Second wild-card team all but a done deal

PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. -- Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said he is "very hopeful" the sport will add an extra wild-card team in each league for the upcoming season, and a high-ranking major-league executive told Newsday it's all but a done deal.

Under its new labor deal with the Players Association, MLB has the right to add the extra wild card for this season or next. The league must inform the union by March 1 if the extra playoff teams are going to be added for this season.

According to the executive, all that remains is for postseason scheduling issues to be resolved. The two wild-card teams would meet in a one-game playoff to kick off the postseason. The playoffs have not been expanded since 1995, when the wild card was added.

Around the leagues

It has been known for months that the Mets are expected to host the 2013 All-Star Game at Citi Field, but MLB has yet to officially announce it. A major- league executive said the finishing touches are being put on the agreement.

Said Selig: "We'll have an All-Star announcement in the near future. Not only for '13 but beyond."

On Joe Torre, who left his position as MLB's executive vice president to pursue an ownership opportunity with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Selig said: "I love Joe and I've known him since he was 15 years old. He felt he had a great opportunity and I said to him, 'In life, you've got to do what is best for you, and if you think you've got to do this, do it.' So he did."

The Yankees added Rick Down, their one-time big-league hitting coach, as a roving minor-league instructor. Tom Nieto will manage their rookie-level Gulf Coast League team.