Top News:
Joel Sherman / Hardball:
Winter Meetings update —The Rockies are prioritizing signing a lefty reliever, with Alan Embree, Eddie Guardado and Joe Beimel their targets. —The Indians are waiting for the Mets to sign a closer, their hope being that once the big-market Mets are out of the closer derby, the prices will fall.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, MLB Rumors, iYankees, Mets Merized Online, Pinstripes, Pa., Seven Train to Shea Mets Blog and The 'Ropolitans
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Dan Graziano / New Jersey Online:
Fear and Loathing at the Baseball Winter Meetings — Monday morning update — The problem is, you need sleep, but you wake up at 6 am and can't get back to sleep because your body's still on East Coast time and...well, jeez. You're in Vegas. There's stuff to do. — Today I have no excuse.
Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
C.C. Sabathia Rumors: Monday — By Tim Dierkes [December 8 at 12:03pm CST] — 12:03pm: Joel Sherman says Brian Cashman brought Joe Girardi and Reggie Jackson along for their recent meeting with Sabathia. Privately, the Yanks feel that Sabathia would be entirely invested in New York if he signs with them …
Discussion:
The Sommer Frieze
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Minaya meets with K-Rod — LAS VEGAS - Omar Minaya plans to leave this week's winter meetings with a closer and he got started on that task Sunday night, meeting with free-agent Francisco Rodriguez, the top closer on the market. — He also plans to meet with free agents Brian Fuentes and Trevor Hoffman …
Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com:
Hoffman to talk with Minaya — Free-agent closer will fly in for day, meet with Mets — LAS VEGAS — In his quest to find a new team to play with, closer Trevor Hoffman will be meeting with Mets general manager Omar Minaya some time on Monday, a baseball source said and one of his agents confirmed late Sunday night.
Troy E. Renck / Denver Post:Rockies test Nats' interest in Taveras
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, Bugs & Cranks, Purple Row, Rocky Mountain News, MLB Rumors and MASN Online
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum:
Gordon elected to Hall by Veterans Committee — Former Yankees, Indians second baseman to be enshrined in 2009 — National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum — COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Nine-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion Joe Gordon was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today by the Veterans Committee.
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Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com:
Veterans elect '40s star Gordon to Hall — Second baseman for Yankees, Indians picked by committee — LAS VEGAS — Joe Gordon, a nine-time All-Star second baseman for the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians and an American League MVP, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame …
Scott Jensen / Dugout Central:
Allen, Santo and Torre To Get The Call Monday — According to a source close to the situation, the Veteran's Committee will on Monday announce that Dick Allen, Ron Santo and Joe Torre have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. — Dick Allen played in 1,749 games for the Philadelphia Phillies …
Associated Press:
Veterans elect former 2B Gordon to Hall of Fame — NEW YORK — Former second baseman Joe Gordon has been elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. — The late Gordon was a nine-time All-Star with the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians. He played on five World Series championship teams and retired in 1950.
Bill Madden / NY Daily News:
CC's agent pitches curves to Yankees — LAS VEGAS - The $140 million game of chicken began in earnest Sunday night when Brian Cashman met with CC Sabathia and his agent, Greg Genske, on the eve of the winter meetings at the Bellagio hotel. — According to industry sources …
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George A. King III / New York Post:
TROUBLE BREWIN' IN YANKS' CC CHASE — Prior to Yankee GM Brian Cashman's meeting with CC Sabathia yesterday in Las Vegas, there was a feeling in the baseball universe the stud free-agent lefty would eventually re-sign with the Brewers. — Since the Yankees' six-year …
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
St. Louis Cardinals won't pursue Jake Peavy — The Cardinals now intend to retain second baseman Adam Kennedy (7) rather than trade him. Kennedy says his “gut feel” is that he will be back in St. Louis. (Scott Boehm/Getty Images) — ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
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Bruce / Chicago's Inside Pitch:
Early rumblings from Vegas — LAS VEGAS — I put a dollar into a slot machine last night and lost it. That'll be the extent of my gambling here since I don't even know how to play most of these games out here. And it is something to see people smoking cigarettes and cigars inside in this day and age.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Gordon Wittenmyer / Chicago Sun Times:Sources: Cubs' pursuit of Peavy fluid, but will pay off
Discussion:
San Diego Union-Tribune, Associated Press, ESPN, FishStripes, MLB Rumors and GoatRiders of the Apocalypse
Alex Speier / Archive:
The Night the Catching Market Changed — LAS VEGAS—It was after midnight on the East Coast, but baseball's winter meetings in Las Vegas were just waking up. In a span of minutes, a pair of events occurred that significantly altered the complexion of the offseason market for catchers …
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T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Laird nets Rangers pitching prospects — Moscoso, Melo come to Texas in return for veteran backstop — LAS VEGAS — The Rangers have acquired Minor League pitchers Guillermo Moscoso and Carlos Melo from the Tigers for catcher Gerald Laird. — Laird was informed of the trade …
Discussion:
Bottom9 Baseball
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Troy Renck / All Things Rockies:
Rockies sign C Phillips; Brewers bring back Coffey — Looking add Triple-A catching depth, the Rockies signed Paul Phillips to a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training. — Phillips, 31, has made bit appearances with the Royals and White Sox over the past five seasons.
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Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
White Sox shoot down trade rumors about Dye, Jenks — LAS VEGAS - While the White Sox awaited word on whether free-agent Orlando Cabrera would decline their salary arbitration offer, two trade scenarios were shot down Sunday night on the eve of the winter meetings.
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