MLB News, Notes, and Links

• According to Hard Ball Talk (NBC Sports), the Texas Rangers and free-agent RHP Brandon Webb could be close to a deal. Gotta love all the "could be", "might be", and "reportedly" talk that you hear this time of year, huh? 
• The Rangers are trying hard to maintain the momentum they gained last year with a World Series appearance, but it become a lot more difficult when they lost Cliff Lee. Webb is one of the best pitchers in baseball when healthy, and he could really help them; the downside is that he's pitched only 4 innings since 2008 due to shoulder problems. Shoulder problems for pitchers, in case you have heard, are very bad: "If pitchers with torn labrums were horses, they'd be destroyed."
• Joel Keller @ Fanhouse interviewed Michael Shur, who once co-authored the popular FireJoeMorgan.com blog, and got his take on Morgan's dismissal from ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. Shur is an interesting guy, having once been a writer for the TV Show "The Offfice", and now being the executive director for "Parks and Recreation". He's also Regis Philbin's son-in-law.
• According to FoxSports, Stephen Strasburg is making good progress in his elbow rehab. Strasburg had reconstructive surgery on the elbow back in September. According to the article, he's "..hoping to get in a few weeks of throwing before rejoining the Nationals when pitchers and catchers report for spring training in February." 
• The NY Commission on Public Integrity fined  governor David Paterson $62,125, for accepting five tickets to Game 5 of the 2010 World Series. Paterson got his story all mixed up, and generally came off looking like an idiot, but not necessarily a corrupt idiot. I think the commission should really get down off the high horse - it's the f'ing WORLD SERIES. And it's BEING PLAYED IN NY. What would it have looked like if the NY governor hadn't been there? Bunch of Mo-Rons.
• Rick Ankiel signed with the Nationals, for $1.5 million. That's not a bad signing for them, as Ankiel (30) has some pop, which they need, and could probably be a solid contributor in center field if a team just left him alone and let him hit his way through his sometimes lengthy slumps... Not sure if this paves the way from them to move Nyjer (riot-starter) Morgan out of town.
• The Marlins re-signed RHP Ricky Nolasco (28) to a 3-year, $26.5 million extension. Nolasco has been inconsistent, but has electric stuff, and has won 42 games for The Fish over the last 3 years. Florida's rotation is young and looks potentially nasty, featuring Nolasco, Josh Johnson (27), Chris Volstad (24), Anibal Sanchez (27), and recent free-agent acquisition Javier Vasquez (34). And that doesn't even include 21 year-old Alex Sanabia, but pitched very well in 72 innings last year.
• There's some buzz about that Chicago RHP Jake Peavy is looking really good coming back from injury, and might open the season in the rotation. That would be good news for Chicago, which is already pitching-loaded, but would like to keep 2nd year phenom (not an exaggeration) Chris Sale in the bullpen, at least for now. 
• Sale was drafted in the 1st round in June out of Florida Gulf Coast University, then blew through the minors and cemented a spot on the ML roster for 2011; he posted a 1.93 ERA and 12.3 K/9 rate in 21 games in the big leagues late in the year.
• The Hardball Times identified 3 players they think could be sleepers in fantasy drafts this year, including Derrek Lee, Grady Sizemore, and Jason Bay.