Top News:
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
Baldelli close to signing with Red Sox; Smoltz not far behind — Rocco Baldelli is scheduled to be at Thursday night's Boston Baseball Writers dinner at the Westin Waterfront Hotel to accept the Tony Conigliaro Award. Will Baldelli have some good news as to his whereabouts for next season?
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Peter Gammons / ESPN:
Red Sox believe Baldelli can contribute — The Boston Red Sox were close to signing free-agent outfielder Rocco Baldelli on Wednesday night. It is expected to be announced at the Boston Baseball Writers Dinner, where Baldelli will be honored. — Baldelli, 27, has been limited to 155 games …
Discussion:
whygavs.com, MLB FanHouse, DRaysBay, Boston Globe, Red Sox Monster, The Bottom Line, SOX & Dawgs, Over the Monster, Projo Sox Blog, Rays Index and 3:10 to Joba
Tony Massarotti / Boston Globe:
Lowe to meet with Braves — With the news that John Smoltz may be headed to the Red Sox, it should come as a no surprise that the Braves appear to be intensifying their pursuit of another free-agent pitcher: Derek Lowe. — According to a baseball source, Lowe is scheduled to meet …
Discussion:
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Buster Olney / ESPN.com:
Sources: Smoltz on verge of deal with Red Sox — John Smoltz has pitched his entire major league career with the Atlanta Braves, but he is on the verge of a deal with the Boston Red Sox, according to sources. — Smoltz — Smoltz, 41, has pitched in 708 games for the Braves, winning 210 games and earning 154 saves.
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Smoltz set to sign with Red Sox — Boston would target June return for rehabbing righty — BOSTON — Never shy about pitching on a big stage, John Smoltz, a potential Hall of Famer, is on the verge of signing with the Boston Red Sox, where every game feels big.
Discussion:
Toeing the Rubber, Projo Sox Blog, This Purist Bleeds Pinstripes and Respect Jeter's Gangster
Mark Bowman / MLB.com:
Smoltz will sign with Red Sox — Deal could be completed as early as Thursday afternoon — ATLANTA — John Smoltz's days with the Braves appear to be complete. The veteran hurler could sign with the Red Sox as early as Thursday afternoon. — A Major League source who was in contact …
Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
Mets still confident they'll sign Lowe or Perez — The Mets took Scott Boras on a tour of Citi Field yesterday and served him lunch, but they didn't leave the agent with any parting gifts. — Boras and his top lieutenant, Mike Fiore, met with Mets COO Jeff Wilpon, general manager Omar Minaya …
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, NorthJersey.com, New York Times, Hot Foot, MLB.com, Hot Stove Blog, Mets Fever and MLB Rumors
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Chad Finn / Boston Globe:
Gammons's take — ESPN baseball guru Peter Gammons, while promoting his upcoming “Hot Stove, Cool Music” event, spoke at length this afternoon on sports radio station WEEI about the future of Jason Varitek, Mark Teixeira's icy past relationship with Alex Rodriguez, and numerous other topics.
Mike Puma / New York Post:
REDDING MULLS OFFER FROM METS — As Mets GM Omar Minaya continues negotiations to secure Derek Lowe's services, he also has other starting-pitching options in mind. — Minaya, according to a source, has offered a contract to Tim Redding, who went 10-11 with a 4.95 ERA for the Nationals last season.
Associated Press:
Hoffman, Brewers close in on deal — Career saves leader Trevor Hoffman is closing in on a deal with the Brewers. — A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press the sides are near an agreement. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract hadn't been completed Wednesday night.
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Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
Pettitte not happy with Yankees right now — Andy Pettitte is extremely unhappy with how his negotiations have gone with the Yankees, and the lefthander might be softening on his opposition to rejoining the Astros. — What once seemed a fait accompli - Pettitte returning to the Yankees …
Cam Inman / Contra Costa Times:
Candid Cam: Giambi's return to A's is a hit, so far — A'S GENERAL MANAGER Billy Beane gushed. Jason Giambi blushed. And I felt like whispering hush, that Beane's re-introduction of Giambi to the Bay Area media Wednesday was sounding too much like a best-man speech.
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Ameet Sachdev / Chicago Tribune:
Final 3 bidders for Chicago Cubs — Tribune Co. asks trio of potential buyers to polish their bids — And then there were three. — The sale of the Chicago Cubs has come down to three finalists, nearly two years after the team's owner, Tribune Co., put the storied franchise and Wrigley Field on the market.
Derek Jacques / Unfiltered:
Euphemistically Speaking, the MLB Network — Since its launch last Thursday, I've been catching the MLB Network's Hot Stove studio show whenever I can. Although the show follows the template used by ESPN's Baseball Tonight pretty closely, the roster of talent they've assembled is promising.
