Top News:
Trsullivan / Postcards from Elysian Fields:
Beltre, Pettitte, Webb, Young — From the Rangers press conference... * Club officials are not particularly optimistic that something will get down with third baseman Adrian Beltre. That deal seems unlikely give the tenor of feeling on Monday but things could change.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, HardballTalk, River Avenue Blues, Halos Heaven, Texas Rangers and Angels blog
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Enrique Rojas / ESPN:
Source: Adrian Beltre, Rangers close — ORLANDO, Fla. — The Texas Rangers and free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre are close to completing terms on a multiyear deal, a source told ESPNdeportes.com on Sunday. — “They are still talking and have not completed the details …
Discussion:
USA Today, Fanhouse MLB Blog, HardballTalk, Angels blog and Mariners blog
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Beltre could be next on Rangers' agenda
Beltre could be next on Rangers' agenda
Discussion:
Baseball Time in Arlington
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Roundup: No agreement between Texas, Beltre
Roundup: No agreement between Texas, Beltre
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball, The Sommer Frieze, Full Count, HardballTalk and Angels blog
Jeff Wilson / Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
Reports of Texas Rangers deal with Beltre called premature by source
Reports of Texas Rangers deal with Beltre called premature by source
Discussion:
Purple Row and Angels blog
Matthew Cerrone / MetsBlog.com:
Mets sign Taylor Buchholz and Chris Capuano — According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, Taylor Buchholz will earn a $600,000 base salary, and Chris Capuano will earn a $1.5 million base salary with the opportunity to earn more with incentives. — Rubin also says the signing of both Capuano …
Discussion:
ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Boston Globe, Mack's Mets and OnTheBlack.com
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Adam Rubin / ESPN:
Mets ink Capuano, Buchholz, assign Ryota — The Mets announced the signings of a pair of pitchers trying to rebound from Tommy John surgeries: Chris Capuano (left) and Taylor Buchholz (right). — The Mets have signed left-hander Chris Capuano and right-hander Taylor Buchholz to one-year contracts …
Discussion:
Faith and Fear in Flushing and Mets Merized Online
Troy Renck / All Things Rockies:
Rockies' CarGo contract talk persists as ad campaign revealed — Talks are continuing to sign young Rockies star Carlos Gonzalez to a long-term deal. (Karl Gehring, The Denver Post) — UPDATE 12:54 p.m. | Adds confirmation from Carlos Gonzalez's publicist on projected contract values.
Discussion:
Purple Row, MLB Rumors and Fanhouse MLB Blog
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Jerry Crasnick / MLB:
Source: Colorado Rockies, Carlos Gonzalez close to $80M deal
Source: Colorado Rockies, Carlos Gonzalez close to $80M deal
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
The Case for Morris: Big Moments Count — Most Baseball Hall of Fame voters believe Jack Morris deserves a plaque in Cooperstown. That is not enough to get Morris into the Hall of Fame — he had 52 percent of the vote last year, and candidates need 75 — but it is significant.
Discussion:
Bats, Beyond the Box Score, baseballmusings.com, The Captain's Blog, ESPN and BBTF's Baseball Primer …
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Ed Price / Fanhouse MLB Blog:
For This Voter, Hall Calls Are Now Private
For This Voter, Hall Calls Are Now Private
Discussion:
The Biz of Baseball, Mets Merized Online and HardballTalk
Wallace Matthews / ESPN:
Aloha, Andy? Pettitte decision expected this week — Now that the holidays are over and Andy Pettitte has had more than enough time to mull over his future, the Yankees expect to hear from him this week on whether or not he will return to pitch in 2011. According to a team official …
Mark Sheldon / MLB.com:
Reds' offseason may heat up as spring nears — Chapman in ‘pen; club seeks veteran infielder, lefty-hitting outfielder — CINCINNATI — As Arthur Rhodes’ new free-agent deal with the Rangers was finalized on Monday, one other reality seemed to take root as well.
Discussion:
HardballTalk
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Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Reds Interested In Fred Lewis
Reds Interested In Fred Lewis
Discussion:
mlbbuzz, MetsBlog.com and Red Reporter
Sports Illustrated:
New Year's resolutions for fifty of the biggest names in baseball … Here are 50 New Year's resolutions I'd like to see. — 1. Bud Selig. I will not to push for expanded replay, certainly not beyond the foul lines, because of baseball's beauties is that it is played at its own pace …
Discussion:
South Side Sox, Bronx Baseball Daily and HardballTalk
Joe Smith / St. Petersburg Times:
Rays interested in Delcarmen — As the Rays continue their quest to rebuild their bullpen, one reliever they've expressed interest in is former Red Sox righthander Manny Delcarmen. — Delcarmen, a 28-year-old, spent the first five-and-a-half seasons with his hometown Red Sox before getting traded to the Rockies last August.
Discussion:
Full Count and MLB Rumors
CNN:
Orioles pitcher: Shooting death was an accident — Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (CNN) — Baltimore Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon said Monday the shooting death of a 25-year-old man over the weekend was an accident. — “In truth that young man was my friend, like a brother,” he said of Michael Esteban Castillo.
Discussion:
Orioles Insider, HardballTalk, Camden Chat, MASNsports.com and The Big Lead
Chris Jaffe / Hardball Times:
Wednesday's Cooperstown results today — Yup, it's that time of the year again. On Wednesday, January 5, 2011, Cooperstown will announce the results of this year's annual BBWAA voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame. And then we'll know who goes in and who stays out. — But why wait until then to find out?
Discussion:
HardballTalk, Red Hot Mama, Where Have You Gone …, baseballmusings.com and Bucs Dugout
Associated Press:
APNewsBreak: Union Finds No Rule-Breaking by Agent — A person familiar with a letter sent from the union to Major League Baseball tells The Associated Press the players' association has found agent Scott Boras did not violate union rules when his company made loans to a Dominican prospect.