Top News:
Ronald Blum / Associated Press:
Park, Mets near deal on contract — NEW YORK (AP) — Chan Ho Park reached a preliminary agreement with the New York Mets on a $600,000, one-year contract, giving the team another option for its starting rotation heading into spring training. — His agreement was disclosed by two people familiar …
RELATED:
Ronald Blum / Los Angeles Times:
Chan Ho Park Reaches Deal With Mets — NEW YORK — Chan Ho Park is joining the expanding list of pitchers trying to earn spots in the New York Mets' rotation. Park and the Mets agreed Friday to a $600,000, one-year contract, giving the team another option for its starting rotation heading into spring training.
Discussion:
Catbird in the Nosebleed Seats
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Mets are on the rise — Omar: New park, team built for future — They didn't match the Red Sox's posting bid for Daisuke Matsuzaka. They wouldn't go to the Giants' lengths to sign Barry Zito. Yet Mets GM Omar Minaya could still offer a chuckle yesterday. — "Put it this way," Minaya said.
Reuters:
Mets reach oral agreement with Park — SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean starting pitcher Chan Ho Park has reached an oral agreement on a one-year deal with the New York Mets, his management company said on Friday. — The deal would pay Park a base salary of $3 million …
Discussion:
...getting paid to watch, Mike's Mets, Baseball Crank, MiracleMets.net and Amazin' Avenue
Rob Blackstien / Rotoworld.com:
Can Offense Carry Mets? — The Mets have done precious little to strengthen a team that came within one win of going to the World Series last year. They were foiled in their attempts to add a top notch starter, losing out on both Daisuke Matsuzaka and Barry Zito.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
Associated Press:
Hank Bauer dead at 84 — NEW YORK (AP) — Hank Bauer, the tough ex-Marine who set a World Series record with a 17-game hitting streak for the New York Yankees and later managed the Baltimore Orioles to the 1966 title, died Friday. He was 84. — Bauer died in the Kansas City area …
biz.yahoo.com:
Making Noise: Batter Up! Is Major League Baseball Prepping for an Interactive IPO? — Addition By Subtraction: There's a lot of talk these days about Major League Baseball striking a seven-year, $100 million per year deal to sell exclusive rights to its Extra Innings package of out-of-market games to DirecTV (NYSE: DTV - News).
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
Williams Spurns Longshot Chance at Making Yanks' Roster — Bernie Williams came to this Connecticut town Friday night to play his guitar in a benefit concert at a church. He will be back home in Westchester County in the days to come. But where he will not be any time soon is in Tampa …
Discussion:
BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Associated Press:
Beimel, Paul first two players in arbitration hearings — Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Joe Beimel and Tampa Bay backup catcher Josh Paul became the first two players to go to salary arbitration hearings this year. — Paul asked arbitrators Richard Bloch, Robert Bailey and Christine Knowlton for a raise from $475,000 to $940,000.
Jeff Passan / Yahoo! Sports:
Rookies have big shoes to fill — When historians look back at the 2006 season, they might not fixate on what actually happened during it. What last year begat - the greatest rookie class in perhaps 25 years - should be a greater gift than the pleasure of watching Ryan Howard blast 58 home runs …
Ronald Blum / Associated Press:
Baseballs to keep their cool — NEW YORK (AP) — Baseballs will keep their cool this summer. — The commissioner's office is telling teams for the first time that balls must be stored at a uniform temperature after they are delivered from the manufacturer.
Nate Silver / Baseball Prospectus:
...and the Best (Young) Outfields — As a follow-up to PECOTA's take on the best infields that we ran yesterday, we can perform the analysis for the best long-term outfields in the majors. — As outfields tend to be a bit more interchangeable, we're going to change the rules slightly …
Associated Press:
Braves pitcher, wife mutually agree to split — ATLANTA — Braves pitcher John Smoltz is getting a divorce. — The agency that represents Smoltz, Career Sports & Entertainment, said Friday that the pitcher and his wife, Dyan, had mutually agreed to split after some 16 years of marriage.
John Sickels / Minor League Ball:
Thinking About Tyler Clippard — Here is what I wrote about Tyler Clippard in the book this year: — Others have similar views. My friend Deric McKamey in his 2007 Minor League Baseball Analyst rates Clippard as a potential number five starter, and points out that he gets his strikeouts …
Phil Rogers / ESPN:
Angels' outfield has the potential to be superior — Are the luxury tax and increased revenue sharing spreading talent around? Or is this merely a down cycle for big league outfielders? — Either seems possible in assessing outfield collections entering 2007.
Associated Press:
Relief pitcher retires after 16 major league seasons — Jeff Fassero is retiring from baseball after winning 121 games over 16 major league seasons. — The 44-year-old lefty, cut by the San Francisco Giants in May, worked out for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Feb. 2. — "I thought I threw really well.
Bill Ladson / washington.nationals.mlb.com:
Q&A with Nationals president Kasten — Washington executive talks about the future of the organization … MLB.com: We are a few days away from Spring Training. How do you think the team will do during the 2007 season? — Stan Kasten: First of all, it's such an exciting time.
