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:
Boston Globe, San Diego Union-Tribune, Baseball Prospectus, Hardball, Newsday, ESPN, MVN, Hardball Times, Fire Ned Colletti Now, Respect Jeter's Gangster, New Jersey Online, Hot Stove League, MetsBlog.com, Riding with Rickey, Over the Monster, Projo Sox Blog, Subway Squawkers, Zell's Pinstripe Blog, Scott Proctor's Arm, Pinstripe Alley, The Big Lead, Deadspin, Ken Davidoff's baseball …, Pinstripes, Pa., WasWatching.com, MLB FanHouse and Mets Merized Online
RELATED:
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.
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.
Discussion:
Nationals Journal, MLB FanHouse, iYankees, Federal Baseball, PE.com, LA Times Sports Blog and Hot Foot
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 …
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, MVN, Yahoo! Sports, True Blue LA, MY BASEBALL BIAS, Pinstriped Scranton and ESPN
Mike DiGiovanna / LA Times Sports Blog:
Mark Teixeira negotiations heating up — LAS VEGAS — The Yankees' imminent signing of free-agent left-hander CC Sabathia to a seven-year, $160-million deal would seem to take them out of the running for Mark Teixeira, but that will hardly ease the competition the Angels face in retaining the free-agent first baseman.
Discussion:
The Schmuck Stops Here, Mets Merized Online, TEXAS RANGERS, Oriole Central, MLB Rumors and Hot Stove Blog
RELATED:
Tom Verducci / Sports Illustrated:Five Cuts: Smoltz to Red Sox?, thoughts on K-Rod
Discussion:
Over the Monster
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
RELATED:
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
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 …
RELATED:
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.
RELATED:
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 …
RELATED:
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 …
RELATED:
For the Record:
QUOTE(#4): … what about last year BurghFan? — Capps went on the dl last year on July 2 with should bursitis and did not join the big club again until august 23, - essentially missing 2 months of the season, so get your facts straight on that. — he's also free agent after this season …
Hot Stove Blog:
Source disputes reported terms of offer made to Burnett — A Major League source says that he doesn't believe the Braves have offered A.J. Burnett a guaranteed five-year contract. This response came after FOXSports.com reported Wednesday morning that the Braves had offered Burnett a five-year, $80 million contract.
RELATED:
John Sickels / Minor League Ball:
Milwaukee Brewers Top 20 Prospects for 2009 — Milwaukee Brewers Top 20 Prospects for 2009 — All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change. Don't get too worried about exact rankings at this point, especially once you get out of the top 10.
