Top News:
Bob Hohler / Boston Globe:
Inside the collapse — Dedication waned, unity unraveled, and manager lost influence as a once-inspiring Red Sox season ended in epic failure — With their team in peril and their manager losing his authority, three Red Sox pitchers last month were uniquely positioned to prevent …
Discussion:
HardballTalk, Gaslamp Ball, Associated Press, NESN.com, MLB.com, Baseball Nation, Sliding Into Home, Amazin' Avenue, SawxBlog, Over the Monster, joy of sox, Deadspin, SportsGrid, The Big Lead, Projo Sox Blog, SOX & Dawgs, FenwayNationWorld, baseballmusings.com, Royals Review, soxaholix.com, Fenway West, It's About The Money, Boston Sports Media Watch and NoMaas.org
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Jerry Spar / WEEI:
D&C: THEO HAS 5-YEAR DEAL WITH CUBS — WEEI's John Dennis reported Wednesday morning that Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein has agreed with the Cubs on a five-year deal worth more than $15 million. — According to Dennis' sources, the Red Sox granted the Cubs permission to talk with Epstein late last week.
Craig Calcaterra / HardballTalk:
Report: Theo Epstein agrees to a five-year deal with the Cubs — John Dennis of WEEI just reported that Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein has agreed with the Cubs on a five-year deal worth more than $15 million. This is a huge moment for the Cubs. Franchise-altering.
Discussion:
VFTB, MLB Daily Dish and The House That Dewey Built
Steve Buckley / Boston Herald:
Theo Epstein on brink of joining Cubs — + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email — Two baseball sources have confirmed that Theo Epstein is on the cusp of leaving his job as general manager of the Red Sox [team stats] to accept a position with the Chicago Cubs that is believed …
Alex Speier / WEEI:
HEIR APPARENT: HOW BEN CHERINGTON EMERGED AS THEO EPSTEIN'S LIKELY SUCCESSOR — It was a time when general managers had suddenly been turned into the iconic faces of franchises. — The Red Sox had engaged in a public and dramatic courtship of Billy Beane, the GM who was quickly coming …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
Fox Sports:
Report: Epstein agrees to deal with Cubs — FOX Sports — It looks like Red Sox GM Theo Epstein is off to try to end another curse, reportedly agreeing to a deal with the Chicago Cubs. — Epstein, who was granted permission to talk to the Cubs last week, is expected to accept a deal worth …
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:
Epstein not out the door — yet
Discussion:
Baseball Nation, Over the Monster, MLB Daily Dish, HardballTalk, The LoHud Yankees Blog and joy of sox
Sean McAdam / Comcast SportsNet:
Epstein close to leaving Sox, heading to Cubs
Discussion:
Boston Globe, Boston Herald and NESN.com
Noah Trister / Associated Press:
Fister, Martinez help Tigers pull to 2-1 in ALCS — DETROIT—Victor Martinez slowed his home run trot to barely a jog, stepping gingerly around the bases after hurting himself with a big swing. — The banged-up Detroit Tigers are teetering but still standing, thanks to Martinez …
Discussion:
Reuters, Bless You Boys and Lookout Landing
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Evan Drellich / MLB.com:
Beltre's knee is hardest hit as sluggers struggle
Discussion:
Brew Crew Ball
Tom Singer / MLB.com:
V-Mart continues despite intercostal strain
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports and baseballmusings.com
Chris Cox / MLB.com:
Texas must brush aside Comerica Park woes
Discussion:
Beyond the Box Score and Bless You Boys
Nate Mink / MLB.com:
Howard undergoes surgery on torn Achilles — PHILADELPHIA — First baseman Ryan Howard underwent surgery on his ruptured left Achilles on Wednesday in Baltimore. Dr. Mark Myerson performed the procedure. — The Phillies did not announce a timetable for Howard's return, but the normal recovery period is 4-6 months.
Discussion:
Phillies Nation
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Kuiperfan / Joe Posnanski:
The Worst Contracts in Baseball — Dan Quisenberry said many wonderful things in his too-short life, but probably the most famous is his line about the future. “I've seen the future,” he said, “and it's much like the present, only longer.” — A version of that quote kept popping …
Discussion:
The Yankee Analysts, Tedquarters and We Should Be GMs
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Matthew Cerrone / MetsBlog.com:
The 3-year, $100 Million Offer — In a post for SI.com, in which he lists the 10 worst contracts in baseball, Joe Posnanski writes: … It makes sense. And, it's interesting Joe brings this up, because the buzz out of Miami suggests this is exactly what the Marlins are thinking of doing …
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
Bob Klapisch / NorthJersey.com:
Yankees' killer instinct appears to have vanished — NEW YORK - Joe Girardi spent a lot of time Tuesday talking about how much “luck” goes into winning a championship. It's a popular anesthesia, meant to keep fans from feeling bitter about early round losses in the playoffs.
Discussion:
It's About The Money and HardballTalk
Chris Jaffe / Hardball Times:
Silver anniversary: the Donnie Moore-Dave Henderson game — 25 years ago, one of the most famous (or infamous) games in baseball history occurred. On Oct. 12, 1986, the greatest pair of LCS of all-time were underway. In the ALCS, the Angels appeared to be on the verge of their first pennant in franchise history.
Discussion:
Halos Heaven and baseballmusings.com
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Rockies Claim Andrew Brown — The Rockies announced that they claimed Andrew Brown off of waivers from the Cardinals (Twitter link). St. Louis had designated the versatile 27-year-old for assignment over the weekend to create roster space for Lance Lynn. — Brown appeared in 11 games …
Joe Eskenazi / SFWeekly:
Giants Get Sued Over Team's “San Francisco” Logo — It was a deeply dissatisfying year on the diamond for the World Champion San Francisco Giants, who seemingly gave up hits and runs for Lent and toppled right out of playoff contention. So it was eerily symbolic — if no less frustrating …
Discussion:
San Francisco Giants
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Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Astros Expected To Complete Sale, Move To AL — Astros owner Drayton McLane is expected to complete the sale of the team to Jim Crane in mid-November, according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network (on Twitter). The arrangement would move Houston to the American League West and even MLB into two leagues of 15 teams.
Discussion:
Pirates Prospects, Baseball Nation and Al's Ramblings
