Talks between the Orioles and Mariners regarding pitcher Erik Bedard are still alive but appear to have been placed on low heat, according to ESPN.com. There is a chance that some other teams might get involved in the deal, but MLB.com maintains that the two teams are very close to agreeing to a deal. "We continue to talk," Orioles' President Andy MacPhail told the Baltimore Sun when asked about the proposed deal.

The New York Mets have acquired Johan Santana from the Minnesota Twins, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The deal will not become official until Santana passes a physical, and agrees to terms with the Mets on a contract extension. The Twins will receive four prospects in return - outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey.

ESPN's Buster Olney is reporting that baseball officials involved in the Johan Santana trade talks say the Mets have the best offer on the table. If the Twins opt to trade the two-time Cy Young Award winner, Santana could fill the hole in the Mets' rotation.

Orioles' owner Peter Angelos hasn't yet signed off on the proposed deal that would send Erik Bedard to Seattle, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. The deal has reportedly been close to official for the past several days.

According to the Baltimore Sun, Orioles' President Andy MacPhail has denied that the team has agreed to a trade with the Mariners that would send pitcher Erik Bedard to Seattle. "We do not have an agreement with the Mariners," MacPhail told the Sun. Rumors began to swirl when The Seattle Times reported that center fielder Adam Jones told a reporter that the team asked him to pull out of winter ball because he was headed to Baltimore for a physical.

It looks like the Mariners are setting in motion a chain of events that will land them Orioles ace Erik Bedard, according to reports in the Seattle Times. The Mariners pulled Adam Jones from the Venezuelan Winter League playoffs and are reportedly sending him to Baltimore for a physical. Mariners spokesman Tim Hevly confirmed that Jones will no longer be playing in Venezuela, but he did not give any further comment on a trade for Bedard.

Charlie Walters of the Pioneer Press is reporting that the Minnesota Twins could trade Johan Santana within the next ten days. Santana, who has the right to veto any trade to a team who won't pay him the kind of money he desires, has been the object of several teams' affection this offseason.

Despite the lack of change in the Johan Santana saga, the New York Daily News has reported that the Mets are putting talks with Livan Hernandez on hold to focus on the Twin's ace. A recent report in the Rocky Mountain News claimed that the Mets were close to signing Hernandez, but the team has denied that rumor. One unnamed baseball insider claims that Mets' GM Omar Minaya is enamored with obtaining Santana. "He still wants him, and I got the feeling he thinks he can get him," the person said. "I think he believes the longer it goes, the better his chances."

The Rangers may have finished putting together their team for Spring Training, but that hasn't stopped other teams from asking about their players. The Cubs, according to Major League officials, have called and asked about center fielder Marlon Byrd. The Cubs are looking for a right-handed-hitting center fielder. Byrd played center for the Rangers last season but is expected to switch to left after the acquisition of Josh Hamilton earlier this month.

Cubs' General Manager Jim Hendry alternated between being aghast and amused Saturday over a report that had the Cubs sending seven players to the Baltimore Orioles for second baseman Brian Roberts and left-handed pitcher Erik Bedard. The "deal" reportedly was killed by Orioles' owner Peter Angelos, who last year hired former Cubs' President Andy MacPhail to run his baseball operation. "First of all, that story was not accurate," Hendry told the crowd at the Cubs' convention. "I think it mentioned the owner nixing the trade. That certainly hasn't been the path we've been on. I don't think it would ever get to the ownership-type level. Andy MacPhail is certainly capable of making deals. That is not accurate." "I'd like to know who we gave up."