Top News:
T.R. Sullivan / Postcards From Elysian Fields:
Rangers Sign Joe Nathan — The Texas Rangers have signed Closer/RHP Joe Nathan, to a 2 year $14.5 million contract that includes a buyout. Nathan will be introduced tomorrow at a news conference and is expected to take over the closer spot in the bullpen.
RELATED:
Richard Durrett / ESPN:
Rangers sign closer Nathan; Feliz to rotation — The Texas Rangers have agreed to terms with RHP Joe Nathan on a two-year contract with a club option for a third year, the team announced. The deal is worth $14.5 million plus a buyout. — The move means closer Neftali Feliz will move into the rotation …
Discussion:
NESN.com
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Rangers Sign Joe Nathan — The Rangers' 2012 pitching staff just took shape and so did the rest of their offseason. The defending American League champions agreed with Joe Nathan on a two-year deal that includes a team option for 2014. Dave Pepe of Pro Agents, Inc. negotiated a $14.5MM guarantee for the four-time All-Star.
Discussion:
CloserNews, Over the Monster and Lone Star Ball
Jeff Wilson / Boston Herald:
Signing All-Star closer sets Rangers in motion — FORT WORTH, Texas — A move that had been anticipated since March, but especially the past few weeks, was executed Monday night by the Texas Rangers. — Neftali Feliz is in the starting rotation, but the Rangers put him there in conjunction …
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Inbox: Will Rangers push to re-sign Wilson?
Discussion:
HardballTalk and MLB Rumors
Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:
Explaining my MVP ballot — The American League MVP was just announced and as one of the two voters from Boston, accountability requires revealing who was on my ballot. — Two BBWAA writers from each AL city vote, ranking their selections 1-10. Voting is based on the regular season and ballots are due before the postseason.
Discussion:
NESN.com and MLB Rumors
RELATED:
Jason Beck / MLB.com:
Verlander turns double play, wins AL MVP
Discussion:
True Blue LA, BBWAA.com, joy of sox, The House That Dewey Built, Bugs & Cranks and ESPN
Evan Grant / Rangers Blog:
Justin Verlander wins MVP; one man's MVP ballot
Discussion:
Baseball Nation, Lone Star Ball, HardballTalk, Drunk Jays Fans and FenwayNation
Dan Shaughnessy / Boston Globe:
Valentine is the right Sox fit — He is married to the daughter of Ralph Branca, who threw the gopher ball to Bobby Thomson at the Polo Grounds in 1951. His first roommate in professional baseball was Bill Buckner, when the two were drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1968.
Discussion:
The House That Dewey Built and Dan Shaughnessy Watch
RELATED:
Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:
The latest on the search for a manager
Discussion:
Hardball Times, FenwayNation and Yahoo! Sports
Mike DiGiovanna / LA Times Sports Blog:
Angels manager, GM to dine with C.J. Wilson Monday night — The Angels' pursuit of free-agent pitcher C.J. Wilson will continue Monday night when Manager Mike Scioscia and General Manager Jerry Dipoto have dinner with the veteran left-hander in Los Angeles.
Discussion:
Fish Bytes, MetsBlog.com, HardballTalk and MLB Rumors
RELATED:
Sports Illustrated:
Projections for Pujols, Fielder, Reyes and the top 65 free-agents … The winter spending season is off to a fast start if you're a middle-rung middle infielder. Clint Barmes, Willie Bloomquist, Mark Ellis, Jamey Carroll and John McDonald, who combined to hit 25 home runs last year, have deals for $33 million in total.
Discussion:
Rangers Blog and MLB Rumors
Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com:
MLB, players set to announce labor deal — Valid through 2016, new agreement includes testing for HGH — NEW YORK — Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have reached a preliminary agreement on a new five-year Basic Agreement and are expected to announce it on Tuesday afternoon …
Discussion:
Mike Silva's … and Let's Go Tribe
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Maury Brown / The Biz of Baseball:
New MLB Labor Agreement to Be Announced at 1pm ET on Tuesday — Without the rancor that has befallen the NFL and NBA, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Union will announce a new 5-year labor agreement tomorrow in New York. Commissioner Selig and MLBPA Executive Director Michael Weiner …
Chris Haft / MLB.com:
Inbox: Any prospects set to make big impact? — Beat reporter Chris Haft answers Giants fans' questions — Is there someone in the Minor Leagues who might be a breakthrough player in 2012? Or is it wishful thinking on my part? — Right-hander Heath Hembree generated plenty of excitement …
Discussion:
Bay City Ball, Giants Win and McCovey Chronicles
Mike Fast / Baseball Prospectus:
How Does Quality of Contact Relate to BABIP? — In the first part of this study, I used detailed batted ball speed information from HITf/x to examine the degree of skill that batters and pitchers had in quality of contact made or allowed. Here, I will look deeper into the question …
Discussion:
Purple Row, Seattle Sports Insider and THE BOOK
Susan Slusser / Oakland Athletics:
A's aren't sending Andrew Bailey, Gio Gonzalez anywhere - right now — There were fevered reports today about the A's trading Andrew Bailey to the Reds and Gio Gonzalez to the Marlins, and it's apparent after several phone calls and emails that those reports aren't originating with anyone …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
RELATED:
Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Latest On Andrew Bailey
Discussion:
FanGraphs Baseball, Cincinnati Reds, CloserNews, Mark My Word, MLB Daily Dish and HardballTalk
Conor Glassey / Baseball America:
Greg Halman Murdered — Mariners prospect Greg Halman was stabbed to death on Nov. 21 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Dutch police arrested Halman's younger brother as a suspect. — “The Mariners family is deeply saddened by the tragic death of Greg Halman,” Mariners chairman Howard Lincoln …
Discussion:
Batter's Box Interactive …, seattlepi.com and Hardball Times
RELATED:
Geoff Baker / The Seattle Times:
Greg Halman stabbed to death in the Netherlands
Discussion:
U.S.S. Mariner and Lookout Landing
Adam McCalvy / MLB.com:
Brewers look elsewhere with Barmes off table — Shortstop signs with Pirates as Crew waits on Prince situation — MILWAUKEE — One of the Brewers' potential 2012 shortstops fell off the market Monday when Clint Barmes confirmed he'd chosen a two-year, $10.5 million deal with the Pirates.
Discussion:
Brew Crew Ball
RELATED:
Brian McTaggart / Tag's Lines:
Barmes tells MLB.com he's agreed to terms with Pirates
Discussion:
Where Have You Gone …, MLB Daily Dish, MLB Rumors, Brew Beat, Bucs Dugout, Baseball Nation, ESPN, HardballTalk, Yahoo! Sports and baseballmusings.com
