Top News:
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Red Sox To Sign Kelly Shoppach — The Red Sox have agreed to sign Kelly Shoppach to a one-year, $1.35MM deal, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). The deal will be announced today, Crasnick reports. — Shoppach, 31, hit just .176/.268/.339 in 253 plate appearances for the Rays in 2011 …
Discussion:
HardballTalk, The LoHud Yankees Blog, MLB Daily Dish, Fenway West and Over the Monster
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Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:
Report: Red Sox sign Shoppach — Nick Cafardo reported yesterday that the Red Sox had an interest in catcher Kelly Shoppach. Now Jerry Crasnick of ESPN is reporting that the Sox signed Shoppach to a one-year deal worth $1.35 million. — Shoppach was drafted by the Sox in 2001 and made his major league debut with the team in 2005.
Discussion:
joy of sox
Jerry Crasnick / ESPN:
Source: Red Sox bring back catcher Shoppach — The Boston Red Sox have reached agreement on a one-year major league contract with free-agent catcher Kelly Shoppach, a baseball source told ESPN.com. The deal is expected to be announced sometime Tuesday. — A source said Shoppach …
Discussion:
The Heater Feed
Fox Sports:
Rangers not fishing for Fielder, Darvish — That counter-punch to the Los Angeles Angels that many expect from the Texas Rangers probably is not coming. — The Rangers are more focused on trading for a starting pitcher than signing free-agent first baseman Prince Fielder …
Discussion:
MLB.com, Lone Star Ball, Bluebird Banter, HardballTalk, MLB Rumors and Baseball Nation
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Mark J. Miller / Yahoo! Sports:
Rangers focused on trade for pitcher, not signing Fielder — The Texas Rangers are keeping busy right now trying to find a trade that will bring them a starting pitcher rather than throwing all energy into getting Prince Fielder or Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish, Fox Sports reports.
Discussion:
Red Sox Monster
Joey Matschulat / Baseball Time in Arlington:
The Rangers And The Case Of The Missing “Payroll Flexibility” — “Our challenge is going to be to keep this level of talent together and we know that. We're going to step up and put some money in, ask the fans to support us and help us and see if we can't deliver something like this every year.
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com and Lone Star Ball
New York Post:
Jeter's booty hauls — Not so classy, captain! — Yankee star Derek Jeter, one of New York's most eligible hunks since his split with longtime gal pal Minka Kelly, is bedding a bevy of beauties in his Trump World Tower bachelor pad — and then coldly sending them home alone with gift baskets of autographed memorabilia.
Discussion:
The Big Lead, Subway Squawkers, Yanks Go Yard, HardballTalk, Deadspin, IT IS HIGH! and WasWatching.com, more at WeSmirch »
Carrie Muskat / MLB.com:
Brewers avoid arbitration with Kottaras — Club tenders pacts to all of its arbitration-eligible players — The Brewers avoided arbitration with George Kottaras, signing the catcher to a one-year contract, and tendered contracts to all of their arbitration-eligible players.
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Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Brewers, Pirates Swap Veras For McGehee
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish, Bucs Dugout, River Avenue Blues and U.S.S. Mariner
New York Times:
Mets, Struggling for Cash, Receive $40 Million Bank Loan — The owners of the Mets, needing cash and unable to turn to Major League Baseball for more financial help, received a $40 million loan from a major bank in the past six weeks. — The team described the arrangement as a “bridge loan …
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Jerry Crasnick / ESPN:
Source: Dontrelle Willis, Phillies agree — The Philadelphia Phillies have reached agreement on a one-year major league deal with free agent Dontrelle Willis, a baseball source said Tuesday. — The deal, pending completion of a physical, would pay Willis about $1 million and include additional money …
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports, MLB Rumors, Philly.com, MLB Daily Dish and Phillies Nation
ESPN.com:
Pujols' wife explains slugger's leaving St. Louis — Albert Pujols' wife Deidre, in an interview with a radio station with ties to the former St. Louis Cardinals slugger, said the couple was prepared to take less money to stay in St. Louis, but were greatly disappointed when the team initially offered him a five-year deal.
Discussion:
Baseball Nation, VFTB and Angels blog
RELATED:
Marc Topkin / The Heater Feed:
Sonnanstine non-tenderered, Howell gets contract — UPDATE, 12:37 AM: Executive VP Andrew Friedman explained the decisions, saying they were confident Howell could still regain his pre-surgery and that there was no longer room for Sonnanstine. — On Howell: Friedman noted how much a grind …
Discussion:
Rays Index
Rob Neyer / Baseball Nation:
John Rocker Admits Steroid Use During Career — John Rocker's got a new book. — Hey, I'll give it a chance. I love being surprised. Oh, and maybe he was kind enough to mention me! When the excrement hit the fan in 1999, I was one of the very few baseball writers who defended Rocker's right …
Discussion:
HardballTalk, Deadspin, baseballmusings.com, Talking Chop and THE BOOK
Doug Glanville / ESPN:
No awards for those who cheat — If Ryan Braun doesn't win his appeal, he doesn't deserve to be the NL MVP — After Ryan Braun's appeal of his positive test, if it is concluded that he broke the MLB's drug policy during the 2011 regular season, why can't we take back the MVP award?
Discussion:
MLB
Duk / Yahoo! Sports:
John Buck helps rescue two people after Florida car accident — If there's a complete opposite of the vehicle-related mishap that occurred to David Price over the weekend, John Buck may have experienced it. — Instead of shooing away a voiding vagrant, the Miami Marlins catcher helped pull …
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Joe Capozzi / Fish Tank blog:
Marlins catcher John Buck helps rescue two women from overturned car
Discussion:
HardballTalk and NESN.com
Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Blue Jays Acquire Ben Francisco — The Blue Jays acquired outfielder Ben Francisco from the Phillies for minor league lefty Frank Gailey, announced the team. The Jays also designated reliever Jesse Chavez for assignment. — Francisco, 30, hit .244/.340/.364 in 293 plate appearances for the Phillies this year.
Discussion:
Bluebird Banter, Baseball America, MLB Daily Dish, Crashburn Alley and Yahoo! Sports
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Joey Nowak / MLB.com:
Blue Jays trade with Phillies for Francisco
Discussion:
Batter's Box Interactive …
