Top News:
Jerry Crasnick / ESPN.com:
Source: Angels pull out of Teixeira sweepstakes — The Los Angeles Angels withdrew their eight-year offer for free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira on Sunday, a baseball source said. — The Angels' departure from the Teixeira sweepstakes leaves the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees …
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Lyle Spencer / MLB.com:
Angels pull out of Teixeira chase — Club confirms it has withdrawn its eight-year contract offer — The Angels confirmed Sunday that they have pulled out of the bidding for free agent Mark Teixeira's services. Team spokesman Tim Mead said the club would have no further comment today.
Discussion:
MASN Online
Mike DiGiovanna / LA Times Sports Blog:
Angels withdraw offer to Mark Teixeira — Tim Mead, the Angels' vice president of communications, confirmed a foxsports.com report that the team has withdrawn its offer to Mark Teixeira and is no longer pursuing the free-agent first baseman. — The Angels, according to General Manager Tony Reagins …
Lyle Spencer / MLB.com:
Angels pull out of Teixeira chase — Club confirms it has withdrawn its eight-year contract offer — The Mark Teixeira sweepstakes are now exclusively an East Coast derby. — The Angels, withdrawing their eight-year offer believed to be in the $160 million neighborhood …
Discussion:
Halos Heaven
Kat O'Brien / Newsday:
Yankees on fringes of Teixeira talks — Despite agent Scott Boras' efforts to get the Yankees involved in the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes, the Yankees remain on the periphery of the bidding, sources said yesterday. — Early yesterday, SI.com's Jon Heyman reported that in the wake …
Discussion:
New Jersey Online, River Avenue Blues, WEEI Blogs, YanksBlog.com, NJ.com, The Final Score and Newsday
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
Yankees Keep Eye on Teixeira and Wait — Although the Yankees have not actively pursued the free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira, team officials continue to monitor the negotiations between Teixeira's agent, Scott Boras, and other teams. — The Yankees are interested in signing Teixeira …
Discussion:
iYankees, Oriole Post, MASN Online, River Avenue Blues, Baseball Insider and Boston Globe
New York Post:
WITH SAWX STEPPING ASIDE, BOMBERS MAKE SMART PLAY
WITH SAWX STEPPING ASIDE, BOMBERS MAKE SMART PLAY
Discussion:
Respect Jeter's Gangster, Zell's Pinstripe Blog, Pinstripes, Pa., Sliding Into Home and NY Daily News
David Pinto / Baseball Musings:
Creating a Market — Scott Boras called the Yankees about Mark Teixeira:
Creating a Market — Scott Boras called the Yankees about Mark Teixeira:
Discussion:
YFSF
Marc Topkin / St. Petersburg Times:
Outlook positive for Tampa Bay Rays to sign a good free-agent hitter
Outlook positive for Tampa Bay Rays to sign a good free-agent hitter
Discussion:
DRaysBay
Tom Krasovic / San Diego Union-Tribune:
Talented teams of the '90s quite different than today — Should a sale go through, whoever buys the Padres from John Moores would be lucky to get a Padres club as talented as the one Moores bought in late 1994. — True, when Moores took control, the Padres were coming off a 47-70 season.
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Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Padres Sign Chris Britton — By Tim Dierkes [December 21 at 1:41pm CST] — We missed this one - apparently the Padres signed recently non-tendered reliever Chris Britton, according to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The big righty will compete for the seventh-inning role in 2009.
Jerry Crasnick / ESPN:
Source: Pirates, Doumit reach deal … The Pittsburgh Pirates have reached an agreement on a three-year deal with catcher Ryan Doumit that will take him through his salary arbitration years, a baseball source told ESPN.com. — The contract includes a club option that will take Doumit into free agency, the source said.
Associated Press:
Ex-Negro league star Carlos Santiago, 82, dies — SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Carlos Manuel Santiago, a star infielder in the Negro leagues during the 1940s, died Sunday. He was 82. — He died of cardiac failure at his home in Mayaguez, son Carlos Manuel Santiago Feliciano said.
Discussion:
Baseball Musings
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External / ESPN:
Olney: Market forces at work — Brian Fuentes began the offseason as, theoretically, the most second-most coveted reliever, after a season in which he earned 30 saves and accumulated a 2.73 ERA, and held left-handed batters to a .184 average, with 20 strikeouts in 49 at-bats.
Discussion:
Purple Row
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Associated Press:
Japanese team won't extend Valentine's contract after 2009 — TOKYO (AP) — The Chiba Lotte Marines have decided not to offer Bobby Valentine a contract extension after his current four-year deal expires at the end of 2009 season, the former New York Mets manager said Sunday.
Discussion:
Tales Of A Transplanted …
JSOnline:
Melvin confirms interest in Looper — By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel — I spoke to Brewers general manager Doug Melvin on the telephone today and he confirmed he has shown interest in free agent pitcher Braden Looper. — Melvin denied a Boston Globe report, however, that the Brewers “are close” to signing Looper.
Discussion:
Right Field Bleachers
Replacement Level Yankees Weblog:
So Who's Got the Best Rotation in the AL East Now? — With the Yankees' signings of C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, many pundits are saying they now have the best starting rotation in the AL East. Let's use CAIRO to see if that's actually true or not. With all due respect to Baltimore and Toronto …
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
It's the offseason of hope — Ability to play again would be perfect gift — Rocco Baldelli might not be out of the woods, but after further evaluation at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic he at least has hope that the mitochondrial disorder that nearly ruined …
Murray Chass / Murray Chass On Baseball:
CASE OF THE TAINTED TERM SHEET — This column was going to be about the number of shortstops available as free agents this winter, among the better known Edgar Renteria, Orlando Cabrera, David Eckstein, Omar Vizquel, Nomar Garciaparra, Rafael Furcal, Adam Everett, Cesar Izturis.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com:
Kuroda to miss World Baseball Classic — Dodgers pitcher still recovering from right shoulder tendinitis — The Kyodo News has reported that Dodgers pitcher Hiroki Kuroda will not be participating in the upcoming World Baseball Classic tournament. — Kuroda had intended to play for Team Japan …