Top News:
Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:
Sources: Yankees to trade Melky for Cameron — The Yankees have found their center fielder for 2009, as they are set to send Melky Cabrera to Milwaukee for veteran outfielder Mike Cameron on Thursday, according to two major league sources. — The Yankees have been saying that Cabrera …
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Joel Sherman / New York Post:
YANKS OFFER CABRERA FOR MIKE CAMERON — LAS VEGAS - CC Sabathia was not enough. Now the Yankees are zeroing in on adding his pal Mike Cameron, as well. — The Yankees would trade at least Melky Cabrera to obtain Cameron, a speedy, defensively elite center fielder who hits homers, but strikes out at a high rate.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, Bluebird Banter, Baseball & The Boogie Down, Sliding Into Home and Scott Proctor's Arm
Adam McCalvy / MLB.com:
Cameron could join CC in NY — Yankees will reportedly trade Melky to Milwaukee for vet — LAS VEGAS — CC Sabathia might have a familiar face joining him in the Bronx — former Brewers teammate Mike Cameron. — Multiple Major League sources told MLB.com early Thursday that the Brewers …
Discussion:
Bugs & Cranks
JSOnline:Yankees like Cameron AND Hall
Discussion:
MLB.com, MLB FanHouse, Baseball & The Boogie Down, Brew Crew Ball and River Avenue Blues
Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:Mike Cameron Yankees Deal Unlikely?
Discussion:
JSOnline, umpbump.com, Pinstriped Scranton, In Mo We Trust, The Bronx Block and It is about the money, stupid
Kevin Baxter / LA Times Sports Blog:Yankees get Mike Cameron; they're not done yet
Discussion:
SOX & Dawgs
Amalie Benjamin / Boston Globe:
Boras: Sox made an offer to Varitek — LAS VEGAS - With the catching market shrinking by the minute - winter meetings deals for Gerald Laird and Ramon Hernandez already in the books - there was at least one person in the Bellagio Hotel who remained confident Jason Varitek would find an opportunity somewhere.
Discussion:
YFSF
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ESPN.com:
Mets get reliever Putz in 3-team, 12-player deal — LAS VEGAS — The New York Mets obtained J.J. Putz from Seattle on Wednesday night as part of a three-team, 12-player trade that gives them a set-up man for new closer Francisco Rodriguez. — New York dealt seven players …
Keith Law / ESPN:
Putz fills the Mets' eighth-inning void — If the Mets get the healthy J.J. Putz — he missed time with rib and elbow injuries in 2008 — they might actually have acquired the best closer of their offseason, one even better than their new capital-C closer Francisco Rodriguez.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, Hardball Times, Amazin' Avenue, FanGraphs Baseball, Mets Minor League Blog and Let's Go Tribe!
Jim Street / MLB.com:
Mariners deal Putz in three-team trade — Seattle acquires Mets pitcher Heilman, three other players — LAS VEGAS — The Seattle Mariners have agreed to a deal to send right-handed closer J.J. Putz to the New York Mets on Wednesday night as part of a three-team, nine-player trade.
Anthony DiComo / MLB.com:
Mets acquire Putz to set up K-Rod — Heilman, Smith, Chavez, Carp dealt in three-team trade — LAS VEGAS — Whatever celebration followed the Mets' signing of Francisco Rodriguez had already subsided by early Wednesday afternoon. General manager Omar Minaya was in his Bellagio suite …
J.J. Cooper / Baseball America:
Rule 5 Draft Pick By Pick — Major League Portion — First Round — 1. Nationals — Terrell Young, rhp, Reds — 2. Mariners — Reggie Corona, if, Yankees — 3. Padres — Everth Cabrera, Padres — 4. Pirates — Donald Veal, lhp, Cubs — *5. Orioles — Lou Palmisano, c, Brewers
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Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com:
Gems can be unearthed in Rule 5 Draft — Cubs' Veal, Tribe's Lofgren among players available Thursday — LAS VEGAS — To get an idea of just how much of a shot in the dark the Rule 5 Draft is, take a look at the past two years. — Last year, the Major League phase produced no great impact-type players.
Paul DePodesta / It Might Be Dangerous:Rule V Draft — We just completed the Major League phase …
Discussion:
Phillies Nation
Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:
Yankees won't wait forever on Pettitte — LAS VEGAS - The Yankees have made it clear that they would welcome Andy Pettitte back to the Bronx next year. How long that remains the case, however, remains to be seen. — While Pettitte remains on the Yankees' radar, a source told the Daily News …
Discussion:
The Heater, MLB Rumors, ESPN, NJ.com, Rays Index, New Jersey Online, Bugs & Cranks, Projo Sox Blog, Hot Foot and Blogging the Bombers
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Newsday:
Yankees reach deal with CC, zero in on Burnett — The Yankees finalized a record agreement with CC Sabathia early yesterday morning, and then they went right back to work. As of late last night, they appeared to be closing in on a deal to also land free-agent pitcher A.J. Burnett.
Discussion:
New Jersey Online
Corey Brock / Hot Stove Blog:
Peavy deal to Cubs dead — LAS VEGAS — San Diego general manager Kevin Towers just told reporters that a proposed deal to send pitcher Jake Peavy to the Chicago Cubs was dead. — “It doesn't look like anything is going to happen with the Cubs,” Towers said. — Towers indicated that Cubs GM Jim Hendry pulled out of the deal.
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Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
Cubs' budget has room for Peavy trade and left-handed hitter — Losing DeRosa, Marquis would open up millions — LAS VEGAS — It isn't easy being Jim Hendry, but it's sure fun to try. — And truth be told, any fan with a calculator, a computer and Internet service can try to figure …
Discussion:
Hardball Times, LA Times Sports Blog, San Diego Union-Tribune, Phillies Nation and Bleed Cubbie Blue
Buster Olney / ESPN:
Pirates, utility infielder Vazquez close to deal … The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the verge of a two-year, $4 million deal with infielder Ramon Vazquez. — Vazquez hit a career-high .290 with a .365 on-base percentage with the Texas Rangers last season. — A left-handed hitter …
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Dejan Kovacevic / PBC Blog:Winter Meetings, Day 4: Pirates ‘very, very close’ …
Discussion:
Baseball America, whygavs.com, Pittsburgh Lumber Co., Pirate Revolution and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Boston Herald:
Scott Boras: Jason Varitek has offer to return — LAS VEGAS - The Red Sox [team stats] have presented a contract offer to Jason Varitek [stats], said agent Scott Boras yesterday at the winter meetings. The deal is believed to be for two years, although the terms remain under wraps.
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Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
No offer to Varitek — LAS VEGAS — Except for the “offer” of arbitration, which he declined, free agent catcher Jason Varitek has not received a contractual offer from the Red Sox, a source familiar with the talks said. — Varitek's agent, Scott Boras, had been asked at a press briefing Wednesday …
Denver Post:
Bid for Mets' Heilman comes to end — LAS VEGAS — The road to trade for the Mets' Aaron Heilman wasn't going through Huston Street. — So it was that the Rockies lost their shot at the Mets pitcher Wednesday night. Heilman was shipped to the Mariners in a three-team …
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ESPN:
Source: Farnsworth, Royals make deal — With many teams looking for bullpen help, veteran right-hander Kyle Farnsworth landed on his feet on Wednesday. — A source with knowledge of the negotiations told ESPN's Steve Phillips that Farnsworth has agreed to a two-year …
