Top News:
Associated Press:
Steinbrenner: Yanks' Sabathia offer has time limit — NEW YORK — CC Sabathia will have a deadline to accept the New York Yankees' contract proposal. — “We've made him an offer. It's not going to be there forever,” Hal Steinbrenner said Thursday after he was approved as the team's …
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Associated Press:
‘Tough act to follow’: Hal officially running Yanks — NEW YORK — Major League Baseball owners approved the shift of control of the New York Yankees from George Steinbrenner to his son, Hal, on Thursday. — Hal Steinbrenner and his brother, Hank, took over most of the daily operation of the Yankees from their father last fall.
Jayson Stark / ESPN:
Utley to have hip surgery, could be out until June … If the Philadelphia Phillies weren't aware before Thursday of how hard it can be to repeat, the World Series champs know that now. — The team announced Thursday that second baseman Chase Utley will need right hip surgery that potentially …
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Ken Mandel / MLB.com:
Utley to undergo hip surgery next week — Phillies star could miss Opening Day; Feliz should be ready — PHILADELPHIA — Chase Utley will have right hip surgery next week, a procedure that threatens his Opening Day availability and deals a potentially huge blow to the World Series champions' hopes of repeating.
Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com:
Pirates add five to 40-man roster — Former top pick Walker could compete for job in Spring Training — PITTSBURGH — In preparation for the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 11, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington finalized the team's 40-man roster on Thursday by filling all five open spots.
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Bart Hubbuch / Mets Blog:
Carp added to 40-man roster — The Mets elevated first baseman Mike Carp to their 40-man roster today, increasing said roster to 34 players. Carp, 22, hit .299 with 17 homers and 72 RBIs in 134 games for Double-A Binghamton en route to being named an Eastern League Postseason All-Star and is now playing winter ball in Venezuela.
Chicagosports / Hardball:
Sox to sign 19-year-old Cuban star Viciedo — Dayan Viciedo talks to the media during a press conference in Hialeah, Fla. in June. He defected and settled in South Florida in May. (AP photo) — The White Sox's collection of talented Cubans is growing.
For the Record:
QUOTE(#8): … ok..since when were they called fantastic 4? pavano won 18 btw n that was prolly his only 13+ win season. vazquez has the stuff 2 b good but was never a big-game player like lowe is. brown was good-grt but was past his prime when the yanks got him. as 4 jarret wright...does he still even pitch?
MLB.com:
Frank Wren chat transcript — Busy GM talks Hot Stove with Braves fans online … Wren: Welcome, everyone. It seems like the offseason has been going on for six months instead of a month and a half. I'll try to answer as many questions as possible. — glenn1981: What pitchers are you targeting, if any, in the trade world?
The Times-Tribune:
Yankees add four pitchers to 40-man — Four pitchers were added to the Yankees 40-man roster on Thursday, filling each of the roster's openings without taking anyone off. Added to the roster were Anthony Claggett, Steven Jackson, Michael Dunn and Chris Garcia. All four would have been Rule 5 eligible if not protected.
Chris Haft / MLB.com:
Giants heighten interest in Hudson — Free agent widely considered top second-base option — SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants' pursuit of free-agent second baseman Orlando Hudson, previously considered casual, is apparently serious. — Two industry sources said on Thursday that the Giants …
Jeff Zrebiec / Baltimore Sun:
O's look at Izturis for shortstop — He batted .263 with one home run, 24 RBIs for Cardinals in '08; team doesn't have interest in Furcal, O. Cabrera or Renteria, according to industry sources — The Orioles have talked to the representative for free agent Cesar Izturis …
Discussion:
Oriole Post
Dave Cameron / FanGraphs Baseball:
The Problem With Position Adjusted Stats — This came up in the Coco Crisp trade thread yesterday afternoon, but I felt like it's worth a larger mention. It's one of the things that I see repeated frequently among fans and analysts alike, but it just lacks the validity of it's claim.
Discussion:
Hardball Times
JSOnline:
Yankees still interested in Cameron — By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel — According to a report by the Newark Star-Ledger, the Yankees are still interested in acquiring centerfielder Mike Cameron from the Brewers. — The Brewers and Yankees talked about Cameron …
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Dan Graziano / New Jersey Online:Yankees to pursue Mike Cameron for center field
Discussion:
River Avenue Blues
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
It's official: Mussina has retired — This release from the Yankees: — Five-time All-Star Mike Mussina today announced his retirement from Baseball. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Mussina becomes the first pitcher to retire immediately following a 20-win season since Hall …
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