Top News:
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Hamilton dealt from Reds to Rangers — Cincinnati gets Volquez, Minor League pitcher in return — The Rangers acquired outfielder Josh Hamilton from the Reds on Friday in exchange for right-hander Edinson Volquez and Minor League left-hander Danny Herrera.
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ESPN:
Rangers acquire Hamilton from Reds for Volquez — ARLINGTON, Texas — The Cincinnati Reds agreed Friday to trade outfielder Josh Hamilton to the Texas Rangers for pitcher Edinson Volquez and a minor league pitcher. — The trade was to be announced later Friday, according to a team official familiar …
Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Texas Rangers power up in deal with Reds — Team sends Edinson Volquez to Cincinnati for promising outfielder Josh Hamilton — egrant@dallasnews.com — The Texas Rangers spent most of 2007 trying to build up the starting pitching depth in the organization. Friday, they put that depth to use.
J.J. Cooper / Baseball America:
Reds Deal Away Hamilton For Pitching — The Deal — The Reds had spent most of the offseason looking to acquire a starting pitcher to fit into a rotation that is led by Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang followed by plenty of question marks. They had been linked to discussions …
Discussion:
Baseball Time in Arlington
Scott Merkin / MLB.com:
Sox reportedly cut deal with Ramirez — Versatile Cuban can play shortstop, second and center field — CHICAGO — Two baseball sources have confirmed to MLB.com that the White Sox have agreed in principle on a four-year, $4.75 million deal with Alexei Ramirez.
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Enrique Rojas / ESPN:
Source: ChiSox sign Cuban exile to four-year deal … ORLANDO — The Chicago White Sox and Cuban exile Alexei Ramírez have agreed to a four-year contract, pending a physical exam, according to a source who spoke to ESPNdeportes.com on condition of anonymity.
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Q&A with Aaron Boone — Utilityman looking forward to a fresh start with familiar faces … MLB.com: What made you sign with the Nationals? — Aaron Boone: They made a good offer. They stepped up. We were talking to a couple of teams, and when I knew the Nationals were interested as well …
Discussion:
District of Baseball
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Drew wins postseason play of the year — Outfielder's slam in Game 6 of ALCS voted TYIB's top play — BOSTON — Yes, there was some amount of dread when a bases-loaded, nobody-out rally suddenly became two outs and the batter left to rescue the Red Sox and salvage some runs was J.D. Drew.
Bill Madden / NY Daily News:
‘Wild’ Yankee Tommy Byrne dies at 87 — Tommy Byrne, the “wild man” Yankee lefthander who was exiled for his inability to throw strikes and then came back as a pivotal starter on the Bombers' 1955 American League championship team, died Friday in Wake Forest, N.C. He was 87.
Discussion:
New York Post
ESPN:
Chat with Jerry Crasnick — Welcome to The Show! On Friday, ESPN baseball writer Jerry Crasnick will drop by to take your questions. — Jerry is the author of “License to Deal: A Season on the Run With a Maverick Baseball Agent” which chronicles the ins-and-outs of what happens off the field.
Sports Illustrated:
AL rotation rankings — Angels, Red Sox lead the pack; Rays will surprise — It's hard not to look at even the best American League starting rotations and see question marks where you'd prefer exclamation points. — When the top staff in the league can't even find five experienced arms …
Discussion:
Rays Anatomy
Slate:
AN INTERACTIVE FEATURE ON THE MITCHELL REPORT. — Sen. George Mitchell's 409-page report on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball describes a thriving underground market for steroids and human growth hormone. What began with just a few players and trainers expanded into a network of dozens …
Discussion:
Gaslamp Ball
Ben K. / River Ave. Blues:
Olney: Yanks plan to start Joba in the pen — Scroll past the PED talk in Buster Olney's latest blog entry, and you will arrive at a tidbit about Joba Chamberlain. The Yankees, Olney reports, plan to start the season with Joba in the pen. They just can't quit him. … Our initial reaction is one of fear.
Discussion:
On the Yankees beat, WasWatching.com, Replacement Level …, Depressed Fan, MY BASEBALL BIAS, FanHouse and The Bronx Block
