Top News:
Chris Haft / MLB.com:
Giants bolster bullpen with Affeldt — Club lands sought-after free agent with two-year, $8 million deal — SAN FRANCISCO — Acting quickly on their vow to strengthen their bullpen, the Giants signed left-hander Jeremy Affeldt to a two-year, $8 million contract Monday.
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Andrew Baggarly / Extra Baggs:
Giants sign LHP Jeremy Affeldt
Giants sign LHP Jeremy Affeldt
Discussion:
AaronGleeman.com, Mets Fever, El Lefty Malo, Hardball Times, Bay City Ball and MetsBlog.com
Kat O'Brien / Newsday:
Yankees gunning for Derek Lowe, A.J. Burnett, sources say — The Yankees have expressed strong interest in righthanded pitchers Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett in the past couple of days, according to sources familiar with the talks, after offering ace lefty CC Sabathia a contract in the ballpark of six years and $140 million.
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George A. King III / New York Post:
YANKEES PREPARE A.J. OFFER — Who says George Steinbrenner has stepped away from the table? — The Yankees, for the second time inside a week, are on the verge of making an eye-popping offer to a free-agent pitcher and behaving like the days when The Boss threw money at free agents with both hands.
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Mussina's Decision: Leave on High Note, or Go for 300 Wins? — On the last day of the regular season, when he celebrated the victory that had always eluded him, Mike Mussina smiled as he sipped a soda in the manager's office at Fenway Park. He considered the idea of finishing his career …
Discussion:
Joe Posnanski
Toronto Star:
Burnett a wait-and-see for Ricciardi — Yankees rumoured to be preparing large offer for prized free agent — If it's true we tend to pursue that which retreats, the Blue Jays are playing things perfectly with A.J. Burnett as their main target. — Asked yesterday what he thought …
Phil Sheridan / Philly.com:
MVP voting is out of whack — Ryan Howard was the most valuable player in the National League in 2008. That he was not voted MVP by the Baseball Writers' Association of America says more about the association than about Howard, Albert Pujols or America. — Pujols was not an embarrassing selection …
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
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JSOnline:
Pujols is MVP; Braun 3rd, Sabathia 6th — By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel — St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols claimed his second NL MVP award today, collecting 18 of 32 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Discussion:
Baseball Digest Daily Blog, SOX1FAN, AZ Snakepit, River Avenue Blues, wrigleyville23, The Griddle and ShysterBall
Corey Brock / MLB.com:
Towers: No recent talks with Yanks — Padres' GM dispels rumor of Peavy negotiations with Cashman — SAN DIEGO — Don't count the New York Yankees as a player in the Jake Peavy sweepstakes — not just yet, anyway. — Padres general manager Kevin Towers said on Monday …
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Tom Krasovic / San Diego Union-Tribune:
Kouzmanoff undergoes surgery to resolve pain in right shoulder — Padres third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder Saturday and “should be ready by spring training,” General Manager Kevin Towers said. — Kouzmanoff, 27, struggled with shoulder pain near the end of the season.
MLB.com:
Yankees to play first-ever exhibition games at New Yankee Stadium on April 3 and 4 against the Chicago Cubs — The New York Yankees announced today they will play the first-ever exhibition games at the new Yankee Stadium against the Chicago Cubs on Friday, April 3 at 7:05 p.m. and Saturday, April 4 at 1:05 p.m.
Fred Mitchell / Chicago Tribune:
Rick Sutcliffe still pitching for the Cubs; urges Jake Peavy to consider playing in Chicago — ESPN analyst talks up team to Padres' Peavy — Rick Sutcliffe, who won the 1984 National League Cy Young Award with the Cubs, has been working, on his own, to convince Padres pitcher Jake Peavy to approve a possible trade to the Cubs.
Discussion:
Another Cubs Blog
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
K-Rod crossed up on medical data — The Angels don't intend to re-sign Francisco Rodriguez, but they are playing an early role in the bidding for the record-setting free agent. — Paul Kinzer, who represents K-Rod, said he has yet to receive medical reports from the closer's former club …
Christian Red / NY Daily News:
Pedro trying to extend Met life — Pedro Martinez still has “a lot of baseball left in him” and would like to finish his sure-fire Hall of Fame career in Flushing, according to his agent. — Fernando Cuza told the Daily News yesterday that Martinez would “like to stay in New York.”
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Mailbag: Is Metcalf the man at third? — Beat reporter T.R. Sullivan answers Rangers fans' questions — Why won't the Rangers commit to Travis Metcalf at third base? He's earned the shot, and if healthy has been productive. — Metcalf missed the first two months of the season last year with a torn hamstring.
Maury Brown / The Biz of Baseball:
Citi Field Name Safe, According to Mets — Just over two years ago, the New York Mets announced that they had reached an agreement with Citigroup for the naming rights to their new ballpark slated to open in 2009 for a record $400 million over 20 years, or $20 million annually.