Top News:
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Cubs, Japanese OF Fukudome reach deal — FOXSports.com, Updated 40 minutes ago — LIKE THIS STORY? — The Cubs, landing their biggest off-season target, have signed Japanese free-agent outfielder Kosuke Fukudome to a four-year contract, major-league sources confirmed to FOXSports.com.
Discussion:
Rangers
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Gordon Wittenmyer / Chicago Sun Times:
Cubs land Fukudome — The Cubs reached agreement tonight with Japanese free agent Kosuke Fukudome on a four-year deal, according to sources, beating out the White Sox and San Diego Padres for Japan's top hitter. — The deal is believed to be worth $45 million to $50 million.
Discussion:
Siberian Baseball
Tom Krasovic / San Diego Union-Tribune:
Padres lose out on Fukudome — The Padres found out tonight that they lost out in their bid for Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, who accepted a four-year deal from the Cubs worth nearly $50 million. — The Padres were able to come to terms with Japanese second baseman Tadahito Iguchi, who accepted a one-year deal.
ESPN:
Japanese star Fukudome coming to Chicago to play for Cubs — The agent for Kosuke Fukudome said that the player would make up his mind on a major league team quickly after deciding to come to the United States. He was true to his word. — After deciding to play in the U.S. early Tuesday morning …
Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:Cubs prepared to pounce
Discussion:
Unfiltered, Chicago Sun Times, 1060west.net, The View From The Bleachers and Desipio.com
NY Daily News:
MLB receives Mitchell Report — Major League Baseball officials are reviewing George Mitchell's long-anticipated steroid report at the former Senate majority leader's law offices, 21 months after commissioner Bud Selig asked Mitchell to investigate the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.
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Howard Bryant / ESPN.com:
Bryant: Conflicts and missteps undermine Mitchell report — With the highly anticipated Mitchell report on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball expected to be released within the coming days, scores of baseball employees who were interviewed by former Senator George Mitchell's investigators …
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
Mitchell Report Expected to Name About 50 Major Leaguers — The headquarters for George J. Mitchell's investigation into the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball has been the DLA Piper law offices in Midtown Manhattan, right next to Rockefeller Center and just blocks from the Park Avenue offices of Major League Baseball.
Discussion:
SportsJustice
Thomas Harding / MLB.com:
Rockies, Cook agree on new deal — Right-hander's contract worth $34.5 million through 2011 — DENVER — The Rockies and right-handed pitcher Aaron Cook on Tuesday signed a new contract that will pay him $34.5 million and will keep him with the club through 2011, with a mutual option for 2012.
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Associated Press:
Rockies, Cook finalize three-year, $30M extension — DENVER — Pitcher Aaron Cook finalized a new contract with the Colorado Rockies on Friday that guarantees him an additional $30 million over three seasons. — Cook already was set to earn $4.5 million next year under an option the Rockies exercised in October.
Discussion:
Bucs Dugout
Dom Amore / Hartford Courant:
Pavano Weighing His Options — Carl Pavano is still mulling a Yankees proposal to release him and then re-sign him to a minor league contract. He said Monday he is not close to a decision. — "I'd be giving up a lot of options if I signed a minor league deal," Pavano said.
RELATED:
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:Yankees offer Pavano a parachute
Discussion:
MY BASEBALL BIAS
Jerry Crasnick / ESPN:
Twins, Monroe agree on 1-year, $3.82 million deal … Outfielder Craig Monroe agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday that will pay him $3.82 million plus incentives based on plate appearances. — Monroe, 30, hit 28 homers and drove in 92 runs …
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Matthew Cerrone / MetsBlog.com:
Buzz: Santana seeing Boston, Mets Watching — ...well, over the last day or so, i have talked with essentially the same group of people that i normally do, who are connected to and have knowledge of what the Mets are up to, and the sense i get is that while the team still feels confident …
Discussion:
BBTF's Baseball Primer …
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Tim Dierkes / MLB Trade Rumors:
Dodgers In Lead For Hiroki Kuroda? — UPDATE, 12-11-07 at 9:17pm: Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News has some info. He says that Kuroda is strongly leaning towards the Dodgers and the decision is due soon. Jackson verifies that Kuroda has cancelled his U.S. trip and will choose between the Dodgers and Mariners.
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Jeff Blair / Globe and Mail:
Lo Duca turns down Jays — TORONTO — Spurned by Paul Lo Duca and waiting for his counterpart with the San Francisco Giants to swallow hard and trade a top-shelf starting pitcher, Toronto Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi continued his off-season waiting game yesterday.
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Sabernomics:
Responding to Zimbalist — Today, Maury Brown has posted Andrew Zimbalist's review essay of The Baseball Economist along with Vince Gennaro's Diamond Dollars. This essay is to be featured in the next issue of the Journal of Economic Literature. — I am open to criticism …
Discussion:
Sabermetric Research
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Le Anne Schreiber / ESPN:
Proportion, perspective missing ingredients in news coverage … Sometimes in this column, I call out ESPN for journalistic practices or problems unique to it, such as the conflict of interest issues arising from rights ownership and other business ties to the leagues it covers.
Discussion:
FIRE JOE MORGAN, Awful Announcing, Watchdog, FanHouse, Can't Stop The Bleeding and The Big Lead
Rick Maese / Baltimore Sun:
Flanagan's role with O's unknown — Rick Maese: His contributions are unclear with MacPhail calling all the shots — As a tradition of sorts in the Peter Angelos era, the titles on the Orioles' front-office business cards have been excessively long and especially particular.
