Top News:
Michael Silverman / Boston Herald:
Complicated matter: Many sides to Sox trading Manny — The Red Sox are busy, busy, busy these days, weighing blockbuster trades (Manny Ramirez), negotiating across the Pacific Ocean (Daisuke Matsuzaka), crossing the T's and dotting the I's on a free agent mega-deal (J.D. Drew) …
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Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:
Sox, Drew close — Outfielder in line for $70m, five years — There is still contract language to be worked out, and some question about whether the fifth year of the deal is guaranteed. But the Red Sox are nearing the completion of a deal with J.D. Drew that would pay …
Discussion:
Yanksfan vs Soxfan, The House That Dewey Built, Baseball Musings and Can't Stop The Bleeding
Jeff Goldberg / Hartford Courant:
Lucchino Makes Trip To Far East — Confirms Offer To Matsuzaka — As the halfway point of their window to negotiate with pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka approaches, the Red Sox traveled halfway around the world to help facilitate an agreement. — Red Sox president Larry Lucchino met in Japan …
Discussion:
Boston Herald
Jeff Horrigan / Boston Herald:Manny gets backing: Papelbon hopes team holds onto slugger
Discussion:
The Joy of Sox
Rob Gillies / Associated Press:
Blue Jays: Barajas backed out after signing terms sheet — TORONTO (AP) — Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi claimed Wednesday that catcher Rod Barajas backed out of a deal with Toronto after signing a terms sheet with the team. — Toronto agreed to a $7.25 million …
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Jordan Bastian / MLB.com:
Barajas signed deal before backing out — GM Ricciardi says catcher, Jays had 'more than a handshake' — TORONTO — As far as the Blue Jays were concerned, they had signed free-agent catcher Rod Barajas. After all, he had signed an agreement. — On Tuesday, Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi …
Discussion:
The Baseball Files
Jerry Crasnick / ESPN:
Phillies back out of deal with Borowski after physical … The Philadelphia Phillies backed away from a multiyear agreement with free-agent reliever Joe Borowski because of concerns over Borowski's shoulder after the pitcher took a physical, several baseball sources told ESPN.com.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
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Mark Healey / Gotham Baseball:
The Rumor Mill: Prelude to a Miss? — For much of the last two baseball seasons, there has been a lot of talk - and endless speculation — about the possibility of left-hander Barry Zito coming to New York. — With just a few days left before the start from MLB's Winter Meetings in Orlando …
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Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cards get moving on shopping list — Plunging into a fast-moving market to fill two vacancies before a couple of coveted players got away, the Cardinals brought Adam Kennedy back to the flock and invited Kip Wells to be Dave Duncan's next revival. — Over the holiday weekend …
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John Hickey / Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Garcia re-registers on Mariners' radar — Price of pitchers in a dwindling pool improves Freddy's lot — The news just keeps getting worse for the Mariners. They haven't signed a free-agent starting pitcher, nor are they particularly close to doing so.
Fox Sports:
The worst deals this off-season ... so far — Baseball teams are in possession of a verdant and expansive grove of money trees. — What other explanation could there be for what we've seen transpire this winter? Baseball owners, showing the fiscal restraint of Dennis Kozlowski on a meth bender …
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Blue Jays reach agreement with Clayton — The Blue Jays, acting to solidify their middle-infield defense, have reached agreement with free-agent shortstop Royce Clayton on a one-year, $1.5 million contract, FOXSports.com has learned. — The deal, which is pending a physical …
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Bradford bolts bullpen for Baltimore — The Mets have lost one of the key pieces of their bullpen. Chad Bradford has agreed to a three-year deal with the Orioles worth roughly $10.5 million, pending a physical, baseball officials said yesterday. — The righthanded Bradford, 32 …
Tom Krasovic / San Diego Union-Tribune:
Padres seeking slugger Ramirez? — Counsell spurns S.D.; Yanks get Igawa rights — The Padres haven't ruled out trading for Boston Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez despite concerns about his salary, his subpar defense, his reputation for being lackadaisical and his apparent preference to remain in the American League.
Discussion:
Gaslamp Ball
David O'Brien / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
No Braves offer yet for Glavine — Tom Glavine wants to rejoin the Braves and the Braves want the 40-year-old left-hander back in their starting rotation. But as of late Tuesday, a signing seemed far from imminent _ in fact, there was reason to doubt if it would happen at all.
