Top News:
Marksheldon / Mark My Word:
Votto agrees to three-year deal — This just in — the Reds and Joey Votto have agreed to terms Sunday on a three-year, $38 million contract with 1B Joey Votto, baseball sources told MLB.com. This is pending a physical, which is scheduled for Monday. — This would cover all three …
Discussion:
Cincinnati.com, Red Reporter, Redleg Nation, MLB Daily Dish, HardballTalk, MLB Rumors and NESN.com
RELATED:
MLB:
Sources: Joey Votto gets $38M deal — The Cincinnati Reds have agreed to a three-year, $38 million deal with first baseman Joey Votto, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney on Sunday. — The deal is pending a physical, which is scheduled for Monday, the sources said.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports, baseballmusings.com and Chicago Breaking Sports
Mark Sheldon / MLB.com:
Reds reward MVP Votto with three-year deal — CINCINNATI — The Reds on Sunday agreed to terms on a three-year, $38 million contract with first baseman and National League Most Valuable Player Joey Votto, baseball sources told MLB.com. — The contract, which would avoid arbitration …
Discussion:
Red Hot Mama
Associated Press:
Report: A's, reliever Brian Fuentes agree on 2-year deal — OAKLAND, Calif. — A person with knowledge of the deal says the Oakland Athletics and free-agent lefty reliever Brian Fuentes have agreed to terms on a two-year contract. — Fuentes — The person spoke on condition of anonymity …
Discussion:
Projo Sox Blog, Rays Index, ESPN, MLB Rumors, Amazin' Avenue, Athletics Nation, Yahoo! Sports, Mets Merized Online and MLB
RELATED:
Jane Lee / MLB.com:
Oakland close to finalizing deal with Fuentes — OAKLAND — Just two days after coming to terms with right-hander Grant Balfour, the A's showed no signs of slowing down in their offseason attempts to solidify bullpen depth. — Several reports indicated Sunday that Oakland is close …
Discussion:
Gonzo and ‘The Show’
NY Daily News:
Madden: Yanks could be Sori about new reliever — As a mostly unremarkable baseball winter (at least in New York) winds down to the one-dimensional DH market, last week was a transient one for premier closers with Trevor Hoffman, the all-time saves leader, moving out, and Rafael Soriano …
Discussion:
Rays Index, LADY AT THE BAT, The LoHud Yankees Blog, It's About The Money and DRaysBay
RELATED:
Wallace Matthews / ESPN:
Yanks suddenly AL East favorites again
Discussion:
YFSF, NESN.com, Mets Merized Online and Over the Monster
Zachary Levine / Houston Chronicle:
Astros' first-round pick arrested in Georgia — DeShields Jr. released on $2,500 bail for the three misdemeanors — Astros first-round draft pick Delino DeShields Jr. was arrested in Athens-Clarke County, Ga., and charged with DUI, underage possession of alcohol and a traffic violation early Sunday morning.
Discussion:
HardballTalk, Baseball America and BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Bgh / Viva El Birdos:
Slaughter-ing the Myth of Clutch — Last Monday, in “What a Difference a Year Makes (in Run Distribution),” we took a look at why the 2010 Cardinals ball club wound up with only 86 team wins despite having a Pythagorean Record of 91-71, which was the exact same Pythagorean Record and actual record …
Associated Press:
Pujols tight-lipped on contract talks … ST. LOUIS (AP) — Albert Pujols repeatedly has said he wants to spend his entire career with the St. Louis Cardinals. The odds of that happening are anyone's guess at this point. — Pujols declined Sunday to provide any kind of update on negotiations …
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish, Associated Press and Yahoo! Sports
RELATED:
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cardinals set to sign infielder Ramon Vazquez
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Gordon Wittenmyer / Chicago Sun Times:
Under fire from fans, Rickettses rosy about Hendry, Ryno, more — The second year for the Ricketts family at the Cubs Convention wasn't any easier, with fans wanting answers about the team's fifth-place finish in 2010 and the 97-year-old ballpark. One fan brought the two most loaded questions of an hourlong session Saturday:
Discussion:
HardballTalk
Chris Jaffe / Hardball Times:
15 worst endings ever to regular-season games — Last month I saw the most enjoyable sports column I've read in some time. Naturally, Joe Posnanski wrote it. Titled “The Agony of Defeat,” it presented admittedly-subjective picks for the worst endings ever to any sports games.
