Top News:
Aaron Gleeman / Hardball Times:
Bowden 1, Krivsky 0 — Lopsided trades happen all the time. In fact, it's the very nature of trading that a large percentage of swaps involve one team getting significantly more in return than the other team. Even completely one-sided deals—the ones that cause guys like me to express amazement …
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Associated Press:
Nationals sign OF Matos, send OF Byrd to minors, lose OF Watson to Reds — WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Nationals signed free-agent outfielder Luis Matos on Friday and assigned outfielder Marlon Byrd to Triple-A New Orleans after he cleared waivers. — The Nationals also reacquired …
Christina Kahrl / Baseball Prospectus:
TA: Breakout — The Nats Go Red, and the Reds Go Nuts — IN THIS ISSUE — National League — Acquired RHP Gary Majewski, LHP Bill Bray, SS-R Royce Clayton, INF-R Brendan Harris, and RHP Daryl Thompson from the Nationals for OF-R Austin Kearns, SS-B Felipe Lopez, and RHP Ryan Wagner …
MLB.com:
Angels place pitcher Kelvim Escobar on 15-day disabled list; Club recalls infielder Howie Kendrick from Triple-A Salt Lake — ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Angels Friday placed RHP Kelvim Escobar on the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to July 7) with irritation of the right elbow.
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Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Angels' Escobar goes on DL — The Angels have put right-hander Kelvim Escobar on the disabled list with irritation in his right elbow. — Escobar was sidelined for more than two months last year after undergoing surgery to shave down a bone spur and remove a bone chip from the same elbow.
Tom Singer / MLB.com:
Trade Winds: Gusts surround Philly — Variety of teams contacting GM Gillick about Abreu — When it comes to baseball's summer trading season, the All-Star break truly is the calm before the storm. Indeed, the trade winds now are blowing fiercely. — The eye of this storm appears …
Discussion:
Bless You Boys
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New York Post:
YANKEES AND METS BOTH INQUIRE ABOUT ABREU — July 14, 2006 — BOBBY Abreu is both appealing and repelling, an enigma within an All-Star. He could prove a difference-maker in a playoff race or a reminder that the New York teams should never acquire expensive players with makeup issues.
Mark Feinsand / MLB.com:
Notes: Cabrera may be on way out — Whispered trade with Pittsburgh includes Burnitz, Craig Wilson — NEW YORK — General manager Brian Cashman has made it clear that pitching prospect Philip Hughes is as close to untouchable as any player in the Yankees' farm system. — Melky Cabrera on the other hand, may not be.
Discussion:
WasWatching.com
Jordan Robertson / Associated Press:
Bonds' rift with former friend could play into grand jury probe — SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Barry Bonds and Steve Hoskins were boyhood friends who went into business together and made a lot of money selling the San Francisco slugger's autographs. But the relationship collapsed when Bonds accused Hoskins …
Discussion:
The Good Phight
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Murray Chass / New York Times:As Bonds Faces Possible Day in Court, Selig Faces a Quandary
Discussion:
Only Baseball Matters
Joe Lapointe / New York Times:
Ponson, Under Scrutiny, Stresses Keeping His Focus — It is generally a good thing to be a starting pitcher for the Yankees, as is now the case for Sidney Ponson. But it is not so good to be with your third team in less than a year with your career and your behavior being evaluated game by game.
Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
Cubs put Prior on DL — The Cubs started the second half of the season by putting pitcher Mark Prior on the disabled list and calling up infielder Ryan Theriot from Triple-A Iowa. — Prior was a late scratch from last Sunday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers because of a strained muscle on his left side.
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Associated Press:
Botched bobbleheads — O's return 20,000 dark-skinned Roberts replicas — BALTIMORE (AP) — Orioles players have joked in the past that they didn't look like their bobblehead dolls. But when a recent shipment of Brian Roberts bobbleheads arrived, team officials knew something was wrong.
Discussion:
The Griddle
Joe Sheehan / Baseball Prospectus:
Prospectus Today — State of the Game — Hey, no wonder the AL teed off on Trevor Hoffman's splitter Tuesday night: he doesn't actually throw one. My error; Hoffman is a fastball/change-up guy, something a number of readers pointed out to me, and I'm pretty sure the extra-base hits he allowed were on change-ups.
Discussion:
The Joy of Sox
David Ginsburg / Associated Press:
Orioles send Cabrera to minors, recall Loewen — The Baltimore Orioles optioned struggling right-hander Daniel Cabrera to Triple-A Ottawa on Friday, hopeful the move will enable him to regain a measure of confidence after going six straight starts without a victory.
Charles Odum / Associated Press:
Malone's Liberty bid for Braves opposed by pro-family campaign — ATLANTA (AP) — Liberty Media's bid to buy the Atlanta Braves is facing new opposition from pro-family advocates because Liberty owns On Command, which sells adult movies in hotel rooms across the nation.
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Sox-y offer to Mets — As Pedro ails, Javy available — CHICAGO - The Mets may have found a partner willing to deal a starting pitcher after all, which could be even more pressing as Pedro Martinez is about to miss his third straight start. — The White Sox have been calling around to clubs …
Mercury News:
Teixeira's 3 HRs help Rangers win — INDIANS OVERPOWER LIRIANO, TWINS 6-4 — BALTIMORE - Texas Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira has been insisting for months that his swing is no different from a year ago, when he had 43 home runs and 144 RBIs. — He backed up that assertion Thursday …
Ken Gurnick / MLB.com:
Dodgers fall in 14 innings in St. Louis — Perez allows game-winning homer to Pujols — ST. LOUIS — It truly was a series of unfortunate events that led the Dodgers to start the second half on a sour note. — And we're not only talking about the walk-off home run Albert Pujols slugged off Odalis Perez …
