Top News:
David Lennon / Newsday:
Mets trade Milledge to Nats — The Mets have traded Lastings Milledge to the Nationals for catcher Brian Schneider and outfielder Ryan Church, a baseball official confirmed this afternoon. Milledge was believed to be a major chip in the Mets' pursuit of an elite starting pitcher this offseason, but that apparently was not the case.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Ya Gotta Believe, Beyond the Box Score, Lone Star Ball, We've Got Heart, Take the 7 Train, Nats Triple Play, Faith and Fear in Flushing, Where have you gone …, The Bronx Block, Amazin' Avenue, Knuckle Curve, Mostly Mets, Mets Geek, Babes Love Baseball, The Big Lead and ShysterBall
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Marty Noble / MLB.com:
Mets land Church, Schneider from Nats — Outfielder Milledge departs in deal intended to improve depth — NEW YORK — Convinced that they didn't undermine their chance to trade for a front-of-the-rotation pitcher by dealing Lastings Milledge, the Mets addressed two lesser yet critical needs …
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Nationals acquire Milledge from Mets — Washington parts with outfielder Church, catcher Schneider — WASHINGTON — In need of an athletic outfielder, the Nationals have traded catcher Brian Schneider and outfielder Ryan Church to the Mets for outfielder Lastings Milledge, a league official confirmed Friday.
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Nationals acquire Milledge from Mets — Washington parts with outfielder Church, catcher Schneider — WASHINGTON — In need of an athletic outfielder, the Nationals on Friday traded catcher Brian Schneider and outfielder Ryan Church to the Mets in exchange for outfielder Lastings Milledge.
ESPN:Reports: Mets deal Milledge for Nats' Church, Schneider
Discussion:
DC Pro Sports Report, Catfish Stew, MiracleMets.net, Federal Baseball and We've Got Heart
Chris Needham / Capitol Punishment:Milledge A Nat! — Metsblog says that the Nats have traded Ryan Church …
NY Daily News:
Yankees decide to offer Phil Hughes in package for Johan Santana — After two days of internal discussions among front-office executives, the Yankees swallowed hard Friday and decided to offer Phil Hughes to the Twins as part of the trade package they hope will land them Johan Santana.
Discussion:
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Sports Illustrated:
Twins want Hughes from Yankees — Including young right-hander might land Santana — Yankees people are debating now whether to give in to Minnesota's demands that Phil Hughes be included in trade talks involving Johan Santana. If the Yankees ultimately surrender Hughes …
Buster Olney / ESPN:
Yankees leaning toward putting Hughes in deal for Santana … A pivotal sticking point in the Yankees' trade talks with Minnesota about Johan Santana is the question of whether New York will include talented right-hander Phil Hughes in their offer. — And, within the internal discussions …
Sports Illustrated:A's willing to deal Haren
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, WasWatching.com, BBTF's Baseball Primer …, Yanksfan vs Soxfan and Baltimore Sun
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Izturis in at shortstop; Eckstein appears out — The Cardinals have reached agreement with free agent shortstop Cesar Izturis on a one-year contract, industry sources confirmed Friday, suggesting that the club will sever ties with three-year incumbent and 2006 World Series MVP David Eckstein.
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Jason Beck / MLB.com:
Rogers inks one-year deal with Tigers — Veteran left-hander back for his 20th Major League season — DETROIT — Kenny Rogers' work as an agent is over for now. He's back to being a pitcher, and he's officially back with the Tigers. — It's where many expected him to be all along.
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Marc Topkin / The Heater:
Dukes involved in incident in Dominican game — Elijah Dukes apparently hasn't calmed down that much. — The troubled outfielder had been enjoying what Rays officials have said was a seemingly quiet and successful return to the field with the Licey team in the Dominican Republic - until Thursday night.
Discussion:
DRaysBay
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Troy E. Renck / Denver Post:
King goes back to Nationals — Former Rockies reliever Ray King never wanted to leave Washington, but he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in September. Now, he's going back to the Nationals, signing an $850,000 minor-league deal today, according to the left-hander.
Discussion:
Capitol Punishment
Jayson Stark / ESPN:
Sources: Angels, Marlins hit wall in Cabrera talks … In theory, the Angels and Marlins are as close as ever to a deal for Miguel Cabrera. But in reality, they're both so dug in on their positions, sources say they have no plans to talk again until after they both arrive at the winter meetings Sunday.
Derrick Goold / Baseball America:
St. Louis Cardinals — Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched …
Discussion:
The Gas House Gang
Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
Losing Matsui not the end for Cubs — The Cubs lost out on free-agent Kazuo Matsui on Friday when the Colorado second baseman reportedly agreed to a deal with Houston, but manager Lou Piniella wasn't fazed by the news. — Piniella recruited Matsui in a phone call with Matsui and an interpreter recently …
Bill James / Sports Illustrated:
Mr. Clutch — Big Papi, Chipper, Pujols come through when it counts … Back in the early days of sabermetrics, when dinosaurs roamed the American League Western Division, we made a very fundamental mistake. A friend of mine wrote an article asserting, essentially, that clutch hitters don't exist.
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WasWatching.com
