Top News:
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Rangers Get Lee; Yanks Feel Used — The Yankees know how the game works. General Manager Brian Cashman — echoing the sage of the organization, Yogi Berra — often says a deal is never final until it is final. After all, George Steinbrenner once signed David Wells over Christmas Eve cheeseburgers …
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Andrew Marchand / ESPN:
Yankees miss out on Lee — this time — Bronx makes sense when Rangers' newly acquired ace becomes free agent in winter … SEATTLE — There is still a feeling around baseball that it is a matter of when, not if, Cliff Lee will become a Yankee. — The Yankees just missed out on Lee …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Tim Booth / Associated Press:
Hughes wins 11th, Teixeira's 2 homers power Yanks — SEATTLE—Phil Hughes joined teammates CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte as 11-game winners before the All-Star break, and Mark Teixeira's two home runs powered the New York Yankees to a 6-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Rangers acquire Lee from Mariners — Smoak, three other players headed to Seattle in deal — ARLINGTON — The Rangers believe they have acquired the No. 1 starter who can be a difference-maker and have a huge impact in their quest to win their first division title since 1999. — And go beyond that.
Sports Illustrated:
With Lee fronting rotation, Rangers all but secure spot in postseason
With Lee fronting rotation, Rangers all but secure spot in postseason
Discussion:
BronxBanterBlog.com
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Rangers Acquire Cliff Lee For Smoak, Prospects
Rangers Acquire Cliff Lee For Smoak, Prospects
Discussion:
FanGraphs Baseball, A Game Of Inches, El Lefty Malo, Baseball Prospectus, Hardball Times, Halos Heaven, Boston Globe, Over the Monster, Capitol Punishment, Mets Merized Online, Mike Silva's …, ESPN, NY Post: Hardball, Batter's Box Interactive …, Baseball America, DRaysBay, BronxBanterBlog.com and Al's Ramblings
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Mets Will Turn To Ted Lilly
Mets Will Turn To Ted Lilly
Discussion:
NY Post: Hardball, GoatRiders of the Apocalypse, MetsBlog.com and The Real Dirty Mets Blog
Joel Sherman / NY Post: Hardball:
3UP: Yankees on Verge of Getting Lee Edition
3UP: Yankees on Verge of Getting Lee Edition
Discussion:
MetsMinorLeagueBlog.com
ESPN:
The Rangers acquired Mariners left-hander Cliff Lee on Friday, sources confirmed to Buster Olney.
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Joe Frisaro / MLB.com:
Hanley confirms participation in Derby — Shortstop does not believe event will mess up his swing — PHOENIX — Swinging for the fences won't mess up Hanley Ramirez. — 2010 All-Stars — C: J. Mauer, MIN — C: Y. Molina, STL — Interactive Roster
Discussion:
FishStripes
Adam McCalvy / MLB.com:
Brewers GM disputes ‘seller’ label — MILWAUKEE — As the rumors began to fly and the Brewers prepared to move on from their dismal four-game series against the Giants, general manager Doug Melvin insisted he is not going to hang a “for sale” sign outside Miller Park.
Jfay / Cincinnati Reds:
Atlanta II — “That one hurts as much as Atlanta,” Dusty Baker said. — Friday's 9-7, 10-inning loss to the Phillies that ended on Ryan Howard's two-run, walk-off homer was eerily similar to the 10-9 loss May 20 in the Atlanta. — Mike Leake started both. Both had major ninth inning meltdowns.
Thomas Kaplan / New York Times:
Reyes Is Willing to Do What It Takes to Play — Life keeps getting stranger for Jose Reyes as he tries to figure out a way to stay in the lineup despite a sore oblique muscle. — On Tuesday, the switch-hitting Reyes abandoned switch-hitting for the first time since he was a teenager …
Discussion:
Talking Chop
Beck / Beck's Blog:
Porcello update: “Not a ... chance” he gets traded — Apparently Tigers manager Jim Leyland found out about the Rick Porcello trade rumor sometime before the game Friday night. He was not happy, and he went off on it after the game. — “There's a rumor going around, I don't know if anybody's read it …
WMTW-TV:
Baseball Player Bitten By Shark — Man Drafted By Cincinnati Reds Attacked While Surfing — GALVESTON, Texas — A Texas man drafted by the Cincinnati Reds was bitten by a shark while surfing off the Galveston coast. — Chad Rogers, 20, has been surfing the Gulf waters since he was 10 years old.
Discussion:
Walkoff Walk
Adam Kilgore / Nationals Journal:
Stephen Strasburg will start first game after all-star break — Stephen Strasburg will start the Nationals' first game after the all-star break at the Florida Marlins and then remain on a typical schedule for the remainder of the season, Manager Jim Riggleman said.
Dallas Morning News:
Bankruptcy-ending confirmation hearing for Texas Rangers set for July 22 — The Texas Rangers will now emerge from a highly contentious bankruptcy drama on July 22 although a date hasn't been set for a court-supervised auction beforehand, an attorney involved in the case said Friday.
Discussion:
BBTF's Baseball Primer …
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