Top News:
Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:
Market favors a Ramírez deal — The list of possible trading partners for the Red Sox in a Manny Ramírez deal shrank by another team yesterday, even as an exploding market makes the remaining $38 million on Ramírez's contract appear a relative bargain.
Discussion:
Lookout Landing
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Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Cubs continuing to lure Lugo — The Cubs didn't stop pursuing free agent Julio Lugo after signing Mark DeRosa to play second base. And they haven't stopped pursuing Lugo after signing Alfonso Soriano to be a $136 million outfielder, FOXSports.com has learned. — FOX Bite — Videos
Discussion:
Can't Stop The Bleeding
Carrie Muskat / MLB.com:
Cubs complete blockbuster with Soriano — Eight-year, $136 million contract richest in team history — CHICAGO — For Alfonso Soriano, a 40-40-40 season equals $136 million. — The Cubs, who have been signing players at a dizzying pace, locked in the free-agent outfielder on Monday to an eight-year deal worth $136 million.
San Francisco Chronicle:Soriano, Cubs near deal Giants not allowed to match $136 million offer, sources say
Kelly Thesier / MLB.com:
Morneau upsets field in AL MVP race — Twins first baseman tops Jeter, Ortiz and Thomas — MINNEAPOLIS — Justin Morneau had some stiff competition when it came to earning American League Most Valuable Player honors, and that was just on his team. — But while the Twins had multiple candidates …
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ESPN:
Morneau edges Jeter to win AL MVP — NEW YORK — Minnesota's Justin Morneau edged the New York Yankees' Derek Jeter to win the American League's Most Valuable Player Award on Tuesday. — Morneau received 15 first-place votes, eight seconds, three thirds and two fourths for 320 points …
Discussion:
Baseball Crank
George King / New York Post:
SAY IT AIN'T CO — JETER MIGHT TIE MORNEAU FOR AL MVP — How close was the AL MVP voting that will be announced today? Throughout baseball yesterday an unsubstantiated rumor buzzed the landscape that Derek Jeter and Twins first baseman Justin Morneau had tied for the award.
Marty Noble / MLB.com:
Alou signs one-year deal with Mets — Club declines Glavine's option, but hopes to re-sign him — NEW YORK — The offensive shortfall against left-handed pitching that afflicted the Mets in late summer has been addressed, so too the situation involving Tom Glavine.
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Baseball Crank:
Valuables — Lots of baseball stuff to catch up on the past two weeks or so. — *Judging by the search engine traffic, a lot of people are looking for my take on the 2006 NL MVP race, the 2006 AL MVP race, and the other postseason awards; go here for that.
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:Alou Signs 1-Year Deal to Play Left for Mets
Discussion:
Archie Bunker's Army
Ed Eagle / MLB.com:
Bucs make 40-man roster adjustments — Three make first appearance for Rule 5 Draft protection — PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates announced their 40-man roster late on Monday night, just prior to the midnight ET deadline for rosters to be submitted.
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Jim Baker / Baseball Prospectus:
Prospectus Matchups — Most Valuable — After decades as a baseball fan, I still can't figure out what the hell the Most Valuable Player Award is supposed to be. Maybe that's the charm of the award: every season, it means something a little bit different. In some years, it's for the player who had the best season.
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
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Kevin Goldstein / Baseball Prospectus:
Monday Morning Ten Pack, 11/20/06 — The 2006 Arizona Fall League season came to an end on Saturday afternoon, as the Phoenix Desert Dogs won their third title in a row by topping Grand Canyon 6-2 in a one-game championship. Looking at the final numbers, there are plenty of performances—both good and bad—that catch one's eye.
Discussion:
Brewers Bar
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Soriano says wanting to win led to exit — Former Nats slugger reiterates he enjoyed time in Washington — WASHINGTON — Left fielder Alfonso Soriano said on Monday that remaining with the Nationals was his top priority, but he decided to sign an eight-year, $136 million contract with the Cubs instead.
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Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:
Pitcher gets taste of the US — Sox brass flies out to dine with Matsuzaka — From the team that made a working dinner out of Thanksgiving (Curt Schilling) and conducted high-wire negotiations on a Dominican airport tarmac (Pedro Martínez) comes news of another potentially portentous meeting …
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cards cut Bigbie, add 4 to roster — Outfielder Larry Bigbie's injury-riddled, frustrated and brief time with the Cardinals likely ended Monday as the team requested release waivers on him as part of a handful of moves. Bigbie missed all but 25 at-bats of the season because of various injuries …
