Top News:
Jayson Stark / ESPN:
A-Rod has destroyed game's history … In baseball, we love our numbers. And we love our heroes. And that brings us to Alex Rodriguez, a man who has committed a crime he doesn't even understand: — A crime against the once-proud history of his sport. — A-Rod didn't commit that crime alone, of course.
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Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
A-Rod plans to issue response — Highly public flap likely to prove a distraction as spring training starts — Alex Rodriguez, who is the highest-paid player in baseball and is widely viewed as the most talented, tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003, according to two people familiar with the results.
Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:
Yankee mates back A-Rod … Yankees have supported Alex Rodriguez through thick and thin during his first five years in pinstripes. Despite Saturday's revelation that the three-time MVP reportedly flunked a steroids test in 2003, it doesn't appear that will change any time soon.
Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Heyman: The union is responsible for A-Rod's steroid predicament … When Alex Rodriguez was approached by Sports Illustrated writer Selena Roberts in the University of Miami gym on Thursday and presented with the bombshell that he failed baseball's 2003 steroid survey test …
Discussion:
Hardball Times, iYankees, matsuifan.com, Heartland Pinstripes and Baseball & The Boogie Down
Harvey Araton / New York Times:Nine More Years of a Marriage Not Made in Heaven
Discussion:
NY Daily News, Bugs & Cranks, Hardball Times, WasWatching.com, Bats, BASEBALL HOT CORNER, MLB.com and New York Post
MLB:
Andruw Jones OKs Rangers' minor league deal — Released by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Andruw Jones will have the opportunity to try to resurrect his career with the Texas Rangers. — Several media outlets reported Sunday that Texas will sign Jones to a minor league deal that will pay him $500,000 if he makes the major league team.
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Keeli Garza / Foul Territory:
Jones is coming — General manager Jon Daniels confirmed a New York Post report that says the Rangers will announce this week that they have signed free-agent center fielder Andruw Jones to a minor-league contract. The value of the contract would be $500,000 if Jones makes the big-league roster …
Joel Sherman / Hardball:
RANGERS TO SIGN ANDRUW JONES — The Rangers will announce in the next few days that they have signed center fielder Andruw Jones to a minor league contract that will pay him a base salary of $500,000 if he makes the majors, the Post has learned. — Jones will also have an opportunity …
Kevin Goldstein / Baseball Prospectus:
More Questions and Even Less Time — You may have noticed that today's column is titled “On The Beat.” That change will keep the name consistent with the columns that I write on Wednesdays, as well as on other days when I end up covering the postseason and the Winter Meetings.
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ESPN.com:
Phillies, 1B Howard agree to 3-year, $54M deal — The Philadelphia Phillies and first baseman Ryan Howard agreed Sunday to a three-year, $54 million contract to avoid an arbitration hearing. — Howard — “I'm happy to have this done and to know that I'll be in Philadelphia …
Discussion:
Bucs Dugout, Phillies Nation, Yahoo! Sports, Bugs & Cranks, Sons of Steve Garvey and The700Level.com
Kat O'Brien / Newsday:
Sabathia, Burnett give Yankees confidence — The Yankees made no secret of their primary objective during the offseason: upgrading their starting rotation. — They met that goal as well as anyone could have hoped, landing 2007 American League Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia and the dominant if erratic A.J. Burnett.
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
A tough pitch to let go by — LA offering may be best Ramírez will see — Give Dodgers owner Frank McCourt credit. He made a heck of an attempt to sign Manny Ramírez with an offer that made sense for both sides: one year, $25 million. — It was a page from the book …
MLB:
Royals, Teahen agree to 1-year deal for $3.58M — KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mark Teahen and the Kansas City Royals agreed on Sunday to a one-year contract worth $3,575,000 and avoided salary arbitration. — Teahen played in a career-best 149 games last season, hitting .255 with 31 doubles, 15 home runs and 59 RBIs.
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