Top News:
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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Anthony McCarron / NY Daily News:
Cashman: I'll CC you in Vegas — Most everyone will have their eyes on the ring when Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao square off in Saturday night's big fight in Las Vegas. The Yankees, however, are more interested in one of the fight fans. — Because free agent pitcher CC Sabathia …
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.
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 …
Discussion:
Chicago Tribune, Mets Merized Online, MetsBlog.com, MLB Rumors and GoatRiders of the Apocalypse
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.
Jason Parks / Baseball Time in Arlington:
Kevin Goldstein Q&A: Part I — Esteemed Baseball Prospectus author Kevin Goldstein, who is widely regarded as one of the foremost experts in the field of prospect evaluation, generously devoted some of his valuable time to answering reader-submitted questions pertaining to the Texas Rangers …
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
Christian Red / NY Daily News:
Pedro plans to keep on pitching — PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic - Pedro Martinez set off a frenzy of spending Friday night, but it had nothing to do with his free agency. — Martinez was at the Blue Marlin Restaurant at the exclusive Cap Cana resort, donating $10,000 from his foundation …
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
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
