Insider: All-Star Game, Joe Torre and Prince Fielder

On Jan. 31, 2007, Major League Baseball announced that the Yankees would host the 2008 All-Star Game, closing out the old Yankee Stadium in style. Though the news had been an open secret since 2005, baseball made it official just under a year and a half before first pitch.

The 2013 Midsummer Classic is slated for Citi Field, and we're about at that 18-month juncture. Two people with knowledge of the proceedings said no official announcement is imminent because, as one put it, "There are still a few things to sort out" regarding logistics such as hotels and the pregame parade.

That delay could prove to be a blessing in disguise. How awkward would it be for MLB folks to award this jewel event to a team that owes them money?

The Mets, as you know, owe MLB $25 million from a loan issued in November 2010. If they can line up a group of minority investors, as they say they will -- Sandy Alderson said the arrangement could be completed this month -- they can reimburse central baseball and eliminate an embarrassing situation for Bud Selig and company.

And if the Mets can't complete their agreements before baseball feels compelled to complete next year's All-Star Game? Well, Selig wouldn't take the game away from the Mets. But he'd have to deal with more accusations, particularly from angry Mets fans, that he's looking out more for his old pal Fred Wilpon than for the overall health of the franchise and the game.

Torre leaves MLB

Joe Torre quit his high-profile, high-paying job at Major League Baseball so he can fully focus on his group's efforts to acquire the Los Angeles Dodgers, whom Torre managed from 2008 through 2010.

Current Dodgers owner Frank McCourt is expected to choose a new buyer by April 1, with the sale finalized by April 30. If Torre's group (headed by real-estate magnate Rick Caruso) prevails, the former Yankees skipper will be plenty occupied for years to come.

If another group wins what should be an extremely spirited competition, however? Then why shouldn't Torre simply return to his post as MLB's executive vice president for baseball operations? Don't rule it out altogether. Selig very much enjoyed having Torre in his Cabinet, and Torre, too, liked staying so plugged in without enduring the daily stress of managing.

Prince, Jackson, Kuroda still out there

There's only one impact bat remaining on the free-agent market, and if Prince Fielder is close to signing anywhere, he and agent Scott Boras are doing a fine job of hiding it.

On the pitching side, however, Edwin Jackson, Hiroki Kuroda and Roy Oswalt still can be had for money, and the Cubs would give up Matt Garza in the right trade.

The Yankees, while boasting a starting rotation six-deep, know they could use some more depth. Of the aforementioned quartet, Kuroda is most likely -- at this juncture -- to join the Yankees.

The idea of a one-year deal for Kuroda appeals to the Yankees, who aim to lower their payroll below the $189-million luxury-tax threshold by 2014. The team just wants the veteran to lower his demands from a one-year, $13-million contract to something like $8 million or $9 million.

Oswalt, too, could come in for just one year, but he wants more money than even Kuroda, and the Yankees aren't sure the 34-year-old can withstand a full season in the American League East, given that he endured back problems last year and throws with such a violent delivery.

For Garza, who has two years left before free agency, the Cubs want a package headlined by young pitcher Dellin Betances and young catcher Jesus Montero. That isn't happening. And Jackson wants as much as five years for as much as $15 million annually; the Yankees don't want to put that sort of salary on their 2014 books at this juncture.