Top News:
Joel Sherman / Hardball:
YANKS SIGN JOHN RODRIGUEZ — Outfielder John Rodriguez, a native New Yorker who played two seasons with the Cardinals, was signed to a minor league contract by the Yankees, the Post has learned. — Rodriguez was originally signed by the Yankees in November 1996 and played in their minor league system through the 2004 season.
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Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Duncan designated for assignment — Bombers clear room on 40-man roster for first baseman Teixeira — NEW YORK — The Yankees designated first baseman Shelley Duncan for assignment on Tuesday, clearing room on their 40-man roster for Mark Teixeira. — Duncan, 29, played parts of the past …
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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre …
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:Duncan designated; Coke to start
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MY BASEBALL BIAS, Baseball & The Boogie Down, Sliding Into Home, Scott Proctor's Arm and YanksBlog.com
AOL Sports:
Yanks Still Living Ugly American Dream — Sports Commentary — NEW YORK — God bless the Yankees. While the rest of us fret over non-existent 401ks and keep one eye open for the nearest soup kitchen, the Yankees have brilliantly devised a nifty stimulus recovery package.
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Chad Finn / Boston Globe:
Teixeira: ‘In the back of my mind, the Yankees were always the top’ — The Yankees officially introduced first baseman Mark Teixeira at a press conference at the old Yankee Stadium this afternoon. Here are few notable comments from the 28-year-old slugger, who agreed to an eight-year …
Jack Curry / New York Times:
Teixeira's Wife Made the Call: Yankees — Thirteen days before Christmas, Mark Teixeira, the Yankees' $180 million man, was having dinner with his wife, Leigh, when he pleaded with her for insight about the future. If everything was equal among Teixeira's suitors, he said, where would she rather see him play?
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Hardball Times
Mike Fitzpatrick / Associated Press:
Mets to meet with Boras about Lowe, Perez — NEW YORK (AP) — Still looking to fill out the rotation, the New York Mets are ready to make their push for a proven starting pitcher. — Mets executives set up a face-to-face meeting Wednesday with agent Scott Boras to talk about two of his free-agent clients …
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Mets Merized Online, Associated Press, The 'Ropolitans, MLB Rumors, 24 Hours From Suicide and MetsBlog.com
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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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Thomas Harding / MLB.com:
Rockies complete deal for Marquis — Acquisition of right-hander leaves one rotation spot available — DENVER — The Rockies' acquisition of right-hander Jason Marquis from the Cubs, which became official Tuesday, put their starting rotation ahead of where it was this time last year …
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Mark Sheldon / MLB.com:
Reds agree to terms with Hairston — Infielder/outfielder expected to be everyday shortstop in 2009 — CINCINNATI — The Reds have reached an agreement with free-agent infielder/outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr. on a one-year deal worth a guaranteed $2 million, a baseball source told MLB.com on Tuesday.
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Test / Hot Stove Blog:
Hairston returning to Reds — Free agent Jerry Hairston Jr. is returning to the Reds. A baseball source told MLB.com that Hairston and the club agreed to terms on a one-year contract worth a guaranteed $2 million on Tuesday. It's an incentive laden deal that could be worth up to $4 million.
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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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:
The Schmuck Stops Here, NPB Tracker, MLB FanHouse, Oriole Magic, Oriole Central, MLB Rumors, Yahoo! Sports and Camden Chat
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Benjamin Hoffman / Bats:
Giambi Lived Up to Expectations — With the unveiling of Mark Teixeira as the Yankees first baseman, there seems to go with it a purging of Jason Giambi and the declaring of his time in pinstripes to have been for naught. Between his strange injuries and illnesses, his steroid scandal …
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Geoff Baker / Mariners Blog:
2009 starts...slowly — Glad to be back and am ready to start a brand new year of covering the Mariners. Many thanks to all of you who wrote in and emailed me privately about my knee surgery. I'm happy to report that things are progressing well. — On to the Mariners …
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Joel Sherman / Hardball:
YANKS SET TO LOWER OFFER TO PETTITTE — Andy Pettitte's chances to return to the Yankees have dropped precipitously because in the aftermath of the Mark Teixeira signing the organization is now strongly inclined to lower the $10 million offer that the lefty already has been resistant to all offseason, the Post has learned.
Tim Brown / Yahoo! Sports:
Romero deserved his punishment — Buzz up! — The over-the-counter supplement that supposedly snuck up on J.C. Romero last summer is billed as providing “Maximum testosterone production FOR HARDCORE USERS ONLY.” — The supposedly harmless pills Romero popped in order to pitch …
