Top News:
Jeff Passan / ESPN:
David Ortiz open to international draft in MLB, seeks further input from players before implementation — Former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz, perhaps the most prominent voice in Dominican baseball, says he is open to the idea of an international draft but is wary of its implementation …
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NBCSports.com, BoSox Injection and CBS Boston
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Jesse Rogers / ESPN:
Major League Baseball pushes for international draft, while players' union opposes it, sources say — Negotiations between Major League Baseball and the MLBPA centered around the potential for an international draft, sources close to ownership told ESPN on Wednesday.
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baseballmusings.com
Jeff Passan / ESPN:
MLBPA to respond to MLB's latest CBA proposal Wednesday; game cancellations on hold — Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association plan to pick up talks on a new collective bargaining agreement Wednesday morning after deep-into-the-night discussions produced enough progress toward …
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Associated Press, Battery Power, Sports Illustrated, MLB Daily Dish and baseballmusings.com
Jeff Passan / ESPN:
Sources: MLB to cancel another week of games if deal not reached by Tuesday night — Major League Baseball plans to cancel another week of regular-season games if it can't agree to a new collective bargaining agreement with the MLB Players Association by Tuesday night, adding another layer …
The Athletic:
MLB points to Tuesday as deadline for 162-game schedule, full pay, service time: Sources
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MLB Baseball News …, MLB - The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca, Bleed Cubbie Blue and True Blue LA
Bob Nightengale / USA Today:
MLB gives the players union a Tuesday night deadline to accept a new deal as talks gain urgency
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New York Post
Apple:
Apple and Major League Baseball to offer “Friday Night Baseball” — Fans can tune in to two games on Friday nights during the regular season, available only on Apple TV+ — CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) today announced “Friday Night Baseball,” …
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Mike Ozanian / Forbes:
MLB Deals With Apple And NBC Sports Are Worth A Combined $115 Million Annually — Baseball is in the midst of a lockout that is threatening the start of the 2022 season, but that isn't preventing the league from getting richer. — The new multi-year streaming deal between Major League Baseball …
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The Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Red Reporter, Cubs Insider, Bleacher Nation and MLB Trade Rumors
Associated Press:
Apple, MLB announce ‘Friday Night Baseball’ package — CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple will enter the live sports coverage arena with “Friday Night Baseball.” — Apple and Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that Apple TV+ will carry a weekly doubleheader on Friday nights in eight countries when the regular season begins.
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Forbes, Pinstripe Alley, Boston.com, Sportico and baseballmusings.com
John Ourand / Sports Business Journal:
MLB, Apple link up for “Friday Night Baseball” — MLB made its Apple deal official today with a comprehensive rights agreement that includes a weekly “Friday Night Baseball” doubleheader on Apple TV+. Apple CEO Tim Cook made the announcement during an online presentation today.
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The Crawfish Boxes, McCovey Chronicles, Sports Illustrated, BoSox Injection and Bleacher Nation
David Furones / Sun-Sentinel:
Dolphins place franchise tag on tight end Mike Gesicki, keeping standout pass catcher in Miami for another year — The Miami Dolphins are hanging onto the top pass-catching tight end slated for free agency this offseason, securing him in Miami for at least another year.
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The Phinsider, Associated Press and Victory Bell Rings
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Omar Kelly / Sun-Sentinel:
Dolphins putting franchise tag on Mike Gesicki is merely a Band-Aid — The past three times the Miami Dolphins used the franchise or transition tag, the player they slapped it on ended up playing elsewhere that very same season. — Pro Bowl receiver Jarvis Landry got traded to Cleveland …
Pat Leonard / New York Daily News:
Aaron Rodgers is coming back to the Packers — Aaron Rodgers isn't dragging out the drama this time. — He's staying with the Green Bay Packers, and he's making big money doing it. — So maybe he hasn't been canceled after all. — Rodgers, 38, officially has decided to return to the Packers …
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Alden Gonzalez / ESPN:
MLB players frustrated by league's deadlines, but ‘solid in where they stand’ — MESA, Ariz. — The pop of leather and the crack of wood reverberated through Bell Bank Park, a sprawling sports and entertainment facility outfitted with turf baseball fields and an expansive weight room.
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Chicago Tribune, NBCSports.com and Gaslamp Ball
Ken Rosenthal / MLB - The Athletic:
How was baseball's luxury tax supposed to work? Rob Manfred, Gene Orza weigh in — A club executive was on the line, voicing an objection. Media members, he said, were unfairly characterizing a critical element of baseball's labor negotiations. Nowhere in any previous collective-bargaining agreement …
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Sports Illustrated, FanGraphs Baseball, Bleed Cubbie Blue and baseballmusings.com
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