Top News:
Murray Chass / New York Times:
Talk of Misconduct Is Swirling Around Red Sox — The Boston Red Sox might think of the Yankees as the Evil Empire, but other people in baseball now seem to view the Red Sox as a team that feels it can operate outside the rules. — According to executives of several clubs …
RELATED:
Bob Dutton / Kansas City Star:Royals appear close to one-year deal with Dotel
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
Baseball America:
Major League Rule 5 Draft Selections — First Round — Pick — Team — Player, Pos., Previous Org. — *1. — Devil Rays — Ryan Goleski, of, Indians — Stats/Skinny: Hit .306/.391/.557 between Double-A Akron and high Class A Kinston. Joins crowded A's outfield depth chart, but power potential gives him a chance
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Kevin Goldstein / Baseball Prospectus:
Rule 5 Draft — The major league portion of the Rule Five draft was expected to be a disappointment. Instead, it featured some excitement, with a few big names getting selected and some significant buzz being generated by the picks at the top, with 19 players selected over the span of seven minutes.
Discussion:
TigerBlog
Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Lots of chatter, no sign for Rangers — Club leaves winter meetings without acquiring a top name — LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Rangers talked an awful lot with agents for Barry Zito, Jay Payton and Kenny Lofton at the winter meetings. They talked to every club in the big leagues about potential pitching trades.
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
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Rick Morrissey / Chicago Tribune:
Sox no longer pitching championship dreams — With Cubs general manager Jim Hendry having undergone an angioplasty, the logical question is whether the brain-trauma wing of his hospital has room for White Sox GM Ken Williams. — Williams either fell on his head on his own at baseball's winter meetings …
Newsday:
Astros play deal or no deal — Trade for pitcher falls through, keeping them in Pettitte hunt — LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - A pair of New York reporters, one from Newsday, approached Astros president Tal Smith yesterday morning and asked him about Andy Pettitte.
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Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com:
Bonds, Giants agree on one-year deal — Slugger, 21 homers shy of Aaron, set to re-sign for $16 million — LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Giants agreed in principle on Thursday to re-sign slugger Barry Bonds for the 2007 season, said a source with knowledge of the negotiations.
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Associated Press:
Staying Put: Bonds to re-up with Giants for $16 million — NEW YORK — Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants reached agreement on a $16 million, one-year contract Thursday night that will keep the controversial slugger in the Bay Area to take aim at baseball's home run record.
MLB.com:
Mets sign RHP Guillermo Mota — The New York Mets announced today that they have signed righthanded pitcher Guillermo Mota to a two-year, $5 million contract. — Mota, 33, went 3- with a 1.00 ERA in 18 games with the Mets after he was acquired along with cash considerations …
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
RELATED:
Joe Posnanski / Kansas City Star:
Sometimes, madness is appropriate — Yes, at first glance, it seems a little — what's the word here? — let us say "surprising" that the Royals gave pitcher Gil Meche a five-year, $55 million deal. However, upon closer inspection, it seems clear that ... OK, whoa, whoa, let's slow down a little bit.
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Tracy Ringolsby / Rocky Mountain News:
Rockies' options are stand pat or deal — Colorado likes team, but trading Jennings remains a possibility — LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Rockies feel they are in a position to win. — Now comes the challenge - proving it. — The Rockies departed the annual winter meetings Thursday afternoon having …
Joe Capozzi / Palm Beach Post:
No deals, but Marlins believe progress was made — LAKE BUENA VISTA — Marlins General Manager Larry Beinfest was giving reporters an update on Florida's progress at the winter meetings Thursday when one of his assistants interrupted. — "Did you tell them about Bonds?'' Marlins VP Dan Jennings asked Beinfest.
Discussion:
FishStripes
RELATED:
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Mets want to trade for Haren ... not Harden — ORLANDO, Fla. - The A's pitcher coveted by the Mets is not right-hander Rich Harden, but right-hander Dan Haren, according to major-league sources. — Several reports have indicated that the Mets want to trade for Harden …
Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
Epstein working to save the season — LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — There are turning points in everyone's baseball career, and this may be Theo Epstein's. — He is the general manager who led the Red Sox to their first world championship in 86 years, and we certainly will give him props …
Kevin Kennedy / Fox Sports:
Red Sox overspent for Lugo, Drew — While there hasn't been a huge flurry of activity at baseball's annual winter meetings and no real significant trades, there has been enough noise coming from the free-agent market to open some eyes. — Not surprisingly, there has been significant money put …
