Top News:
Chris De Luca / Chicago Sun Times:
Cubs closing in on deal with Floyd — With a nod of approval from new leadoff hitter Alfonso Soriano to give center field a try, the Cubs appear poised to sign veteran outfielder Cliff Floyd to a one-year contract. — The Floyd deal, which might be completed this week …
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
RELATED:
Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
Piniella says Soriano candidate for center — Lou Piniella's back acted up on him Saturday morning, forcing him to miss the first half of his first question-and-answer session with fans at the Cubs Convention at the Chicago Hilton. — Would the manager be the first Cub on the disabled list in 2007?
Discussion:
GROTA
Carrie Muskat / MLB.com:
Piniella considering Soriano in center — Manager 'intrigued' by idea of star manning middle of outfield — CHICAGO — New Cubs manager Lou Piniella may have found the solution for center field at the Cubs Convention. What about Alfonso Soriano in center?
Discussion:
The Baseball Desert
Chris De Luca / Chicago Sun Times:
Add Theriot to Cubs' mix in center field — Lou Piniella has spent the week getting to know Chicago's icy weather up close and personal, meeting some of his new Cubs players and doing a little house hunting. Too bad the Cubs Convention opened Friday with the new manager feeling as if there is one piece of unfinished business.
Bruce Miles / Daily Herald:Zambrano trying to get 'business' taken care of
Discussion:
Chicago Sun Times
NY Daily News:
It's 'Moneybull' — Skippers underappreciated, underpaid — It appears the Mets and Willie Randolph are moving inexorably on agreeing to disagree in regard to the manager's value in a contract extension. But while I'm told the negotiations between the two sides have been amicable …
RELATED:
Ed Eagle / MLB.com:
Pirates finalize LaRoche trade — Pittsburg sends closer Gonzalez to Atlanta for first baseman — PITTSBURGH — Chalk one up for persistence. — After months of negotiations, the Pittsburgh Pirates finally officially got their man on Friday by completing a four-player trade …
Discussion:
Wait 'Til Next Year
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates Notebook: Littlefield seeks bench bat — By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield sounded satisfied at acquiring Adam LaRoche, but not quite finished for the offseason. — "We liked Adam," Littlefield said.
Joe Starkey / PittsburghLIVE.com:Pirates general manager kept eye on ball
Discussion:
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
Is there a repeat in Cards? — Carpenter confident team has strong hand — Since the Yankees strung together three championships from 1998-2000, there have been six different World Series winners, proof that repeating is so hard to do. When you consider that the Cardinals won last year's title …
Richard Barbieri / Hardball Times:
This Annotated Week in Baseball History: Jan. 15-21, 1965 — On Jan. 20, 1965, Nick Altrock died in Washington D.C. But the real story is what happened in the nearly 60 years Altrock spent in baseball before that. — Some, maybe even most, players' careers fall into a neat four-part pattern.
Discussion:
BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Joe Hamrahi / baseballdigestdaily.com:
BDD GM Interview: Ned Colletti, Los Angeles Dodgers — Next up in our GM interview series is Ned Colletti of the Los Angeles Dodgers. As you all know, Ned is going through his second off-season with the Dodgers after coming over from San Francisco where he was the assistant general manager to Brian Sabean.
Discussion:
True Blue LA
Murray Chass / New York Times:
Blue Jays Are Trying to Stay With the Big Boys — By slipping ahead of the Red Sox in last season's final week, the Toronto Blue Jays enjoyed their best division finish since winning successive World Series in 1992 and '93. For a dozen years the Blue Jays had finished no better than third in the American League East.
Baltimore Sun:
Orioles join not-so-elite company — So this is what nine straight losing seasons gets you - the company of the Oakland Raiders, New York Knicks and St. Louis Blues. — The Orioles have been lumped in with those teams in The Sporting News' selection of the worst pro sports franchises.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
MLB.com:
Sosa's return a mixed bag — Slugger rekindles fond memories of '98, and suspicion — The potential reappearance of Sammy Sosa does not at first glance remind you of Gen. Douglas MacArthur's return to the Philippines. — "I shall return," MacArthur vowed in a moment of bitter defeat.
RELATED:
Jeff Passan / Yahoo! Sports:Blast from the past — Here's a curious case for all sides …
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
Jim Baker / Baseball Prospectus:
Prospectus Matchups — PECOTA's Rookies — It's time, once again, to take a look at the young players with no major league experience who have the highest PECOTA ratings heading into the 2007 season. These aren't necessarily the top prospects in their respective organizations …
Tom Haudricourt / JSOnline:
Graffanino settles for one-year deal — Veteran infielder avoids salary arbitration — thaudricourt@journalsentinel.com — The Milwaukee Brewers' on-and-off courtship of Tony Graffanino culminated Friday when the veteran infielder agreed to a one-year deal for $3.25 million, avoiding salary arbitration.
