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
Dave van Dyck / Chicago Tribune:
Cubs still plan to pursue pitching — Interim President McDonough says Hendry has money left in his budget — With the signing of free agent Alfonso Soriano for $17 million a year and the future addition of at least two more big-name pitchers, the Cubs could start next season …
Discussion:
GROTA
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.
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 …
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.
Associated Press:
Twins slugger Morneau edges Jeter to win AL MVP award — CBS SportsLine.com wire reports — NEW YORK — Justin Morneau won the American League's Most Valuable Player Award on Tuesday, edging Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees after a season in which his 34 homers and 130 RBI helped the Minnesota Twins capture their division.
Discussion:
AaronGleeman.com
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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StatsGuru / Baseball Musings:
Probabilistic Model of Range, First Basemen, 2006 — Here's how PMR ranks the first basemen: — Probabilistic Model of Range, First Basemen. Model is Based on 2006 Data Only. Minimum 1000 Balls in Play. — Player In Play Actual Outs Predicted Outs DER Predicted DER Difference — Kendry Morales
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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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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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Anthony McCarron / NY Daily News:
Picture Lilly back in Bronx — There is a theme to the Yankees' search for starters this winter, so much so that if they were placing a classified ad it would read, "Wanted: pitchers who can beat the Red Sox." — While this is a mandate in George Steinbrenner's world every year …
Rob Maaddi / Associated Press:
Phillies might go after Carlos Lee — PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Having failed to land Alfonso Soriano, the Philadelphia Phillies could target free-agent slugger Carlos Lee. — On a day Ryan Howard was named the National League's Most Valuable Player, general manager Pat Gillick said the team still hopes …
Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
Trade route likely for Sox — Moving starting pitcher would afford payroll flexibility — On the same day the Cubs signed free agent Alfonso Soriano to the richest contract in franchise history and the Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly agreed to a five-year deal with leadoff hitter Juan Pierre …
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
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 …
