-old Eduardo Nunez is their fallback option, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney. If Jeter was to shock the baseball world by signing with another team, New York is comfortable with Nunez's above-average defense and they would use the saved money to augment their starting rotation.

The Rangers signed free agent pitcher Yoshinori Tateyama on Tuesday to a one-year contract with two years of club options. Tateyama, a right-hander who turns 35 next month, will be competing for a bullpen spot.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is scheduled to rappel from the 350-foot Landmark Building in Stamford, Conn., this weekend as a celebrity guest elf. Wearing a full harness and dressed in an elf costume, Cashman will jump off the 22-floor building. There is no protective netting. Cashman, who lives in nearby Darien, volunteered to take part after witnessing the event last year.

Tigers owner Mike Ilitch is willing to spend money in order to bring the team back into contention. Detroit recently gave Victor Martinez a $50 million contract over four years.

The Phillies remain in the race to re-sign outfielder Jayson Werth, but they are hoping that his price will fall. Werth is believed to desire a seven-year, $120 million contract. For example, if Werth drops his demands to four years, Philadelphia will become a serious contender to retain him.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland says that catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez is "a perfect fit" for the team. Detroit gave Martinez a four-year, $50 million. "We targeted Martinez very high on our list because he is a perfect fit for our club," Leyland said. "I've had the utmost respect for him as an opponent. He's one of the better hitters in the league -- a smart hitter, a patient hitter. And I'm thrilled to death we completed the deal for him for many reasons. "He's going to catch and not be a total DH. And he can play first base to give Miguel (Cabrera) a night off to DH. And this guy is one of the more professional hitters in baseball."

Phillies right-hander Roy Halladay will grace the cover of Major League Baseball 2K11, the latest edition in the 2K Sports' baseball franchise. MLB 2K11 will be released on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PlayStation Portable and Windows PC in 2011. Halladay was the National League's Cy Young winner this season.

Wally Backman can't believe the Mets didn't choose him as their newest manager. "I really thought I won them over," Backman said. "I came out of each interview thinking it had gone better than the one with the Diamondbacks when I got the job there (in 2004). "I knew what was being said (in the media), that the other guys were the favorites, but I kept looking at it, thinking I could make them see that I was the best guy for the job. I guess I didn't convince them." New York named Terry Collins their manager nearly a week ago.

Former Cubs manager Lou Piniella says that Mike Quade earned the job as Chicago's skipper after a stretch as their interim manager. "Mike's a good baseball man. He's been in baseball for a long, long time," Piniella said. "He got that opportunity when I left there and I tell you what, the club responded to him and they played exceedingly well. And I know it was a very tough decision for everybody in the organization choosing between Mike and other viable candidates, but you know, he deserved it. "I hope that Mike does an outstanding job over there and that he's the manager for a long, long time."

Victor Martinez was introduced as the newest member of the Tigers on Friday and he admitted that fellow Venezuelan Miguel Cabrera made some recruiting calls. "He did make a few phone calls, and I expressed to him the desire that I wanted to make it happen," Martinez said on a conference call. "It is a great organization." Detroit signed Martinez to a four-year, $50 million contract. Martinez hit .302 with 20 home runs and 79 RBIs in 127 games with Boston last season.