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:
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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.
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:
MLB FanHouse, Nationals Journal, 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
Sabathia Reaches Agreement With Yankees
Discussion:
New York Post, JSOnline, Boston Globe, MVN, True Blue LA, Yahoo! Sports, MY BASEBALL BIAS and Pinstriped Scranton
Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Derek Lowe Rumors: Wednesday
Derek Lowe Rumors: Wednesday
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports, MetsBlog.com, Pinstripes, Pa., IT IS HIGH, IT IS FAR, IT IS, iYankees and WasWatching.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
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, MLB Rumors, TEXAS RANGERS, Mets Merized Online, Oriole Central and Hot Stove Blog
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Tom Verducci / Sports Illustrated:
Five Cuts: Smoltz to Red Sox?, thoughts on K-Rod
Five Cuts: Smoltz to Red Sox?, thoughts on K-Rod
Discussion:
Over the Monster
David Lennon / On the Mets beat:
Inside the K-Rod signing — With the Mets about to make the Francisco Rodriguez signing official in a matter of minutes, new details have emerged about the speedy negotiations with the free-agent closer that resulted in the three-year, $37-million deal. — When K-Rod and his agent …
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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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Jim Salisbury / Philly.com:
Phils' Manuel gets extension; DeRosa deal still alive
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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Jerry Crasnick / ESPN:
Source: Yanks offer fifth year to reel in Burnett … The New York Yankees, making a hard late charge to beat out the Atlanta Braves for A.J. Burnett, offered the free-agent right-hander a guaranteed five-year contract Wednesday, a baseball source told ESPN.com.
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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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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 …
Adam Kilgore / Boston Globe:
Boras speaks: Sox offer 'Tek, multiple offers for Tex — Scott Boras addressed a massive pack of reporters here at the Bellagio. Mark Teixeira, the most prominent free agent reamaining, has received contract offers from every team with interest (presumably the Red Sox, Angels, Nationals, Orioles, and Yankees), he said.
Dick Kaegel / MLB.com:
Ramirez agrees to terms with Royals — KC bringing back lefty on one-year deal to join rotation — LAS VEGAS — The Royals, wanting a left-handed starter for their rotation, reached out for a familiar face, Horacio Ramirez. — General manager Dayton Moore said Wednesday that the Royals …