Top News:
Joel Sherman / Sports Illustrated:
There's no time like the present for the Blue Jays to trade Roy Halladay … The Rangers traded Mark Teixeira to the Braves with the first baseman 1 1/2 years from free agency and obtained a bevy of prospects, including catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and shortstop Elvis Andrus, jolting the rebuilding of the franchise into hyper-speed.
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Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Cards Willing To Make Strong Offer For Halladay — The Cardinals are prepared to offer talent for Roy Halladay, but they're not going to disassemble their entire system to acquire the Jays ace, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. — “We may be able to give up an arm or a leg,” a Cardinals source told Strauss.
Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
How to get Roy Halladay — Disclaimer: This blog post is based purely on my own opinion.
How to get Roy Halladay — Disclaimer: This blog post is based purely on my own opinion.
Discussion:
Bless You Boys, The Voice of Yankees Universe, Sox vs. Stripes, BASEBALL HOT CORNER, lenNY's Yankees and YFSF
Dave Nichols / NATIONALS NEWS NETWORK:
Nats Introduce Riggleman as Manager: “I'm a bit of a softie.” — The Washington Nationals held a press conference this afternoon to introduce their third manager since moving from Montreal in 2005, former bench coach and three-time major league manager Jim Riggleman.
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Ben Goessling / Washington Times:
Riggleman wants Nats to close gap — The Jim Riggleman Era, as short and as indistinguishable as it might be, has begun for the Washington Nationals. Now it's up to the team's new interim manager to make it count for something. — There's not likely to be much on the line except pride …
NY Daily News:
Heat is on Roger Clemens — The grand jury believed to be investigating Roger Clemens for perjury has issued a subpoena to the owner of a now-defunct Houston-area gym linked to the distribution of steroids and human growth hormone. — Kelly Blair, whose 1-on-1 Elite Personal Fitness in Pasadena …
Tim Kawakami / Mercury News:
It's time for Giants to cut losses with Zito — Barry Zito is the pinch that lets the Giants know they're not dreaming. — This is a franchise renaissance season, brimming with young talent, and the Giants players and management deserve all credit after four sometimes senseless years.
Discussion:
ESPN
Jack Curry / New York Times:
Full Lineup of Charity Work by Yankees — Jason Zillo wrote “Hope Week” on the bulletin board in his office at the old Yankee Stadium last November. Zillo, the Yankees' media relations director, did not know if the week would ever happen, but he wanted a daily reminder. He wanted his staff to see the reminder, too.
Discussion:
It's About The Money
Todd Zolecki / MLB.com:
Phils hope they've found a prize in Pedro — Martinez expected to be ready to join rotation in 2-3 weeks — Pedro Martinez arrived with his trademark smile, the one that seems to suggest that he knows something no one else does. — Perhaps he does, and if that turns out to be the case …
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Tristan H. Cockcroft / ESPN:
Called Out: Midseason Top 250 — Our experts explain their rankings of guys like Haren, Rollins, Bartlett, Hoffman — Ah, rankings — such an exercise in imperfection. — But therein lies its greatness. No ranking set can conceivably achieve 100 percent accuracy, which is why it's such a fun …
Bobbie Dittmeier / MLB.com:
Marte to begin rehab assignment — Yanks lefty has missed most of year with shoulder issue — Yankees reliever Damaso Marte, who has been out for the past 2 1/2 months because of weakness and tendinitis in his left shoulder, is scheduled to begin an injury rehabilitation assignment Thursday.
Ken Gurnick / MLB.com:
Dodgers keep eye out for pitching help — Starter, late reliever could bolster LA's balanced team — They lost their best hitter for 50 games and their Opening Day starter for another 50, yet the Dodgers hit the All-Star break with the best record in baseball.
Adam Marcus / Scientific American:
Tip for Casey: To Swing a Faster Bat, Lighten Up That Lumber — With Major League Baseball's All-Star game taking place tonight, a researcher explains why, when it comes to swinging a baseball bat, heavier isn't necessarily better — Tune into tonight's baseball All-Star game and you'll …
Matt Eddy / Baseball America:
Top 20 Rookies At The Break — The Cardinals have played a big league-leading 91 games to this point, illustrating that the All-Star break splits the season into asymmetrical portions. So the idea of the break functioning as the halfway point to the season is a bit of a misnomer.
Jon Lane / MLB.com:
‘Munson’ sure to touch fans of all stripes — New book on former Yankee great captures captain's aura — You know it's coming. Word by word, you read the true story about a beloved figure and wholly respected human being and it inches closer and closer to his final and tragic fate.
Kevin Kernan / New York Post:
SOURCE: ALL-STAR GAME AT CITI FIELD IN 2013 — ST. LOUIS — The Yankees had their All-Star party last year, with an All-Star farewell to Yankee Stadium. The Mets and Citi Field will be having their All-Star Summer hello in 2013. — That was the word yesterday from MLB sources.
Discussion:
NESN.com, Mets Blog, New Jersey Online, MetsBlog.com, The LoHud Mets Blog, MLB Daily Dish, The 'Ropolitans and MLB Rumors