Top News:
Rob Bradford / WEEI:
SOURCE: LUGO DESIGNATED FOR ASSIGNMENT — According to a source familiar with the situation, the Red Sox have designated Julio Lugo for assignment. The Red Sox will have 10 days to assign Lugo's contract to another major or minor league club, whether it be via trade or through waivers.
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Steve Buckley / Boston Herald:
Julio Lugo: ‘I wanted it to work out’ — Julio Lugo has been designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox [team stats], ending a relationship that never quite clicked the way either party would have liked. — Lugo, reached at the airport in Toronto, where he was leaving the Red Sox to return to Boston …
Adam Kilgore / Boston Globe:
Sox, Bay break off talks — TORONTO — The Red Sox and All-Star left fielder Jason Bay failed to come to terms on a contract extension after the Red Sox made an “aggressive” offer about one week ago, general manager Theo Epstein said. The halting of negotiations means the Sox and Bay …
Tony Massarotti / Boston Globe:
Lugo designated for assignment — Julio Lugo, who was plagued by injuries and ineffectiveness during his 2 1/2 seasons with the Red Sox, has been designated for assignment. — The designation, which was confirmed by his agent, Sam Levinson, this afternoon, means the team has 10 days …
Discussion:
The Joy of Sox, Over the Monster, Cursed To First, Red Sox Monster, YFSF and Surviving Grady
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Red Sox cut ties with Lugo — Club has 10 days to make move with shortstop — TORONTO — It appears that Julio Lugo has played his last game for the Red Sox, as the shortstop — according to a report on WEEI.com — was designated for assignment on Friday.
Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Dodgers enter race for Halladay; Jays freezing out Yankees, Red Sox … While the Phillies remain almost everyone's favorite to land superstar pitcher Roy Halladay, and the best-in-baseball Dodgers are now believed to be showing interest, two big-market contenders for the summer's big pitching prize …
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Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Dodgers enter race for Roy (cont.) — Dodgers aiming high — The Dodgers already have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball — statistically speaking, anyway. But they are looking for relief now. And their excellent performance thus far also won't prevent them from trying …
Discussion:
Talking Chop
Bill Conlin / Philly.com:
Halladay trade talk has ripple effect — SUDDENLY, TORONTO'S CN Tower, formerly one of the world's tallest structures at 1,815 feet, is only the town's No. 2 edifice. Roy Halladay suddenly stands taller than that. — The 32-year-old righthander has been the sharp focus of a tale …
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:Rasmus in a deal for Halladay? Mo says no
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates offer extensions to Wilson, Sanchez — Best-friend infielders ‘excited’ after team approaches them jointly — The Pirates have approached shortstop Jack Wilson and second baseman Freddy Sanchez about multiyear contract extensions, putting on hold, for now, the possibility that either …
Jay Schreiber / Bats:
Banner Day, 2009 — The Mets' last Banner Day was staged years ago but it was revived by The New York Times over the past week and produced some pretty clever results. — Close to 100 people used words and images to comment on the 2009 season, which, for the Mets, has been a succession of minor calamities.
Associated Press:
Mitre becomes Yankees' No. 5 with Wang on DL … NEW YORK (AP) — Sergio Mitre will become the Yankees' No. 5 starter while Chien-Ming Wang is on the disabled list. — Yankees manager Joe Girardi said the team plans to bring up Mitre and start the 28-year-old right-hander against Baltimore on Tuesday night.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports
Mark Sheldon / MLB.com:
Dickerson battling back spasms — Cincinnati (42-46) vs. Milwaukee (46-43), 7:10 p.m. ET — CINCINNATI — Reds manager Dusty Baker had expected outfielder Chris Dickerson to be past his back spasms and ready to play to the point that he had him in Thursday's starting lineup leading off and playing right field.
Melissa Segura / Sports Illustrated:
MLB nixes Yanks' signing after ID fraud … A top New York Yankees prospect is not who he claims to be, sources tell SI.com. Two weeks ago, the Yankees signed a shortstop purporting to be 16-year-old Damian Arredondo from the Dominican Republic to an $850,000 bonus.
George A. King III / New York Post:
BOSS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT GETTING 7TH RING — The Boss wants a seventh World Series ring. — In other years, George Steinbrenner wouldn't have been pleased being three games behind the Red Sox at the All-Star break and winless in eight games against the Yankees' blood rivals.
Fox Sports:
Starters make Braves contenders for playoff spot — Ready to write off the Braves? Not so fast. With a strong starting rotation they can't be counted out of the race yet, Ken Rosenthal says.
Associated Press:
San Diego Padres ace Jake Peavy has protective boot removed from ankle — SAN DIEGO — San Diego Padres right-handed pitcher Jake Peavy had his right ankle removed from a protective boot Thursday and will begin a rehabilitation program. — Peavy — Peavy, who has been on the 15 …
Discussion:
MLB Babble
RELATED:
Austin Kelley / Wall Street Journal:
Baseball Veers Into Left Field — Voluminous Data Yield Some Arcane Research; ‘Pee Wee’ and Life Expectancy — When baseball dubbed shortstop Harold Reese “Pee Wee” and first basemen Fred Merkle “Bonehead,” they probably weren't trying to lengthen the players' lives.
Kevin Goldstein / Baseball Prospectus:
Future Shock — Signing Situations — The signing period for the 2009 draft is, as expected, a complete mess. As of today, teams have just one month remaining to sign their 2009 draft picks, yet 20 of 32 first-round picks remain unsigned, including 13 of the first 16 selections.
Discussion:
Talking Chop
