Top News:
Jerry Crasnick / ESPN:
Sources: Tribe interested in Pavano — The Cleveland Indians have emerged as a strong candidate to sign free-agent pitcher Carl Pavano, several baseball sources told ESPN.com. — Pavano, 32, is looking to rehabilitate his career after suffering numerous injuries in four seasons with the Yankees.
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Jerry Crasnick / ESPN:
MLB hands Yankees' Mitre 50-game suspension — New York Yankees pitcher Sergio Mitre has received a 50-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy. Like Philadelphia Phillies reliever J.C. Romero, Mitre claims he had no desire to break baseball rules and that he took …
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Will Carroll / Unfiltered:
Romero's Chemist — J.C. Romero was suspended for fifty games under terms of MLB's drug policy. Just before it was handed down, Romero made his case public, the same one that the arbitrator rejected. With the NFL's drug policy currently under attack in the Starcaps case …
Peter Gammons / ESPN:Romero questions suspension
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Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Manny in L.A. still makes sense — Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005. He appears weekly on the FSN Baseball Report and MLB on FOX.
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Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Andy Pettitte Rejects Yankees' Offer, Making Return Uncertain — In some ways, Andy Pettitte is no different from the dozens of other free agents to start the new year without a team. Players all over baseball are waiting for better offers, and teams are searching for bargains.
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ESPN.com:
Sources: A's, Giambi on verge of one-year deal — The Oakland Athletics and free agent DH Jason Giambi are on the verge of agreeing on a one-year deal with an option for 2010, Sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney. — The deal would pay Giambi, who started his major league career in Oakland …
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Mike Puma / New York Post:
GIAMBI AGREES TO ONE-YEAR DEAL WITH ATHLETICS — RETURNS TO OAKLAND AFTER FAILED STINT IN THE BRONX — On the day the Yankees are introducing Mark Teixeira as their new first baseman, the man he is replacing has found a new home. — Jason Giambi has agreed to one-year deal with Athletics worth $4.5 million.
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Yankees sign Jason Johnson — Some more news from the Bronx via Sam Borden: — The Yankees have signed RHP Jason Johnson to a minor-league deal. Joe Girardi said Johnson would compete to be the fifth starter.
Discussion:
The Yankees, In Mo We Trust, The Yankee Scrolls, MY BASEBALL BIAS, River Avenue Blues and iYankees
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Kobrien / On the Yankees beat:
First impressions of Mark Teixeira in the Bronx — I went to the Mark Teixeira press conference this afternoon at Yankee Stadium. Here are a few odds and ends, plus my own impressions. — From Teixeira: — *Said nobody will put more pressure on him than he will put on himself.
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Carrie Muskat / MLB.com:
Cubs finalize Marquis-Vizcaino swap — Veteran sent to Colorado in move which creates salary flexibility — CHICAGO — The Cubs continued their offseason restructuring on Tuesday, sending pitcher Jason Marquis to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for reliever Luis Vizcaino.
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Tom Verducci / Sports Illustrated:
Old guard squeezed in new market … The baseball actuarial tables have been rewritten. As clubs continue to place greater value on young players under control (witness the new religion about not losing compensatory draft picks), the older free agent is being severely devalued.
Dan Connolly / Baltimore Sun:
Sources: O's, Uehara agree on multi-year deal — Likely slated for starting rotation, RHP would break ground as first Japan native to play for O's — The Orioles appear to have filled one vacant spot in their wide-open rotation while at the same time officially opening the door to the Far East.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Markcuban / blog maverick:
The Cubs — With all the support and encouragement I got to buy the team, I think its appropriate to share the decision making process behind what happened and why. Buying the Cubs was a unique opportunity to own one of the most storied franchises in sports.
Jayson Stark / ESPN:
Sources: Giants can't afford Manny — As hard as Scott Boras may be trying to portray the San Francisco Giants as serious bidders for Manny Ramirez, it's even harder to find executives in baseball who believe that. — Ramirez — According to one source familiar with the Giants' thinking …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Chad Cordero To Audition This Week — By Tim Dierkes [January 6 at 1:37pm CST] — 1:37pm: Nick Piecoro says the D'Backs will be one of the teams in attendance at Cordero's audition. — 8:38am: According to a baseball source, free agent reliever Chad Cordero is ahead of schedule and teams will watch him throw this week.
