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Anthony Castrovince / CastroTurf:
Marte designated as Tribe trades for Salas — Well, you knew the Andy Marte Era would come to an end sooner or later here in camp, and it didn't take long. — The Indians traded for RHP Juan Salas today, sending Minor League INF Isaias Velasquez to the Rays. — Salas, 30, was designated for assignment by the Rays on Friday.
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Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com:
Tribe acquires Salas, designates Marte — Deal with Rays signals end of third baseman's tenure in Cleveland — GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The Indians came into camp knowing Andy Marte would be the first guy off their roster, if a 40-man move was made, and they didn't take long to follow through with that plan.
Discussion:
Bottom9 Baseball
Paul Hoynes / Plain Dealer:
Cleveland Indians drop Andy Marte; trade for reliever Juan Salas from Tampa Bay Rays — GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The Andy Marte Era in Cleveland is all but over. — The Indians designated Marte for assignment today after acquiring right-hander Juan Salas from Tampa Bay for minor league infielder Isaias Valasquez.
Discussion:
Around the Majors
Amy K. Nelson / ESPN.com:
Alex Rodriguez's cousin, Yuri Sucart, would do anything for him … As far back as anyone can remember, Yuri Sucart was always by Alex Rodriguez's side. — Sucart would tell anyone who would listen he was Rodriguez's cousin. But he was also Rodriguez's best friend, confidant and personal protector.
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NY Daily News, Deadspin, SPORTSbyBROOKS, The Yankee Scrolls, iYankees, Surviving Grady, Pinstripe Alley, Yahoo! Sports, Baseball & The Boogie Down, ESPN, IT IS HIGH, IT IS FAR, IT IS, Can't Stop The Bleeding, The Chuck Knoblog, MLB, WasWatching.com, River Avenue Blues and St. Petersburg Times
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T.J. Quinn / MLB:Sources: MLB wants Alex Rodriguez to sit down with its investigators
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NY Daily News, WasWatching.com, The Yankee Scrolls, Sliding Into Home and New York Times
Troy E. Renck / Denver Post:
Rockies' pitcher Francis likely out for year — TUCSON — Rockies pitcher Jeff Francis expects his season to be over before it starts. Francis will undergo exploratory surgery on his left shoulder Wednesday in Denver, he said here today. — The surgery is expected to sideline him between 6-12 months …
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Bobbie Dittmeier / MLB.com:
Hank rebukes talk of salary cap — Yankees co-chairman responds to Boston's suggestion of payroll limit — Hank Steinbrenner isn't so keen on a salary cap. — Not long after Red Sox owner John Henry and club president Larry Lucchino said on Wednesday that Major League Baseball …
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Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Lucchino, Henry in favor of salary cap — Red Sox brass address issue of competitive balance for MLB — FORT MYERS, Fla. — Despite their status as a big-market team, the Red Sox's ownership revealed Wednesday that they would be highly in favor of an “enlightened” salary cap …
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Pittsburgh Lumber Co., Let's Go Yankees Blog, Keep Your Sox On, The Joy of Sox and River Avenue Blues
Buster Olney / MLB:
Sources: New York Yanks, San Diego Padres vie for Mexican pitcher — The Yankees and Padres continue to search for pitching depth, even with spring training under way, and both are in the bidding for Walter Silva, a 32-year-old right-hander who had a strong showing in the Mexican Winter League, sources said.
Keith Law / ESPN:
Signing Griffey a shortsighted move by Mariners — The Mariners' agreement with Ken Griffey Jr. is a nostalgia signing that does very little to push the franchise forward and carries some risk of retarding their recovery from five years of mismanagement by the previous baseball regime.
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John Hickey / Seattle Post-Intelligencer:Mariners Notebook: Sojo stops by camp to ‘recruit’
Discussion:
Lookout Landing
Associated Press:
Orioles, Roberts closing in on 4-year extension — FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Brian Roberts and the Baltimore Orioles are near agreement on a $40 million, four-year extension that could keep the second baseman with the team through the 2013 season. — Roberts tried to contain …
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Peter Schmuck / Baltimore Sun:
Orioles' Roberts confirms extension — Second baseman says end of long process is ‘fairly close to done’ — FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. - Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts confirmed this morning that he is on the verge of signing a four-year, $40 million contract extension that will tie him to the team through the 2013 season.
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Yahoo! Sports
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
St. Louis Cardinals Pineiro upset with Jose Oquendo decision — JUPITER, FLA. — Debate continues over whether Major League Baseball devised the World Baseball Classic as a competition or global marketing opportunity. — In the Cardinals' training camp, the tournament has become a flash point.
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Hardball Times
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Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:Duncan is back in the swing — JUPITER, FLA. — There were at-bats …
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Bird Land
Marc Topkin / St. Petersburg Times:Tampa Bay Rays finalize deal with versatile switch-hitter Willy Aybar
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Cardinals Best News Links
Mark Bowman / MLB.com:
Francoeur, Braves avoid arbitration — Outfielder now can focus on Spring Training, upcoming season — LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Jeff Francoeur won't need to board his scheduled flight on Thursday morning. Nor will he have to experience the arbitration hearing that had seemed destined to take place.
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MLB Rumors, Fox Sports, Talking Chop, Yahoo! Sports, Chop-n-Change and Babes Love Baseball
Jon Birger / Fortune:
Baseball battles the slump — In one of the hardest-hit parts of the country, the Arizona Diamondbacks are emerging as a case study of how to keep sports fans loyal during the recession ($1.50 hot dogs, anyone?). — (Fortune Magazine) — Calling Arizona Diamondbacks season ticket holder Jackie Smiley …
Steve Gilbert / MLB.com:
Cancer scare changes Davis for better — A year later, D-backs lefty can put life, baseball in perspective — TUCSON, Ariz. — Doug Davis does not enjoy talking about himself and he most definitely would rather not discuss his emotions. — Yet, even Davis admits that things are different …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
MLB:
George Steinbrenner, Bernie Williams appear at New York Yankees spring training — TAMPA, Fla. — A pair of familiar faces appeared Thursday at the New York Yankees' spring training camp for the first time this year: owner George Steinbrenner and outfielder Bernie Williams.
Kevin Goldstein / Baseball Prospectus:
Baseball's Place Under the New Media Sun — The mainstream media really seems to think that the sports business is in trouble. Check out this piece of doom-casting from the Wall Street Journal: … That's a pretty bold statement, considering how healthy the major sports leagues …
Discussion:
Squawking Baseball
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Jay Jaffe / Baseball Prospectus:The Rush to Judgment — People are never going to be satisfied.
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bronxbanterblog.com
Paul Hagen / Philly.com:
Now with Angels, Abreu happy Phillies won World Series — TEMPE, Ariz. - On the night the Phillies won the World Series, he sat in his apartment high above the streets of New York, eyes fixed on the high-definition screen. He'd been waiting for this moment for a long time. — “I was rooting for them.
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The Fightins
