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 …
RELATED:
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 …
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.
RELATED:
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, MetsBlog.com, Mets Merized Online, MLB Rumors and GoatRiders of the Apocalypse
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:
iYankees
RELATED:
David Pinto / Baseball Musings:
Doctor in the House — Ian Kennedy received some House work from a former pitching coach. … Good for Kennedy. He's getting good results in winter ball, but he also looked like a star in AAA in 2008. Whenever I read stories like this, I wonder why the major league coaches don't pick up on these things.
Discussion:
River Avenue Blues
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 …
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
External / ESPN:
Olney: Mets will get their closer — The Mets intend to present what they consider to be suitable offers to closer targets during the winter meetings. It's not known precisely what they will offer to which pitcher, but here is an educated guess: Francisco Rodriguez, three years and $36 million …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Tom Verducci / Sports Illustrated:
Appreciating the genius of Maddux … Baseball is much less interesting today. Greg Maddux, after all these years playing with house money and playing with hitters, took his ball and went home. — The magic show is over. I dislike absolutes, but of this I am sure …
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
