Top News:
Joel Sherman / New York Post:
CC SABATHIA PICKS YANKEES — LAS VEGAS - CC Sabathia is not going to play on the West Coast. He is not going to play in the National League. CC Sabathia is going to be a Yankee, The Post has learned exclusively. — After three straight days of face-to-face meetings between GM Brian Cashman …
Discussion:
Baseball Prospectus, Boston Globe, ESPN, San Diego Union-Tribune, New Jersey Online, Hardball, Newsday, Hardball Times, MVN, Fire Ned Colletti Now, Respect Jeter's Gangster, The LoHud Yankees Blog, MetsBlog.com, Hot Stove League, The Big Lead, Zell's Pinstripe Blog, Pinstripes, Pa., Riding with Rickey, Deadspin, MLB FanHouse, Ken Davidoff's baseball …, Projo Sox Blog, Over the Monster, WasWatching.com, bronxbanterblog.com, Hot Foot, The Bottom Line, Subway Squawkers, Scott Proctor's Arm, Mets Merized Online and Pinstripe Alley
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Yahoo! Sports:
Opt-out clause key to Sabathia going to Yankees — Buzz up! — LAS VEGAS - Baseball's perennial high-rollers, the New York Yankees, scored the biggest coup of the winter meetings when CC Sabathia reached preliminary agreement on a deal that will pay him $161 million over the next seven years.
Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Yanks, Sabathia reach 7-year deal … LAS VEGAS — Free-agent pitcher CC Sabathia is about to sign with the Yankees, SI.com has confirmed. The deal being finalized now is expected to pay Sabathia about $160 million over seven years. — The two sides are on the verge of an agreement …
Jose Mota / Yahoo! Sports:
Nationals extend offer to Teixeira — Buzz up! — LAS VEGAS - The Washington Nationals have stepped boldly into the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes, making an offer to the free agent first baseman for seven years and $150 million, a highly placed baseball source said Wednesday morning.
ESPN.com:
Sources: Yanks, Sabathia agree to deal — LAS VEGAS — CC Sabathia will be a New York Yankee. — The Yankees reached a preliminary agreement with Sabathia on Wednesday, following an in-person meeting between general manager Brian Cashman and Sabathia in California, sources with knowledge …
Cork Gaines / MLB Rumors:
Sabathia Reaches Agreement With Yankees — By Cork Gaines [December 10 at 1:25pm CST] — 1:25pm: Sherman has more details on the Yankees' talks with Sabathia. — 12:49pm: Rosenthal talked to a rival exec who sees no upside to Sabathia's opt-out clause.
Discussion:
New York Post, JSOnline, Boston Globe, Yahoo! Sports, MY BASEBALL BIAS, ESPN, Pinstriped Scranton, MVN and It is about the money, stupid
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Search for a closer escalates — LAS VEGAS — Going where the free agent current takes them, the Cardinals have made the search for a veteran closer their priority after apparently bidding too little for free agent Francisco Rodriguez. — General manager John Mozeliak said Tuesday …
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Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
K-Rod gets physical — Las Vegas - Francisco Rodriguez was at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan Wednesday morning, undergoing a physical. There was no official word on K-Rod passing the physical, though the Mets hope to make an announcement within hours that he's cleared the medical hurdle.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
Duk / Yahoo! Sports:
BBWAA opens doors wider, admits four more Internet writers — Slowly but surely, the Baseball Writers Association of America is becoming more inclusive. The organization just held a meeting here at Bellagio and, for the second straight year, humbly voted to add a few Internet writers to their newspaper-dominated ranks.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, Hardball Times, Drunk Jays Fans, umpbump.com, Batter's Box Interactive … and The Poor Man's Analyst
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Christina Kahrl / Unfiltered:
Baseball Prospectus and the BBWAA — The Winter Meetings are the baseball industry's opportunity not simply to meet and make a few changes, it's also the place where a lot of the game's affiliated institutions make moves of their own. That took a different form this morning …
Discussion:
Baseball Digest Daily Blog
Paul Hagen / Philly.com:
Phillies Notebook: Phillies GM Amaro not concerned about Mets getting Rodriguez — LAS VEGAS - Now that the Phillies are busy designing their World Series rings, it's easy to forget that they didn't exactly dominate the National League East last season. — In fact, it took a torrid finish, coupled with another Mets collapse.
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La Velle / Twins Insider:
Twins could play a role in the Jake Peavy sweepstakes — Two persons with knowledge of negotiations said the Twins and Cubs talked yesterday about a deal for infielder Mark DeRosa - a potential move that would get the Twins involved in the most talked-about trade of the offseason.
Jim Salisbury / Philly.com:Phils' Manuel gets extension; DeRosa deal still alive
Discussion:
The Good Phight
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
Smoltz's wish list includes Boston — LAS VEGAS — John Smoltz wants to pitch for a team that could take him to the World Series. — He hopes that's still the Atlanta Braves, the team for whom he has pitched since 1988, but the 41-year-old free agent is considering the Red Sox …
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Paul Hoynes / Plain Dealer:
Cleveland Indians, Kerry Wood agree on $20 million deal - if he's healthy … If Kerry Wood passes a physical today or Thursday in Cleveland, he'll be the Indians closer. — The Indians have made Wood a two-year offer worth close to $20 million. The deal, contingent on Wood getting …
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Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Little movement for rapid-talking Nats — Flurry of rumors yield no result as Kasten expects quiet Meetings — LAS VEGAS — General manager Jim Bowden was so busy trying to improve the Nationals on Tuesday that he politely cancelled his afternoon meeting with reporters at the Bellagio Resort.
