Top News:
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Cubs' lineup getting more dangerous — FOXSports.com, Updated 52 minutes ago — LIKE THIS STORY? — Now, imagine if the Cubs get Brian Roberts, too. — A trade for Roberts would transform an underachieving offense into one of the most potent in the National League.
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Redleg Nation
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Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
Cubs land Fukudome — The Cubs signed Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome to a four-year deal late Tuesday, outbidding San Diego and the White Sox to gain the services of their primary off-season target. — Terms of the deal were not immediately known, though it's believed to be worth …
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:
Another Cubs Blog, Wrigleyville23, On Baseball and the Reds, Rangers, FanHouse, San Diego Union-Tribune and 1060west.net
Carrie Muskat / MLB.com:
Cubs win Fukudome sweepstakes — Japanese outfielder agrees to four-year, $48 million deal — CHICAGO — The Cubs' patience paid off. Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome has agreed to terms on a four-year deal with the team, pending his passing a physical.
Tom Krasovic / San Diego Union-Tribune:
Cubs get Fukudome as Padres get Iguchi — Peavy announcement expected to be today — The Padres lost out in their bid for Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, who last night accepted a four-year offer from the Cubs worth close to $50 million. — The Padres did land a starting player from Japan …
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.
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Toronto Star:
Lo Duca spurns Toronto for Nats; Giants mulling Rios-for-Lincecum offer — Paul Lo Duca, the veteran catcher the Blue Jays had hoped to acquire to share duties with incumbent Gregg Zaun, has chosen instead to sign with the Washington Nationals. — The issue appears to have been one of money.
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Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Milledge: I love the game, I play to win — Young center fielder introduced to media in Washington — WASHINGTON — Anthony Milledge Sr. wants everybody to know that his son, Lastings, is a good man, not the bad guy that was portrayed the last two seasons with the Mets.
home.kyodo.co.jp:
Baseball: Kuroda appears to have chosen Dodgers: sources — Japanese free agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda appears to have chosen the Los Angeles Dodgers as his new team, baseball sources said Wednesday. — Kuroda informed the Hiroshima Carp front office of his decision on Tuesday night …
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Dylan Hernandez / Los Angeles Times:
Kent will return with $9-million option — Jones passes physical and will be introduced today. — Jeff Kent has postponed retirement and will play out the final year of his contract with the Dodgers, his agent said Tuesday night. — Jeff Klein wrote in an e-mail that the 39-year-old Kent …
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6-4-2
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Peter Abraham / The Journal News:
Yankees set to offer contracts to Wang, Betemit, Cano — The Yankees today will go through the formality of offering Chien-Ming Wang a contract for next season. The right-hander hopes the arrangement will be for more than one season. — Via e-mail, Wang said yesterday that he would be willing …
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Michael Silverman / Boston Herald:
Santana talks remain open but quiet … You don't need a Nashville dateline any longer to write or say that the Johan Santana trade talks remain both ongoing, unresolved and very fluid. — The Red Sox [team stats], Yankees and Mets remain the top candidates to be Santana's next home …
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Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Rangers eye Japanese reliever — The Rangers may have lost out on their No. 1 Japanese free-agent target this winter, but it appears they won't come away empty-handed from their foray to the Far East. — While it appears outfielder Kosuke Fukudome will land with the Chicago Cubs …
Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates, Tigers talk about pitcher Durbin — Other possibilities could open with arbitration non-tenders — The Pirates are engaged in trade talks with Detroit in an attempt to acquire right-handed starter Chad Durbin. — Durbin, 30, was 8-7 with a 4.32 ERA last season …
Eduardo A. Encina / St. Petersburg Times:
Nontenders likely to be low-impact … ST. PETERSBURG - After the deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players arrives at midnight, the Rays will be scouring the suddenly expanded list of nontendered free agents, hoping to find the right fit for one of their holes.
Discussion:
Rays of Light
Letitia Stein / St. Petersburg Times:
School honors Yankees owner … TAMPA - New Yorkers may run hot and cold about Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. But in Tampa, he's only loved. — So much so that the Hillsborough School Board made a spur-of-the-moment decision Tuesday night to christen in his honor the George Steinbrenner High School in Lutz.
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The Griddle
