Top News:
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Braves make tempting offer to Rangers — LIKE THIS STORY? — The game is now, "Can you top this?" — The Braves, major-league sources say, have made the Rangers a whopper of an offer for first baseman Mark Teixeira. — The Rangers evidently would receive three highly regarded young players …
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, MLB Trade Rumors, Lone Star Ball, Los Angeles Times, Viva El Birdos, Talking Chop and Chop-n-Change
RELATED:
Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Doubts on Otsuka's return to Rangers — Reliever going to LA for second opinion on arm; trade status up in air — egrant@dallasnews.com — Reliever Akinori Otsuka won't be back on the mound before Tuesday's trading deadline. Now the question is exactly when he will be back at all.
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:Teixeira trade watch continues in Texas
Discussion:
Baseball Time in Arlington
Todd Zolecki / philly.com:
Utley breaks right hand — Chase Utley sounded like a confident man this afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, but his optimism could not ease the troubled look on Charlie Manuel's face or the evident feeling in Philadelphia that this injury could cost the Phillies another shot at the postseason.
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Associated Press:
Utley breaks right hand — PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Phillies All-Star second baseman Chase Utley broke his right hand when he was hit by a pitch during Thursday's 7-6 loss to the Washington Nationals. — Utley was hit in the fifth inning by Washington's John Lannan, who was making his major league debut.
Discussion:
Blogging Baseball, Phillies Nation, Balls, Sticks, & Stuff, Associated Press and Mets Lifers
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
Smith's Pitches Are Up, So the Mets Send Him Down — Joe Smith's career has followed the opposite trajectory of his best pitch, the sinker. A blindingly quick ascent from a college closer to a minor league stopper to a spring training phenom earned him a job in the Mets' bullpen without facing the downs to balance the ups.
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Anthony Rieber / Newsday:
Pedro Martinez taking next step on road to Mets — Pedro Martinez is scheduled to throw what the Mets hope will be his final simulated game today in Port St. Lucie, Fla. — If all goes well, the Mets' ace could make his first minor-league rehab start Wednesday, which would start the 30-day clock on his return to the big leagues.
Hal Bock / Associated Press:Pirates end Mets' 3-game winning streak
Discussion:
New York Post, Mets Geek, The Musings and Prophecies …, Where have you gone … and Associated Press
Alan Schwarz / New York Times:
Rodriguez Home Runs: Count Them Backward — Alex Rodriguez could become the first major league player ever to hit his 500th home run twice. — In a scene more M. C. Escher than Norman Rockwell, Rodriguez, who has 499 career home runs, could become tangled in an esoteric baseball scoring rule applied …
Discussion:
Yanksfan vs Soxfan
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George King / New York Post:
IT'S TY FOR TRADE — KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Yankees fans may be tired of watching Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth pitch ineffectively for their team, but that hasn't stopped other major league clubs from being interested in the erratic right-handers. — According to talent evaluators from AL …
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
The price isn't right for GMs — They're unwilling to overpay on deal — CLEVELAND — The trade deadline goes through many ebbs and flows. — There's the "feeler" stage. There's the "kicking the tires" stage. And now the "show me the money" stage.
Discussion:
Boston Sports Media Watch
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Bob Dutton / www.kansascity.com:
Dotel wants to negotiate contract extension to remain with Royals — One of the hottest commodities on baseball's trade market would just as soon stay where he is — with the Royals. — Veteran closer Octavio Dotel understands the business reality that links him in trade rumors …
Alex Gyr / MLB.com:
Notes: Depleted 'pen feeling effects — Rodney heads to Triple-A, Tigers unsure of his return to club — CHICAGO — Sometimes it takes a blown six-run lead to put things in perspective. — The Tigers squandered a 7-1 lead in Tuesday's, 8-7, loss to the White Sox, with six of the runs coming …
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Power Surge by Matsui Delights Japanese Fans — Hideki Matsui hit at least 34 home runs in each of his last seven seasons in Japan. In five seasons with the Yankees, he has exceeded 23 homers only once. — This month, though, Matsui is hitting the way he did with the Yomiuri Giants.
Discussion:
Bronx Banter
La Velle E. Neal III / Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Twins' season hangs in the balance this weekend — Three games against American League Central rival Cleveland could label the team's course for the final two months. — CLEVELAND - The Twins' pivotal weekend series against the Indians at Jacobs Field could help answer the biggest question surrounding …
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
Chuck King / Palm Beach Post:
Reliever gets brief taste of AAA baseball — JUPITER — Jupiter reliever Jeff Gogal's first trip to the Class AAA level wasn't quite how he imagined it. — Gogal found out Sunday night he was heading to Albuquerque, N.M. — "They told me, 'I've got good news and bad news,' " said Gogal …
Discussion:
FishStripes
Joe Capozzi / Palm Beach Post:
Benitez blows game — PHOENIX — Armando Benitez gave up a three-run homer to Eric Byrnes with two outs in the ninth inning as the Diamondbacks rallied to a 7-4 victory and four-game series sweep of the Marlins. — Benitez was one strike from sending the game into extra innings when Byrnes lined …
Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates Notebook: Torres' grievance could affect trade — NEW YORK — A trade of reliever Salomon Torres might be a messy proposition. — The grievance he filed against the Pirates in March, one in which he complained that the team deceived him when negotiating his contract in the spring of 2006 …
Discussion:
Bucs Dugout
