Top News:
New York Post:
Hank: ‘We just have to (bleeping) win’ — TAMPA — For Hank's Yanks, with spring training just around the corner, this is the bottom line: Whatever it takes to win championship No. 28. — Hank Steinbrenner, the Yankees co-chairman, is fired up for the 2011 season — even without Cliff Lee in pinstripes.
Discussion:
Bronx Baseball Daily, NESN.com, Subway Squawkers, HardballTalk and An A-Blog for A-Rod
RELATED:
New York Post:
Hank: Yankees ‘just have to (bleeping) win’ — “I think A.J. [Burnett] is going to come back and have at least the kind of year like he had two years ago. CC Sabathia is going to be great as usual. Phil Hughes, we're expecting more big things. — “I say we have one of the top four teams in baseball …
Discussion:
Sliding Into Home and Fanhouse MLB Blog
NY Daily News:
Harper: Yankees GM is cold, hard Cash
Harper: Yankees GM is cold, hard Cash
Discussion:
It's About The Money and Red Sox Monster
Amanda Rykoff / espnW:
When breakfast becomes breaking news
When breakfast becomes breaking news
Discussion:
New Jersey Online, Yankeeist, HardballTalk, lenNY's Yankees, Lady Loves Pinstripes, ESPN and NESN.com
David Brown / Yahoo! Sports:
Brian Cashman predicts Derek Jeter will soon move to outfield
Brian Cashman predicts Derek Jeter will soon move to outfield
Discussion:
Boston Globe, Pinstriped Bible …, River Avenue Blues, SBNation.com, Bronx Baseball Daily, Subway Squawkers and YFSF
Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com:
Breaking down the Top 50 Prospects list — With MLB.com's Top 50 Prospect list now fully revealed, it's time to let the debate start. That is, after all, why prospect rankings are done in the first place. — Was Mike Trout the correct top prospect or should phenom Bryce Harper hold the No. 1 position?
RELATED:
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Trio of Yankees among Top 50 prospects — MLB.com tabs catchers Montero, Sanchez, southpaw Banuelos — NEW YORK — The Yankees' player development pipeline continues to pump out promising talent, as three Bombers youngsters have earned spots on MLB.com's Top 50 Prospects list for the 2011 season.
Discussion:
Yankees Daily, lenNY's Yankees and Yankeeist
Marc Topkin / St. Petersburg Times:
Illness forces Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Rocco Baldelli to retire — Rocco Baldelli looked to be a future star, but injuries and a mysterious illness kept him from reaching his potential. — ST. PETERSBURG — Rocco Baldelli would have reason to spend hours, if not days …
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports, USA Today, HardballTalk, MLB Rumors, Getting Blanked, DRaysBay, SBNation.com, Full Count, Rays Index, Fanhouse MLB Blog and NESN.com
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Yankees Sign Bartolo Colon — Nine years ago, Bartolo Colon was a stud pitcher on his way to a 20-win season. As talk of relocation continued, the Montreal Expos went all in, shipping prospects Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips and Grady Sizemore to Cleveland for Colon.
RELATED:
ESPN:
Yankees sign Bartolo Colon — The New York Yankees are taking a chance on Bartolo Colon in their quest for another quality arm in the starting rotation. — The team said it has signed the right-hander to a one-year, minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.
Discussion:
BronxBanterBlog.com
Rob Neyer / ESPN:
Will Royals' many phenoms bring me back? — This is a good time to be a Royals fan. — Well, a patient Royals fan, anyway. The Royals might lose 100 games this year. Might lose 105. Fans who don't believe in crystal balls might not suffer 100 losses gladly. — Me, though? I'm patient.
Discussion:
ESPN
RELATED:
Keith Law / ESPN:
2011 MLB organizational rankings — The Royals top the rankings, but Tampa is surprisingly close behind — As it has the past two years, this complements my annual Top 100 list of prospects. This ranking includes only players who are still eligible for the Top 100 prospects ranking …
Discussion:
Royals Authority and HardballTalk
Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com:
Duchscherer at full strength, in body and mind — Righty has thrown for five teams; O's are next, Yanks possible — BALTIMORE — Free-agent right-hander Justin Duchscherer, considered one of the best starting pitchers still on the market, said on Tuesday evening that physically he feels …
Discussion:
Tedquarters and HardballTalk
RELATED:
Greg Johns / MLB.com:
Ackley ranks fifth in MLB.com's top prospects — Pineda, Franklin join up-and-coming second baseman on list — SEATTLE — When it comes to the future of the Mariners, it's easy to say the prospects are good because, well, their top Minor League prospects are indeed among the best in baseball.
Discussion:
Lookout Landing
RELATED:
Greg Johns / MLB.com:
Mariners beef up 'pen with Minors deal for Ray
Mariners beef up 'pen with Minors deal for Ray
Discussion:
Lookout Landing and Yahoo! Sports
Larry Stone / Seattle Times:
Zduriencik on Milton Bradley: “We're planning on him coming …
Zduriencik on Milton Bradley: “We're planning on him coming …
Discussion:
HardballTalk and Fanhouse MLB Blog
Peter Botte / NY Daily News:
Darryl Strawberry believes Mets should have chosen Wally Backman as manager instead of Terry Collins — Wally Backman skipped the media availability for Tuesday night's BAT Dinner, but one former teammate on the '86 Mets admitted that he preferred the fiery former second baseman …
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
RELATED:
Fox Sports:
Young no longer a fit for Rangers — 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. — The Texas Rangers still want to trade Michael Young. — That's an opinion, not a fact — or, at least, not a fact I can prove.
Discussion:
ESPN, Baseball Time in Arlington, Inside the Colorado Rockies and MLB Rumors
RELATED:
Aaron Gleeman / HardballTalk:
Blue Jays trade just-acquired Mike Napoli to the Rangers for Frank Francisco
Blue Jays trade just-acquired Mike Napoli to the Rangers for Frank Francisco
Discussion:
Bluebird Banter, MLB Daily Dish and baseballmusings.com
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Blue Jays, Rangers Swap Napoli, Francisco
Blue Jays, Rangers Swap Napoli, Francisco
Discussion:
rallymonkeys, Drunk Jays Fans, Getting Blanked, Bluebird Banter and Lone Star Ball
Sarah Trotto / Arizona Daily Star:
Tucson Padres display their look — The Tucson Padres' logo was unveiled on a website, on white T-shirts and on a placard. It was even scrawled across a white-frosted cake served to attendees of a news conference. — The Triple-A baseball organization revealed its new logo and website …
Michael Miller / Riptide 2.0:
Yasiel Balaguer, 18-Year-Old Cuban Baseball Defector, Trying Out for Seattle Mariners — According to his agents, 18-year-old Cuban baseball prodigy Yasiel Balaguer will have his second tryout with a Major League Team this week when scouts for the Seattle Mariners watch the right-handed pelotero in action here in Miami.
Discussion:
HardballTalk
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Pujols talks meet reality — Romantics long ago began sculpting Albert Pujols as the next Stan Musial, a modern-day perfect knight who would forgo the marketplace to commit his entire career to his original franchise. — When Pujols made passing reference 12 months ago to an unspecified …
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
Steve Slowinski / FanGraphs Baseball:
What Is The FanGraphs Library? — After Dave Cameron's introduction yesterday, I wanted to take a brief minute to explain the purpose and goal of the Library for those that haven't seen it before. And before I begin, thanks to everyone for the kind words yesterday about the Library.
Discussion:
U.S.S. Mariner