Top News:
TwinCities.com:
Minnesota Twins should trade stars for Boston Red Sox's cheap youth — If I'm the Twins' general manager, here's what I do. (And I'd do it under duress because I'd be working for a cheapskate owner.) I get on the horn with Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein and say, "You want Johan Santana, right?"
RELATED:
Jack Curry / New York Times:
Top Prospects Merely a Down Payment on Santana — When Johan Santana of the Minnesota Twins thinks about the seven-year, $126 million contract that Barry Zito signed with the San Francisco Giants 11 months ago, it would be natural for him to smile. And when general managers ponder that bloated contract …
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Twins still looking to ship Nathan, Santana — LIKE THIS STORY? — Johan Santana might not be the only big-name Twins pitcher who gets traded before Opening Day. Joe Nathan also looks like a goner, especially now that the Reds are on the verge of inflating the closer market …
Discussion:
Hot Foot
Kat O'Brien / Newsday:Yankees putting package together to get Santana from Twins
Discussion:
River Ave. Blues
Marty Noble / MLB.com:
Wagner lays out challenges ahead — Veteran closer tackles offseason issues facing club — NEW YORK — Part of the Mets' introduction to Billy Wagner two years ago was a warning. "I'm blunt," he told them. And he suggested if candor were upsetting, the club might be better off looking elsewhere for a relief pitcher.
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Adam Rubin / Surfing The Mets:
Wagner down on Mets — Billy Wagner isn't a big fan of the Mets' offseason so far. The closer told the Mets' Web site: "Someone asked me what I thought of our team. I said, 'What team?' We've lost 13 games [Glavine's victory total], and now we are going have to give up something to get those games back.
Discussion:
The Musings and Prophecies …
Jesse Spector / Touching Base:
Nine Innings: Dodgers GM Ned Colletti — Technically, I'm still on vacation, which is why you're not seeing any analysis (not that there have been many moves) until I really return to work on Thursday. But when the phone rings for an interview, I'm not going to sit around and twiddle my thumbs for a few extra days.
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Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
No worries as Rowand waits — Unlike Paul Konerko two years ago and Torii Hunter last week, Gold Glove center fielder Aaron Rowand isn't stressing over his free-agent status. — "I'm actually enjoying it," Rowand said Tuesday via phone from his home near Las Vegas. "We'll know when the time is right.
Discussion:
South Side Sox
MLB.com:
Tom McCarthy rejoins Phillies broadcast team — Tom McCarthy, who spent the last two seasons as a play-by-play announcer for the New York Mets on WFAN, is returning to his roots as a member of the Phillies broadcasting team, Rob Brooks, Manager, Broadcasting announced today.
Discussion:
Faith and Fear in Flushing, Zisk Online, Beerleaguer, Can't Stop The Bleeding and Hot Foot
Buster Olney / ESPN.com:
Rival executives: Cubs are willing to trade Prior … Four years ago, Mark Prior had the kind of stature that Johan Santana has now, as the pitcher that everybody would love to have. But now the Chicago Cubs have made it known that they are willing to trade the former All-Star pitcher, rival executives say.
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Associated Press:
Brewers guarantee Kendall $4.25M in new deal — MILWAUKEE — Jason Kendall will be guaranteed $4.25 million under the one-year contract he and the Milwaukee Brewers intended to finalize Wednesday. — The Brewers reached a preliminary agreement last week with the catcher and planned a Wednesday news conference at Miller Park.
Jeff Passan / Yahoo! Sports:
Two Series titles evidence of growing Theo-logy — Sometime soon the adjectives will be replaced. For the breadth of his career as Boston Red Sox general manager, Theo Epstein's name has been preceded by some variation of his youth - kid, wunderkind, prodigy, all said with good intentions, and all tinged with derision.
Discussion:
Boston Sports Media Watch
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Various Authors / The Biz of Baseball:
Voices on Barry Bonds — There may be no larger lightning rod in Major League Baseball than Barry Lamar Bonds. He is arguably baseball's poster child for performance-enhancing drugs. Nevertheless, he has never tested positive for the use of PED. — In 2003, Bonds testified …
A.J. Daulerio / Philly Mag:
The End Days of Bill Conlin's Online Crap Storm: Interview With Bill Baer — The last few days of Bill Conlin madness have devolved into this weird media sociology study: venerable columnist at a daily newspaper gets into an e-mail spat about his anti-sabermetrics column with a reader …
Tom Singer / MLB.com:
Serafini hit with 50-game suspension — Free-agent reliever tests positive for banned substance — Left-hander Dan Serafini, who pitched in Japan for 3 1/2 seasons prior to resurfacing in the Majors late last summer, has received a 50-game suspension from Major League Baseball …
Agence France Presse:
Mariners star Ichiro says he considered moving to Yankees — TOKYO (AFP) - Ichiro Suzuki said he considered moving to the New York Yankees before deciding — with his wife's encouragement — to stick with the underperforming Seattle Mariners. — "I had been wavering in my mind since early spring …
