Top News:
Dylan Hernandez / Los Angeles Times:
Frank and Jamie McCourt have a question for Dodgers fans — Would you rather have a top free agent or 50 youth fields in L.A., Frank and Jamie McCourt wonder. — Would Dodgers fans react negatively if the team were to pay big money to free agents when the nation's economy is in sharp decline and many Americans are losing their jobs?
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Diamond Leung / PE Angels Baseball:
LA may not sweeten offer to Manny — Download story podcast — The Press-Enterprise — Citing the unpredictable state of the economy, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt hinted Tuesday that the team would be reluctant to sweeten the two-year contract offer that would have instantly given Manny Ramirez …
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Minaya works to get closers to meet Mets — Mets general manager Omar Minaya reached out to the agents for Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes Tuesday to schedule “future meetings,” a source told the Daily News. The Mets are not believed to have made financial offers to the closers, and are not expected to bid before Thanksgiving.
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Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
Angels might take more serious run at Sabathia — A pair of lefthanders on the Yankees' radar - one whom they know very well, one whom they don't - are both talking with West Coast teams. The bad news for the Yankees is that the Angels' interest in CC Sabathia appears more serious than the Dodgers' interest in Andy Pettitte.
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JSOnline:
Melvin's interested in Sabathia's pitch count — By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel — Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin tried to re-establish contact Tuesday with the representatives for free agent pitcher CC Sabathia. — Not to give a deadline for accepting his offer.
Jerry Crasnick / ESPN:
Free agents who could very well be bargains … Several front office people surveyed for this story had a difficult time mustering enthusiasm for the concept: a piece on potential free-agent bargains. — “Free-agent bargain is an oxymoron,” said an American League official.
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
All Is Unusually Quiet on the Free-Agent Front — On Monday, Major League Baseball's daily transaction wire consisted of a small trade, one team's coaching selections and the release of a minor leaguer. If those moves constituted the full docket on a day in February, June or August, they would have hardly stood out.
Todd Zolecki / Philly.com:
Phils contact Lowe, Burnett — The Phillies continue to talk with free-agent lefthander Jamie Moyer about a new contract, but the parties have yet to reach an agreement. — Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said he remains hopeful Moyer will be back.
Howard Megdal / New York Observer:
Memo to the Mets: Let Heilman Start — As Thanksgiving approaches, the Mets are still two reliable starters short, with only Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey and John Maine assured of spots in next season's rotation. Oliver Perez remains unsigned, and if the season opened today, Jonathon Niese …
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Wallace Matthews / Newsday:
Welcome to Bailout Ballpark — So what will that new stadium in Flushing be called next year, anyway? — How about John Q. Taxpayer Field? Or Joe Sixpack Park, in honor of all the people paying for it who have no chance of ever sitting in one of its 40,000 high-priced seats? Bailout Ballpark, anyone?
Maury Brown / The Biz of Baseball:
Marlins Bump Opening Date of New Stadium to 2012 — With the Florida Marlins locked in a legal battle that appears to have been resolved as of this week, the planned date for opening their new $515 million stadium at the current site of the Orange Bowl in Little Havana will have to wait a bit longer.
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
As a manager, Oquendo is a not-so-secret weapon — 31 March, 2008 — Cardinals' Ryan Ludwick is waved around third base by Jose Oquendo during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. (Chris Lee/P-D)