Top News:
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
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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:
MLB Daily Dish, Fenway West, HardballTalk, Over the Monster, The LoHud Yankees Blog and MLB.com Hot Stove Blog
Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:
Shoppach ‘excited’ to return to Red Sox — 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 …
Discussion:
joy of sox
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, NESN.com, IT IS HIGH!, NotGraphs Baseball and WasWatching.com, more at WeSmirch »
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:
Lone Star Ball and baseballmusings.com
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Fox Sports:
Rangers not fishing for Fielder, Darvish
Rangers not fishing for Fielder, Darvish
Discussion:
Lookout Landing, MLB.com, Bluebird Banter, Lone Star Ball, HardballTalk, MLB Rumors and Baseball Nation
Mark J. Miller / Yahoo! Sports:
Rangers focused on trade for pitcher, not signing Fielder
Rangers focused on trade for pitcher, not signing Fielder
Discussion:
Red Sox Monster
Carrie Muskat / MLB.com:
Braun's ex-teammate empathizes with slugger — Brewers Minor Leaguer Katin failed drug test, later won appeal — It was 2007, and Brendan Katin was an outfielder on the Double-A Huntsville team. He took the mandatory drug test and didn't think anything about it. Katin knew he was clean.
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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:
Philly.com, Phillies Nation, MLB Daily Dish, MLB Rumors, Babes Love Baseball and Yahoo! Sports
Jerry Crasnick / MLB:
Source: Twins to add Josh Willingham — Veteran outfielder Josh Willingham has reached agreement on a multiyear contract with the Minnesota Twins pending completion of a physical exam, according to a league source. — Willingham, 32, is a career .262 hitter with 132 home runs for the Marlins, Nationals and Athletics.
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish and Puckett's Pond
Jerry Crasnick / MLB:
Crasnick: “The Book” on Fielder — “The Book,” put together by the Scott Boras Corporation, details the free-agent slugger — In conjunction with Prince Fielder's free-agent debut, his representatives at the Scott Boras Corporation produced a 73-page binder celebrating his achievements in the game.
Discussion:
Drunk Jays Fans, MLB Rumors and HardballTalk
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
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 …
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
Adam Rubin / ESPN:
Report: Mets received $40M bank loan — The financially strapped owners of the New York Mets obtained a $40 million “bridge loan” from Bank of America in recent weeks to continue operations until minority shares of the team can be sold, The New York Times reported.
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Associated Press:
Brewers trade 3B Casey McGehee — PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired third baseman Casey McGehee from the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade for reliever Jose Veras. — The move came hours after the Brewers agreed to terms with free-agent third baseman Aramis Ramirez on Monday.
Discussion:
ESPN and baseballmusings.com
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Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Brewers, Pirates Swap Veras For McGehee
Brewers, Pirates Swap Veras For McGehee
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish, Bucs Dugout and River Avenue Blues