LAS VEGAS — Yankees general manager Brian Cashman left the winter meetings yesterday and traveled to the San Francisco area to meet with CC Sabathia, giving New York renewed hope it could sign the prized free-agent pitcher.

New York made a six-year offer to Sabathia on Nov. 14 and met with him on Sunday and Monday. Cashman's daily briefing with reporters was canceled by the team yesterday, with spokesman Jason Zillo saying, "Brian is off hotel property and unavailable for the rest of the evening."

Cashman's trip to California was disclosed by a baseball official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team didn't say where the GM had gone. Cashman traveled after being invited by Sabathia, the official said.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi doesn't think Sabathia is reticent to pitch in New York, where failure leads to harsh criticism.

"He's been in the American League long enough to know what New York is about," he said. "And CC's personality, I think, would work very well here. He's a guy that wants the ball every fifth day. He's a standup guy, he's a very honest young man. So I think his personality will be great."

Sabathia is from California, and Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said Monday that Sabathia told him he wants to join Los Angeles.

NO COIN FLIPS TO DECIDE SITE OF TIEBREAKERS

Major League Baseball will push ahead with a plan to eliminate coin flips for deciding the site of tiebreaker games for division titles and wild-card berths.

After meeting yesterday with general managers, MLB executive vice president Jimmie Lee Solomon said he hoped a proposal could be presented to owners in time for a decision at their meetings in Phoenix from Jan. 13 to 15.

Instead of deciding the sites by coin flips, criteria involving play would be used, such as head-to-head record between the tied teams and record within the division.

Solomon said that the proposed change also will be discussed with the players' association.

BATS MUST BE CERTIFIED BY MLB STARTING IN 2009

All bats used in big league games soon will have their own serial numbers and ink markings for tracking, part of the first step in the sport's efforts to decrease the number of broken bats and ensure a safer environment for players and fans.

By the start of the 2009 regular season, the plan of MLB's safety and health advisory committee is that all bats will have been certified by MLB and that the 32 manufacturers making them will be held to a new list of standards surrounding their production. That means keeping track of different models and how frequently they are breaking — a process that has a lot to do with determining the quality and slope of the wood's grain.

TRADES AND SIGNINGS

Dodgers: Los Angeles reached agreements with free-agent infielders Casey Blake and Mark Loretta at the winter meetings, with only physicals still necessary to complete the deals.

Blake got a three-year contract to stay put in Los Angeles and Loretta received a one-year deal, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Dodgers had yet to make a formal announcement.

Red-Orioles: The Cincinnati Reds plugged a hole behind the plate, acquiring Ramon Hernandez from the Baltimore Orioles for frustrated utilityman Ryan Freel and two minor leaguers yesterday.

The rebuilding Orioles also receive infield prospects Justin Turner and Brandon Waring. As part of the deal, Baltimore will give Cincinnati cash to offset part of Hernandez's contract. He is owed $8.5 million next year.