Top News:
Zach Links / MLB Rumors:
Orioles Acquire Feldman, Clevenger For Arrieta, Strop — The first domino of trade season has dropped, as the Orioles acquired righty Scott Feldman and catcher Steve Clevenger from the Cubs today for righty Jake Arrieta, reliever Pedro Strop, and international bonus pool money, according ESPN's Keith Law.
Discussion:
Red Sox Monster, Lone Star Ball, Camden Chat, Bleed Cubbie Blue, Bucs Dugout, MLB Daily Dish and BBTF's Baseball Primer …
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ESPN:
Source: Orioles acquire Feldman from Cubs — The Baltimore Orioles bolstered their starting rotation Tuesday, acquiring Scott Feldman in a trade with the Chicago Cubs, a source involved in the negotiations told ESPN MLB Insider Keith Law. — According to the source, Baltimore …
USA Today:
Orioles strike first, trade for Cubs starter Feldman … With Major League Baseball's trade deadline less than a month away, the Baltimore Orioles made the dealing season's first significant acquisition Tuesday when they acquired pitcher Scott Feldman from the Chicago Cubs.
Discussion:
CBSSports.com and baseballmusings.com
Ben Badler / Baseball America:
Astros Sign Dominican Shortstop Joan Mauricio — Dominican shortstop Joan Mauricio has signed with the Astros for $600,000. — Mauricio, 16, has good defensive actions with smooth hands and surprising pop from both sides of the plate for someone who is 6-foot-1, 140 pounds.
Discussion:
The Crawfish Boxes
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Ben Badler / Baseball America:
Rangers Sign No. 7 International Prospect Yeyson Yrizarri — Shortstop Yeyson Yrizarri, the No. 7 international prospect for July 2, has signed with the Rangers for $1,350,000. — Yrizarri, 16, is 6 feet, 175 pounds and made a strong impression on some teams with his short …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors and Lone Star Ball
Ben Badler / Baseball America:
Cubs Sign Dominican Righthander Jefferson Mejia — The Cubs have signed Dominican righthander Jefferson Mejia for $850,000. — Mejia, 18, would have been eligible to sign last year, but Major League Baseball had an issue with his paperwork and declared him ineligible to sign until April.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors and Bleed Cubbie Blue
Matt Gelb / Philly.com:
Amaro weighs trade options with mediocre Phillies — When the Phillies boarded their charter plane bound for Pittsburgh on Sunday, it was still June in Los Angeles. The illusion of contention had not wilted with one moribund series at Dodger Stadium. A 13-15 month of mediocrity accomplished that.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors and Phillies Nation
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Jon Heyman / CBSSports.com:
(USATSI) — Word going around the game is that the Dodgers could have interest in Chase Utley, the longtime Phillies star who in his younger days starred at UCLA and before that at Long Beach (Calif.) Polytechnic High. — It isn't known if the Dodgers have gone so far as to contact …
Discussion:
Chad Moriyama, The Good Phight, HardballTalk, Phillies Nation and MLB Rumors
New York Post:
Sources say Braves, Giants interested in Yankees' Chamberlain — According to a pair of American League talent evaluators, the Braves and Giants have an interest in Joba Chamberlain. — Braves scout Jim Fregosi watched Chamberlain pitch a scoreless inning Friday night in Baltimore, when his fastball was clocked in the mid-90s.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, HardballTalk, McCovey Chronicles, Talking Chop, MLB Daily Dish, Pinstriped Bible and Sporting News Feed RSS
Thomas Boswell / Washington Post:
Bryce Harper's return takes a weight off Nationals' shoulders — Three hours before Bryce Harper's return from the disabled list after 31 missed games, Nats reliever Drew Storen couldn't contain his imagination. — “It'd be just like Harp to hit a home run his first at-bat.
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com and Nationals Journal
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NY Daily News:
Yankees unaware of chief international officer's announcement of $50 million stadium in Dominican Republic — Felix Lopez, the Yankees' executive vice president and chief international officer, took part in a press conference in the Dominican Republic on Monday to help make an announcement …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
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Ben Badler / Baseball America:
Signing Predictions For Top 30 International Prospects
Discussion:
Over the Monster and Lone Star Ball
Steve Gilbert / MLB.com:
D-backs pay tribute to fallen firefighters in Arizona — Club raising money for victims' families, will wear patch remainder of season — NEW YORK — Derrick Hall's disappointment with the recent on-field results of his team disappeared in a flash Sunday as news spread that 19 Arizona firefighters lost …
Discussion:
Baseball Nation
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Master Tesfatsion / MLB.com:
Rangers shift Soria to Frisco to get work — Rangers reliever Joakim Soria will be assigned to Double-A Frisco on Wednesday for his next appearance. The move will keep Soria in Texas, as Triple-A Round Rock will be in Nashville that day. — Soria could join the Rangers next week during …
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball and HardballTalk
Bill Shaikin / Los Angeles Times:
Dodgers will spend again to improve, but improving farm system is key — The Dodgers have the resources to increase payroll, but team President Stan Kasten wants the farm system to be strong enough that midseason trades aren't necessary. — Dodgers President Stan Kasten admits there's …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Steve Adams / MLB Rumors:
Aoki Can Become Free Agent After 2014 — When the Brewers signed Norichika Aoki to a two-year deal with a club option for 2014 prior to the 2012 season, the belief around baseball was that Aoki would remain under team control as an arbitration-eligible player following completion of that contract.
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