Top News:
ESPN.com:
Ivan Rodriguez agrees to one-year, $1.5 million contract with Houston Astros — Catcher Ivan Rodriguez has agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Houston Astros. — The deal is contingent on Rodriguez taking a physical, the catcher said in an interview Monday on ESPN …
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Amy K. Nelson / MLB:
Team USA players Matt Lindstrom, Ryan Braun need MRIs — MIAMI — The injury toll to Team USA continues, and this time a pitcher is the latest to leave the World Baseball Classic. — Braun — Lindstrom — Florida Marlins reliever Matt Lindstrom has left the squad after experiencing soreness …
Jose De Jesus Ortiz / Houston Chronicle:
Astros agree to deal with catcher Rodriguez — Veteran likely pushes Quintero to backup catcher role — KISSIMMEE, Fla. - As Roy Oswalt sang Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez's praises, the 14-time All-Star catcher interrupted the ace righthander's phone conversation Monday afternoon to let him know they were now Astros teammates.
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blogs.chron.com, Bless You Boys, Babes Love Baseball, MLB Rumors and Mets Merized Online
Juan C. Rodriguez / Sun-Sentinel:
Team USA eliminates punchless Dutch 9-3 — MIAMI GARDENS - The Dutch were prepared to go out with a fight — literally. — Trailing the United States 8-1 in the top of eighth of Sunday's World Baseball Classic elimination game, the Netherlands got its first homer of the tournament.
Jorge L. Ortiz / USA Today:
With K-Rod to rescue, Venezuela gets to group finals — MIAMI — In his record-setting season last year, Francisco Rodriguez never pitched more than one inning. Monday, Rodriguez not only entered the game in the eighth inning, but in the middle of an at-bat as well.
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Fox Sports
David O'Brien / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:Chipper out of WBC with strained side
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MetsBlog.com
Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:Pudge in serious talks with Astros
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Ken Davidoff's baseball …
Joe Lapointe / New York Times:
Yankees Prescribe Rest and Disclosure for Canó — TAMPA, Fla. — Robinson Canó and Dámaso Marte of the Yankees had magnetic resonance imaging tests Monday and the results showed only minor injuries. Canó has bursitis in his right shoulder and Marte has inflammation in his left shoulder.
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iYankees
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Andy Martino / Philly.com:
Hamels speaks — Breaking news from Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr.: — Cole Hamels will leave Clearwater tonight for the Philadelphia area to have his left elbow examined tomorrow by team doctor Michael Ciccotti. Amaro said that Hamels' had complained of “a little bit of a persistent soreness” in the elbow.
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Todd Zolecki / The Zo Zone:Hamels Has Elbow Soreness, Flying to Philadelphia
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Yahoo! Sports, Phillies Nation, Babes Love Baseball, MLB.com, The700Level.com and Philliesflow.com
New York Post:
ROTATION CLOSE AS FIVE YANKS-KETEERS — TAMPA - Andy Pettitte warmed up early yesterday afternoon and - as has been the case all spring when the Yankees are at home - he was not alone. — On a suggestion from A.J. Burnett before a Feb. 28 game at Steinbrenner Field, the members …
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Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:
No debate on starting Joba — TAMPA - The debate rages on, though mostly among television talking heads or on sports talk radio. Should Joba Chamberlain be a starter or a reliever? — Some believe Chamberlain's highest value is as the eighth-inning bridge to Mariano Rivera …
Discussion:
River Avenue Blues
Brian Costa / New Jersey Online:
New York Mets name Julio Franco minor-league manager — PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Julio Franco is back with the Mets. — Except this time, he isn't trying to extend his playing career. He's starting a new one. — The team named Franco manager of the rookie-league Gulf Coast Mets on Monday …
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Chico Harlan / Nationals Journal:
Some Thoughts On (And From) Lastings Milledge — You can read the paper version of my Milledge-Dukes story here. The DMTP stuff on this one — especially w/r/t to Milledge — is expansive, so maybe that's a timely fit for all the Milledge-related debate we've seen here in the last day(s).
Discussion:
NationalsPride.com, Mets Merized Online, Kranepool Society, Mike Silva's … and Baseball Musings
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Daniel Kaplan / SportsBusiness Journal:
Yanks get new loan for ballpark — The New York Yankees earlier this month borrowed $105 million from a group of banks led by Goldman Sachs to cover final cost overruns at the new Yankee Stadium, sources said. — The loan brings the total debt on the stadium, which opens next month, to more than $1.3 billion.
Patrick Saunders / All Things Rockies:
Cook makes most of rare luxury — Tucson - Aaron Cook can afford luxury. — Not because he's the Rockies' No. 1 pitcher and is playing under a $34 million contract. — Rather, it's because he's talented enough, confident enough and secure enough in his position to afford experimentation.
Discussion:
Purple Row
Matt Eddy / Baseball America:
Minor League Transactions — This installment: March 8-13 — We're a week or two away from the annual spring purging, where players are released left and right, but this edition of transactions at least brings news of minor league assignments for a handful of top-shelf prospects …
Juan C. Rodriguez / Sun-Sentinel:
Marlins return Kroenke to Yankees — The Marlins did not strike Rule 5 gold again as they opted to return left-hander Zach Kroenke to the Yankees this morning. — Kroenke totaled one inning over two Grapefruit League appearances, including one disastrous outing in which he failed to retire any of the seven batters he faced.
Associated Press:
Roy Halladay surrenders 3 homers in Blue Jays loss — DUNEDIN, Fla. — Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston is so used to watching Roy Halladay pitch well that Monday's rocky start by the right-hander surprised him. — Halladay gave up three homers in Toronto's 6-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox …
