Top News:
Fox Sports:
Rays, Jays and Angels go gambling — Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since August 2005. He appears weekly on MLB on FOX. Follow him on Twitter. — January 21 figured to be a quiet day in baseball, a day for teams to work on arbitration cases and point toward spring training.
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
RELATED:
Fox Sports:
Sources: Angels to trade Napoli to Jays — FOX Sports — The Angels, largely dormant for much of the off-season, are set to trade catcher Mike Napoli to the Blue Jays, major-league sources say. — The deal will become official once the players involved pass physicals.
Mark Polishuk / MLB Rumors:
Rays Agree To Terms With Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez — The Rays have agreed to terms with both Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. The deals are pending physicals. Damon's deal is worth $5.25MM plus a potential $750K in bonus money based on attendance.
Discussion:
NESN.com, Yahoo! Sports, baseballmusings.com, The Process Report, DRaysBay, Getting Blanked and YFSF
Defenderdog / rallymonkeys:
A very big deal — Here's what I like about the Angels' big deal with Toronto: everything. — It's an old-fashioned baseball trade, two for one - a pair of sluggers in exchange for one slugger with a glove of gold. Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera should flourish in Toronto …
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Jays, Angels Swap Vernon Wells For Napoli, Rivera — So much for the Angels' quiet offseason. The Angels and Blue Jays have announced a blockbuster trade that sends center fielder Vernon Wells to Los Angeles in exchange for catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli and outfielder Juan Rivera.
Discussion:
FanGraphs Baseball, SULLY BASEBALL, Yankeeist, HardballTalk and River Avenue Blues
Mark Saxon / ESPN:
Angels trade for Vernon Wells … The Los Angeles Angels, shut out in several bids to acquire free-agent hitters this winter, have acquired three-time All-Star Vernon Wells from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for catcher Mike Napoli and outfielder Juan Rivera.
Discussion:
Sons of Steve Garvey and Chicago Breaking Sports
Adam McCalvy / MLB.com:
Brewers, Loe avoid hearing, agree to deal — Reliever gets $1.25 million for 2011 after asking for $1.65M — MILWAUKEE — The Brewers and reliever Kameron Loe avoided a potential arbitration hearing by agreeing Friday to a one-year, $1.25 million contract.
Discussion:
HardballTalk
RELATED:
AdamMcCalvy / Brew Beat:
Brewers, Loe have a deal — Update at 7:30 p.m. CT: Assistant GM Gord Ash confirms the sides have settled. Loe would need to make 78 appearances to max out his incentives. — The Brewers and reliever Kameron Loe avoided a potential arbitration hearing by agreeing Friday to a one-year deal …
Bill Chastain / MLB.com:
Manny, Damon to sport Rays colors in 2011 — One-year deals bring proven veterans to Tampa Bay's lineup — ST. PETERSBURG — Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez will be joining the Rays for the 2011 season after each agreed to a one-year deal Friday night. — According to a Major League source …
Discussion:
joy of sox
RELATED:
Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Rays strike deals with Manny, Damon
Discussion:
Over the Monster and The Big Lead
Sports Illustrated:
Notes from an arbitration scorecard
Discussion:
SOX & Dawgs, Over the Monster, NESN.com and ESPN
Jerry Crasnick / ESPN:
Source: Rays talking to Johnny Damon
Discussion:
ESPN, Halos Heaven, mlbbuzz, MLB, MLB Rumors, Joe Posnanski and HardballTalk
Scott Merkin / MLB.com:
Buehrle leaving all options open following 2011 — Veteran southpaw not thinking ahead to contract talks, retirement — CHICAGO — The “R” word once again came up when Mark Buehrle discussed his baseball future prior to Friday's start of SoxFest '11 at the downtown Palmer House Hilton.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
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Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com:
Prospect Watch: Top 10 left-handed pitchers — Electrifying Chapman tops list of southpaws with big-time stuff … Once upon a time, left-handed pitchers seemed to fit a certain mold. They were soft-tossers, finesse types, guys with a keen sense about pitching. The top 10 southpaw prospects break that mold in a big way.
RELATED:
Sports Illustrated:
Here's why Mark Teixeira could be the next Jason Giambi in pinstripes … Is Mark Teixeira facing a dip in his career? The New York Yankees first baseman turns 31 in April and is coming off a season in which he hit .256 — 34 points below his lifetime average entering the year (.290).
Discussion:
The Sommer Frieze, Bronx Baseball Daily, Sliding Into Home and River Avenue Blues
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Search for righty bat continues without Manny — ARLINGTON — The Rangers want another offensive bat. They tried to land Jim Thome, but he ended up back in Minnesota. — They turned their attention to Manny Ramirez, only to have him decide on Friday night to head for Tampa Bay …
Discussion:
Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Mariners blog
RELATED:
Trsullivan / Postcards from Elysian Fields:
Rangers going after Ramirez - Angels and Rays Also In the Mix
Discussion:
Getting Blanked, HardballTalk, MLB Rumors and Texas Rangers
csnbayarea.com:
Giants to finalize Torres deal Saturday — SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants on Friday were on the brink of wrapping up a busy week of negotiations by agreeing to terms on a one-year deal for 2011 with their lone remaining arbitration-eligible player, outfielder Andres Torres.
Discussion:
HardballTalk and MLB Rumors
