Top News:
Lisa Kennelly / New Jersey Online:
Yankees haven't closed door on Santana — Rumors may abound, but you can't count the Yankees out of any trade until the player in question is officially on the roster of another team. — The in-vogue player of this off-season is Minnesota Twins pitcher Johan Santana …
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, Minneapolis Star Tribune, MLB Trade Rumors, iYankees, Hot Foot and Mets Prospectus
RELATED:
Michael Silverman / Boston Herald:
Twins want more — Experts agree Sox' talent better, split on two offers — It's no mystery why the Minnesota Twins have yet to trade Johan Santana. — None of the offers fielded is compelling enough to make the Twins trade the two-time Cy Young Award-winning left-hander.
New York Magazine:
Hank Steinbrenner Talks Himself, Twins Into a Tizzy — Anyone following the Yankees in the news for the past few months must be tired of hearing from Hank Steinbrenner about the possibility of a trade with the Minnesota Twins for young pitcher Johan Santana. It's been literally weeks and weeks of the same mantra: “I'm in charge!”
Michael Silverman / Boston Herald:
Examining the goods … The race to acquire Twins ace Johan Santana …
Examining the goods … The race to acquire Twins ace Johan Santana …
Alan Schwarz / Bats:
Congress Takes Second Swing at Steroids in Baseball — Wrapping Up The hearing ended rather abruptly but rather predictably — with the chairman, Henry A. Waxman, praising the three witnesses (George Mitchell, Bud Selig and Donald Fehr) for their participation and general candor …
RELATED:
Jeff Barker / Baltimore Sun:
Further review on Tejada — House to check for discrepancies in light of Mitchell Report — WASHINGTON - A House committee plans to revisit statements made by former Orioles All-Star Miguel Tejada in 2005 to see whether the shortstop's story is consistent with information contained in the Mitchell Report …
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Yankees invite 26 to Spring Training — Non-roster players include top prospects Horne, Tabata — NEW YORK — The Yankees announced on Tuesday that they have invited 26 non-roster players to Spring Training in Tampa, Fla., bringing the total number of players scheduled to report to 66.
RELATED:
Steve Henson / Yahoo! Sports:
Giants GM Sabean might be disciplined — It sounds as if punishment for steroids distribution and use might go beyond the playing field and into the front office. — For many years the San Francisco Giants' clubhouse was the private playpen of Greg Anderson, who was Barry Bonds' personal trainer.
RELATED:
Danielle Sessa / Bloomberg:
Baseball May Discipline Giants, Clubs for Hiding Drug Concerns — Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) — Baseball is considering discipline against San Francisco Giants executives and officials from other teams who may have failed to report suspected steroid use by players, Commissioner Bud Selig said.
Discussion:
WasWatching.com
Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com:
LaRoche agrees to $5 million contract — First baseman avoids arbitration in one-year deal with Bucs — PITTSBURGH — Adam LaRoche became the first of five Pirates players to avoid arbitration when the first baseman agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal with the club on Monday.
RELATED:
Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates, LaRoche agree on one-year deal
Pirates, LaRoche agree on one-year deal
Discussion:
Where have you gone …
Sabernomics:
Why Move the Triple-A Braves to Gwinnett County? — The Richmond Braves are moving to Gwinnett County. This is an interesting development. The organization has been upset with the arrangement in Richmond for several years, so a move is not surprising. However, I did not expect the team to move so close to the parent club.
RELATED:
ESPN:
Chat with Jerry Crasnick — Welcome to The Show! Jerry Crasnick is stopping by Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET as part of our ongoing Hot Stove Heaters chats! Check back each day for a new topic and a new chat! Take it away, Jerry! — Last week, we focused on the past and present …
Kevin Goldstein / Baseball Prospectus:
Braves Top 11 Prospects — Four-Star Prospects — Three-Star Prospects — Just Missing: Joey Devine, RHP (now with Oakland); Steve Evarts, LHP; Kris Medlen, RHP — 1. Jordan Schafer, CF — Drafted: 3rd round, 2005, Winter Haven HS (FL) — 2007 Stats: .372/.441/.636 at Low-A (30 G); .294/.354/.477 at High-A (106 G)
Tom Van Riper / Forbes:
America's Top Sports Mascots — Mean and scary is out, warm and fuzzy is in—all the better to warm youngsters' hearts. — Hook 'em while they're young. It's a common corporate strategy: Appeal to young groups and secure a slew of customers for life. And when it comes to professional sports …
MLB.com:
Yankees invite 26 players to Spring Training — The New York Yankees announced today that they have invited 26 non-roster players to Spring Training in Tampa, Florida. The list includes nine pitchers, five catchers, five infielders and seven outfielders. The total number of players now scheduled to report is 66.
Joe Sheehan / Baseball Prospectus:
Prospectus Today — Breakout Candidates — Friday, I wrote about Jeff Francoeur, who I believe is on the brink of a very big breakout season. The question naturally follows: Which players will join him in taking a big leap forward in 2008? — There are a number of ways to define a “breakout season.”