Top News:
Buster Olney / ESPN:
A hurricane of activity: 8 things that will happen once the MLB lockout ends — When (and if) baseball resumes in 2022, general managers will work a lot like NFL coaches at the outset of games, with their first moves scripted. At the transaction kickoff, you can almost imagine Red Sox honcho Chaim Bloom …
Discussion:
Sports Illustrated, Cubbies Crib, Bleacher Nation, DraftKings Nation, MLB Baseball News … and Talking Chop
Jesse Rogers / ESPN:
Sources: MLB, players' union still far apart after latest meeting yields no game-changer in CBA negotiations — JUPITER, Fla. — Five hours in the boardroom on Monday — sometimes together, sometimes in their own caucus — didn't equate to major progress between MLB and the MLB Players Association …
Discussion:
The Athletic, Washington Post, Associated Press, Sports Illustrated and baseballmusings.com
Craig Morgan / PHNX:
Coyotes waive then trade goalie Carter Hutton to Maple Leafs, but he's not going anywhere — The curious case of Coyotes goalie Carter Hutton got a little stranger on Monday. — One day after Arizona waived the injured veteran, he cleared waivers and everybody assumed that he would be assigned to Tucson.
Discussion:
Pension Plan Puppets, Arizona Sports, TRADE, Pro Hockey Rumors, Maple Leafs Hotstove, Editor In Leaf and Sportsnet.ca
John Romano / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Reading the tea leaves — and dollar signs — it's time to end MLB lockout — Here is a bold prediction that shouldn't be all that bold: — By this time next week, baseball's lockout will have ended. — Recent headlines do not support this, and the general mood does not reflect this.
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
Dennis Lin / The Athletic:
Which Padres are in Peoria, post-lockout acquisition targets and the luxury tax: Padres mailbag, part one — This is a critical week for Major League Baseball. The league has told the players' union that a collective bargaining agreement needs to be reached by Feb. 28 for the regular season to start on time.
Discussion:
Athletics Nation, MLB Trade Rumors and FanSided
Jayson Stark / MLB - The Athletic:
What would happen if baseball killed the shift? — Once, there was a time when a hitter could fire a laser beam up the middle and not see the shortstop standing there, ready to scoop it up and turn it into routine old out fodder. — Once, there was a time when a left-handed hitter could drill …
Discussion:
The Good Phight, baseballmusings.com and Bleacher Nation
Kristie Ackert / New York Daily News:
How Gleyber Torres uncertainty affects DJ LeMahieu, rest of Yankees' infield in 2022 — TAMPA — Gleyber Torres has spent his late mornings and early afternoons taking balls on a high school infield over the last week. He's working on his defense at both shortstop and second base these days …
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley
David Laurila / FanGraphs Baseball:
Sunday Notes: Let's Look at Adrián Beltré, Brooks Robinson, and Graig Nettles. — Per the JAWS leaderboard, Adrián Beltré (4) and Scott Rolen (10) rank highest among third basemen not in the Hall of Fame. Beltré will almost certainly get the nod once he becomes eligible …
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley, baseballmusings.com and Lone Star Ball
Rick Stroud / Tampa Bay Times:
Bucs' Arians lashes out at report, denies any rift with Brady — The head coach says he's “pissed off” about a recent report that says their relationship had soured, in part because of Arians altering game plans. — TAMPA — Bruce Arians doesn't believe Tom Brady will come out of retirement.
Discussion:
Pro Football Rumors, New York Post, CBS Boston, ProFootballTalk, Boston.com and Sports Illustrated
Bobby Nightengale / Cincinnati.com:
Minor league pitching injuries are a concern for Reds as they return to normal schedule — At all levels in the minor leagues, there was a lot of uncertainty among teams on how to handle pitching staffs to keep arms healthy. — There was no 2020 season. The 2021 season was delayed by a month.
Discussion:
Cubbies Crib, Bleacher Nation and MLB Trade Rumors
Jason Lloyd / The Athletic:
Could LeBron James return to Cleveland again?: 'The door's not closed on that,' he says — The Athletic spoke to LeBron one on one on Saturday, and he opened up on a variety of topics. — Jason Lloyd130 — NBA All-Star Weekend 2022: Karl-Anthony Towns wins 3-point contest.