Top News:
Tim Sullivan / San Diego Union-Tribune:
Enigmatic shortstop appears to be a victim of his lofty ambitions — Perfection has eluded Khalil Greene. So, it seems, has joy. — The shortstop who left the Padres on Thursday for St. Louis departs as a riddle wrapped in a mystery beneath a Jeff Spicoli haircut.
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Gordon Wittenmyer / Chicago Sun Times:
Payroll room for Peavy deal? — Hendry could add left-handed bat, too — The Cubs' payroll could climb by perhaps 10 percent or more from the final 2008 figure of about $130 million, a greater increase than initial reports this offseason — and the kind of increase that could allow general …
ESPN.com:
Maddux, 43, to announce retirement, agent says — Greg Maddux has thrown his last pitch. — The four-time Cy Young winner will announce his retirement Monday at the baseball winter meetings in Las Vegas. — Maddux, who turns 43 in April, ranks eighth on the career wins list with 355.
Chris De Luca / Chicago Sun Times:
Hendry, Williams join GMs for big-money swap meet — Cubs' Hendry, White Sox' Williams among GMs gathering for annual wheel-and-deal convention — Trying to get a clear read on the baseball landscape is tricky at this time of year because so much major talent still is sitting in the clearance aisle.
Bill Shaikin / Los Angeles Times:
Greg Maddux to retire on Monday — Maddux's agent, Scott Boras, says the pitcher will make his retirement official at baseball's winter meetings in Las Vegas. Maddux, who won 355 games, finished last season with the Dodgers. — Greg Maddux, who won four Cy Young awards and 355 games, will announce his retirement on Monday.
Discussion:
Bottom9 Baseball
Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
YANKEES: Cash and Teixeira meet — Next up for Yankees' GM is a sit-down with Sabathia in Las Vegas — The Yankees, with money to spend and holes to fill, have done everything but climb the nearest mountain and scream, “We are prioritizing pitching!” But that didn't stop general manager Brian Cashman …
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Thomas Boswell / Washington Post:
Nats Need to Buy Some Pop — Mark Teixeira is not the best player in baseball and might not go to Cooperstown. In six years, he has never led a league in a Triple Crown category. Agent Scott Boras, famous for demanding the stars with an option on a few planets, wants a 10-year …
Jay Jaffe / Baseball Prospectus:
GM for a Day — Yankees — Back before joining Baseball Prospectus, I spent a lengthy portion of my winters writing for my own site, The Futility Infielder, systematically exploring the Yankees' options for rebuilding in the hope of restoring their championship luster.
Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Big Three pitchers rule Winter Meetings talk … While there could well be a string of free-agent signings at the Winter Meetings that convene in Las Vegas next week — heaven knows, plenty of talent remains available — it will be a surprise if CC Sabathia is among those signing new deals.
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Kevin Kernan / New York Post:
KENNEDY GETS TIPS FROM COLLEGE COACH — Ian Kennedy has grown up a bit this offseason. He also has improved his curveball. The two go hand in hand. Kennedy must have command of his curveball to succeed. — The right-hander traveled from New York to Southern California then Tampa …
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
Bill Chastain / MLB.com:
Rays sign three Minor Leaguers — Childers, Cummings, Richard receive invitations to Spring Training — ST. PETERSBURG — A dormant offseason ended on Friday, as the Rays brought three Minor Leaguers into the fold. — The Rays agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Jason Childers …
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Eric Seidman / FanGraphs Baseball:
Why We Undervalue Defense — During the latter part of this week, Dave has discussed defensive metrics and how they are, or should be, treated moreso as inferential statistics than descriptive; that the results should be treated as data points as opposed to concrete and isolated performance indicators.
Discussion:
DRaysBay
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Zimmerman must wait for multi-year deal — Club likely to discuss numbers after next week's Winter Meetings — WASHINGTON — The Nationals and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman continue to have a good relationship, but they are not close to agreeing to a multi-year deal, according to a baseball source on Friday.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
