Top News:
ESPN.com:
Atlanta Braves cut 305-game winner Tom Glavine … ATLANTA — In a stunning move, the Atlanta Braves released 305-game winner Tom Glavine on Wednesday, just when it seemed he was ready to return to the big leagues. — The move was first reported by ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports, Mets Today, Center Field, Faith and Fear in Flushing, Surfing the Mets and Associated Press
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Dejan Kovacevic / PBC Blog:
McLouth traded to Atlanta for three prospects; McCutchen coming to Pittsburgh — The Pirates have traded center fielder Nate McLouth to the Atlanta Braves tonight, according to two sources, but there is no immediate word on the return. — Details to come.
David O'Brien / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Glavine ‘surprised, disappointed’ by release — Veteran says he's ready to pitch — In a surprising move, the Braves released Tom Glavine on Wednesday, only days before he was expected to be added to the major-league rotation. They avoided paying the 305-game winner a $1 million bonus …
Discussion:
SPORTSbyBROOKS
Mark Bowman / MLB.com:
Braves acquire McLouth from Pirates — Outfielder dealt to Atlanta for three top prospects — ATLANTA — The Braves have acquired All-Star outfielder Nate McLouth from the Pirates in exchange for three highly regarded Minor League prospects. — The clubs announced that the Pirates …
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Game 53: Rangers at Yankees (updates with Wang returning to rotation and Teixeira scratched) — YANKEES (31-21) — New lineup — Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (5-1, 4.10). — RANGERS (30-21) — Kinsler 2B — Young 3B — Jones DH — Cruz RF — Murphy LF — Byrd CF — Davis 1B
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Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com:
Wang to start Thursday for Yankees — Hughes headed to bullpen, CC pushed back a day — NEW YORK — Prior to Wednesday's game the Yankees announced right-hander Chien-Ming Wang will start Thursday's game against Texas, with CC Sabathia pushed back to Friday and Phil Hughes moved to the bullpen.
Tim Kurkjian / ESPN:
Reliving the Randy Johnson experience — What's it like hitting against the Big Unit? Hitters share their often terrifying moments. — ESPN The Magazine … The most fitting tribute to the greatness of Randy Johnson came 12 years ago when Baltimore Orioles manager Davey Johnson benched …
Discussion:
Bottom9 Baseball
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Bob Nightengale / USA Today:
Beckett takes no-hitter into seventh as Red Sox tame Tigers — DETROIT — Boston Red Sox starter Josh Beckett, who grew up idolizing Nolan Ryan, nearly joined him in the record books Wednesday. — Beckett flirted with a no-hitter for 6 2/3 innings vs. the Detroit Tigers in Boston's 10-5 rout at Comerica Park.
Discussion:
sox1fan.com
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Surfing the Mets:
Farm report: Holt to Binghamton — Mets officials say Brad Holt is on a similar trajectory to Mike Pelfrey. So Holt, the 33rd overall pick in the draft one year ago and the fastest-rising pitching prospect in the organization, was promoted to Double-A Binghamton on Wednesday.
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Tom Verducci / Sports Illustrated:
Baseball's Lebron … One rainy February day in Las Vegas, home to a fake pyramid, a phony volcano, a faux Eiffel Tower, an ersatz New York skyline, a pirated copy of a pirate ship and the clever sleights-of-hand of magicians and plastic surgeons, Sam Thomas watched two men stretching …
Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Nobody's perfect: The early line on trade needs for the contenders … No team looks perfect with nearly two months to go before the trade deadline ... well, no team except the Dodgers, that is. Whomever they use performs. At least that's the way it looks now.
Cjennings / Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees Blog:
Notes from Newman (Mitre, Russo, McAllister, Vazquez...) — A phone call with Yankees vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman touched on any number of subjects. Let's tackle them one at a time, shall we? — Sergio Mitre — Probably the most immediately newsworthy information …
Evan Grant / Dallas Sports:
Rangers Start Trade Talks; Place Vicente Padilla On Outright Waivers — UPDATED: 3:35 with correct waiver process information — NEW YORK - The Rangers have started the search for more parts for a playoff run in earnest, but will likely have to move some salary in order to acommodate a major trade.
Duk / Yahoo! Sports:
Roy Halladay would like you to wait before voting for Cy Young — Not that anyone would ever jump the gun around here, but can someone call the Cy Young engraver and tell him to suspend the Zack Greinke — order? — Oh, he can hold onto it for safekeeping. — And if he's already finished with the ‘Z’ and ‘A’?
Yoel Adames / MLB:
Sammy Sosa planning to announce formal retirement — SANTO DOMINGO — Former Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa said Wednesday that he will soon announce his formal retirement from baseball and that he will not allow his legacy to be stained by steroid-use accusations.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
MLB.com:
Coonelly fields questions in chat — Pirates president interacts with fans in monthly online forum — Frank Coonelly: Good afternoon, Bucco fans, and thanks for joining me today. Let's get started. — jm_bucsfan: Which prospects might we see in Pittsburgh soon - Andrew McCutchen, Brad Lincoln, Neil Walker?
Thunderbaseball / Mike Ashmore's Thunder Thoughts:
Montero's Coming — Can confirm that the plan is for Jesus Montero to be promoted to Double-A Trenton. With the team at the maximum of 24 players, apparently the delay in announcing the move is in making the final decision on what the corresponding move would be.
Dan Shaughnessy / Boston Globe:
Red Sox win, 10-5 — Mercy. — That's what Ned Martin would have said. — This ridiculous game is finally over. The Red Sox blasted 13 hits, committed three errors, and beat the Tigers, 10-5. — We were sailing along at a rapid pace. Josh Beckett had a no-hitter with two out in the seventh.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports