Top News:
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
Delgado Prepares to Hit; Minaya Is Going to Israel — Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado said his rehabilitation from a fractured left hand was on schedule and that he expected to be at full strength when he reports to spring training in six weeks. As Delgado prepared to begin the next phase …
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Toni Ginnetti / Chicago Sun Times:
Sox deal for A's Swisher — Unable to land a center fielder in the free-agent market, White Sox general manager Ken Williams shook up the trade market Thursday to find an alternative. — Williams acquired outfielder Nick Swisher, 27, from the Oakland Athletics, who parted …
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El Guapo's Ghost Rambles …
Joe Hamrahi / Baseball Digest Daily:Swisher Dealt to the White Sox (Updated)!
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South Side Sox, Athletics Nation, Over the Monster, Knuckle Curve, Big League Futures and Baseball Musings
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Payroll Is at Heart of Santana Debate — Perhaps the most significant story in a busy Yankees off-season has been the emergence of Hank Steinbrenner at the top of the team's hierarchy. Steinbrenner, the senior vice president, has been outspoken on potential player moves, but he cannot and has not acted unilaterally.
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Anthony McCarron / NY Daily News:
Carlos Delgado: We can win as is — The Mets have been criticized in some circles for having a tepid season around the hot stove, but count Carlos Delgado among those who believe the team can win as is. — Still, Delgado said, he'd welcome Johan Santana, if the Mets can pull off a trade for the Minnesota ace.
Sports Illustrated:
Jon Heyman: Biggest winners of 2007 — Listing baseball's winners and ‘non-winners’ of '07 — What kind of baseball year was it when the biggest winner was the fellow who investigated the sport's steroid past, and the biggest losers were the best pitcher and hitter of the entire era?
Discussion:
MetsNetwork.com
CBS News:
Clemens: Trainer Only Injected Legal Drug — Roger Clemens Talks To 60 Minutes In Wake Of Mitchell Report — (CBS/AP) Baseball superstar Roger Clemens denies he cheated by using banned substances and says his accuser, former trainer Brian McNamee, only injected him with the painkiller lidocaine and the vitamin B-12.
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New York Times:
Clemens Says Injections Were Not Steroids — In a “60 Minutes” interview that will be shown on CBS on Sunday night, the former Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens admits that he received injections from his former personal trainer, Brian McNamee. But he says that the injections …
ESPN.com:
Clemens: Injections were ‘Lidocaine and B-12’ — Roger Clemens says he was injected with “Lidocaine and B-12” and not steroids or human growth hormone by former trainer Brian McNamee, according to a portion of an interview with CBS' “60 Minutes” released Thursday. — “Lidocaine and B-12.
Peter_Gammons / Boston Globe:
Peter Gammons Red Sox chat transcript — Hi Peter, do you think Julio Lugo is the long-term answer at shortstop for the Sox ? — Hello everyone... RE: Lugo: The way he played defensively the last 5 weeks, indicates he should be all right. He never recovered offensively from being sick before spring training.
Associated Press:
Cardinals sign pitcher Matt Clement to one-year deal — ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matt Clement and the St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a $1.5 million, one-year contract on Thursday with a club option for 2009. — Clement missed last season while recovering from shoulder surgery. He last pitched for the Boston Red Sox in 2006.
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St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cards sign Clement to one-year deal — The Cardinals added a starting pitcher today who sat out all of 2007 as he recovered from shoulder surgery. — Matt Clement, who last pitched for the Boston Red Sox in 2006, signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals today. The deal includes a club option for 2009.
Steve Silva / Boston Globe:
Clement to Cardinals — The Matt Clement era is officially over in Boston. — The St. Louis Cardinals today announced they have signed the former Red Sox righthanded pitcher to a one-year contract for 2008 with a club option for 2009. — “Matt is a very talented pitcher who has been beset …
ESPN:
Chat with Scouts Inc.'s Keith Law — Welcome to The Show! On Thursday, Scouts, Inc. senior baseball analyst, Keith Law, will stop by to talk some baseball. — Keith was formerly the special assistant to the general manager with the Toronto Blue Jays and has a wealth of knowledge for you to tap into.
Thomas Harding / MLB.com:
Rockies close to signing Towers — Right-hander could compete for spot in starting rotation — DENVER — The Rockies are close to signing right-handed pitcher Josh Towers to a one-year contract that could pay him $1.8 million plus incentives. — Two sources close to the situation say the deal isn't finalized.
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
