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, MLB Daily Dish, Fenway West, Over the Monster, The LoHud Yankees Blog and MLB.com Hot Stove Blog
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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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Joey Matschulat / Baseball Time in Arlington:
The Rangers And The Case Of The Missing “Payroll Flexibility”
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball and baseballmusings.com
Mark J. Miller / Yahoo! Sports:
Rangers focused on trade for pitcher, not signing Fielder
Discussion:
Red Sox Monster
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
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, Philly.com, MLB Daily Dish, MLB Rumors and Phillies Nation
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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Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
MLB Teams Non-Tender 29 Players — Major League teams non-tendered multiple former All-Stars last night and it won't be surprising if some of the 29 players re-establish themselves as Major League difference makers. For now, however, they're free agents, cut loose because their former teams …
Discussion:
MLB.com Hot Stove Blog
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
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Alex Speier / Full Count:
Source: Red Sox expect to go over luxury tax threshold — According to a major league source, the Red Sox expect to exceed the $178 million payroll threshold that would trigger luxury tax payments for the 2012 season. That is, of course, subject to change, but barring a deal …
Discussion:
FenwayNation
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, Talking Chop, baseballmusings.com and THE BOOK
Quinn Roberts / MLB.com:
Interesting choices pepper non-tender deadline — The Hot Stove reached another high point Monday night, with clubs making some tough decisions on whether to tender contracts to players under team control. — After the midnight ET deadline passed and the dust settled …
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
Joe Capozzi / Fish Tank blog:
Marlins catcher John Buck helps rescue two women from overturned car — Think the Marlins front office had an eventful week last week in Dallas? Consider Marlins catcher John Buck's week. — He started the week by bagging a trophy-class deer (209 points on the Boone & Crockett scale) on a hunting trip in south Texas.
Discussion:
HardballTalk and NESN.com
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