Top News:
Jeff Horrigan / Boston Herald:
Sox still plan to make a pitch for Rocket — The Red Sox [team stats] arguably will have the strongest starting rotation in the American League heading into spring training, but that will not preclude them from pursuing Roger Clemens one more time. — Owner John W. Henry confirmed …
RELATED:
NY Daily News:
Beware the Rocket — If the Yankees do win the always much-anticipated and now-annual Roger Clemens Sweepstakes, if they do manage to outbid the Astros and Red Sox for his services, they need to understand that they do not just get his 44-going-on-45 right arm, they also get the questions …
Barry Jackson / Miami Herald:
Marlins make moves, plan others — Checking out what's percolating in center field, the bullpen and elsewhere with Marlins spring training five weeks away: — • General manager Larry Beinfest believes free agent pickup Alex Sanchez has a realistic chance to win the starting spot in center field …
RELATED:
Ken Mandel / MLB.com:
Phils agree with Madson, Alfonseca — Right-handed relievers get one-year deals from Philadelphia — PHILADELPHIA — Ryan Madson avoided arbitration on Sunday by agreeing to a one-year, $1.1 million deal with the Phillies, leaving the club with four arbitration-eligible players.
ESPN.com:
Jays reward Overbay with four-year, $24M extension — TORONTO — First baseman Lyle Overbay and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a $24 million, four-year contract, a team official said Sunday. — Overbay hit .312 with 22 home runs, a team-high 46 doubles and 92 RBIs with Toronto last season …
Discussion:
Bucs Dugout
RELATED:
Jordan Bastian / MLB.com:
Report: Jays lock up Overbay — Deal would keep first baseman in Toronto through 2010 — TORONTO — The Blue Jays have reportedly lured another player away from the temptation of free agency. According to The Globe and Mail, Toronto has reached an agreement with first baseman Lyle Overbay on a four-year deal worth $24 million.
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Nuttings' stake grew bid by bid — Gradual buyout of partners led to control of Pirates — Pirates CEO Kevin McClatchy and chairman of the board Bob Nutting discuss the "change of control" within the Pirates. — The Pirates' ownership is not the most open of operations.
Discussion:
Bucco Wire
RELATED:
Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
New-look Cubs ready to make rounds — Fans to get an earful about all the changes — The Cubs come out of hibernation this week for the annual off-season spinfest known as the Cubs Convention, hoping to assure a shell-shocked fan base that last year's 96-loss disaster won't be repeated.
Matthew Leach / MLB.com:
Notes: Encarnacion discusses injury — Outfielder to start rehab on surgically repaired wrist next week — ST. LOUIS — Juan Encarnacion cleared up a couple of mysteries on Sunday afternoon. Encarnacion, chatting with reporters at the annual Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up …
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Hot Stove: How much can key hitters really improve? — By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — There emanates, all through the Pirates' organization, a belief that the young core of the team is bound to improve in 2007. — "We're going to get better," general manager Dave Littlefield said.
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
A Giant mess gets messier — Latest Bonds twist won't help his cause — Holliston's Mark Sweeney long has been considered a great teammate, one of those guys who's effective on the field and contributes many intangibles off it. — So what a kick in the teeth it must have been for Sweeney …
Discussion:
Over the Monster
Ryan Armbrust / The Pastime:
Graphing the Umpires — I've touched on this topic before, but I think I have something new to bring to the table now. In the past, I've attempted to evaluate umpires based on the statistics that the pitchers on the mound are putting up. I made some tables, saw a few trends, and that was that.
Discussion:
Beyond the Box Score
