Sabathia talks to Yankees again

Lefthander CC Sabathia met with the Yankees for the second straight day at the winter meetings in Las Vegas, but the team still wasn't sure what chance it had to land the coveted free agent, general manager Brian Cashman said.

New York made a record offer for a pitcher to Sabathia on Nov. 14, a deal that would exceed Johan Santana's six-year, $137.5 million contract with the New York Mets.

Milwaukee wants to retain the 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner, and the Los Angeles Dodgers say they might be interested.

Maddux retires. After 355 victories and 23 major-league seasons, Greg Maddux announced his retirement.

Maddux, 42, who won four consecutive NL Cy Young Awards (1992-95), compiled a 3.16 career ERA. He ranks eighth on the career wins list, with a record of 355-227. He won a record 18 Gold Gloves, including one last season, which he divided between San Diego and the Dodgers.

Tigers-Rangers trade. Detroit acquired catcher Gerald Laird from Texas in a deal that sent righthanded pitching prospects Guillermo Moscoso and Carlos Melo to the Rangers.

Marlins. Jeff Conine, who played for two World Series championship teams with Florida, has rejoined the organization as a special assistant to team president David Samson.

New York, New York. The Yankees and Mets are asking the city for $450 million more in public bonds to finance their new ballparks, on top of nearly $1.5 billion they were already granted, according to the city's Economic Development Corp.

The city's Industrial Development Agency must hold a hearing before granting any additional public monies.

Cubs. The bids Tribune Co. received for the Chicago Cubs ranged from $850 million to $950 million and should decline now that the parent company is in bankruptcy, Bloomberg News reported.

Tribune, saddled with $12.9 billion in debt after being taken private by billionaire Sam Zell a year ago, needed to sell the team for at least $1 billion and repay its loan to avoid breaching year-end debt covenants, according to CreditSights Inc. debt analyst Jake Newman.