Top News:
Associated Press:
Mets sign reliever Mota, still seeking big-name starter — LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya left the winter meetings Thursday still looking for a starting pitcher, and he had no immediate plans to bring Barry Zito to the Big Apple for a recruiting visit.
RELATED:
Tim Marchman / New York Sun:
Haren's Ideal for Mets, but A's Are Smart Enough To Know This — It's been a quiet off-season for the Mets so far, which is an entirely good thing in a ridiculously overheated market. Aside from bringing back a few useful veterans and signing Moises Alou to the Cliff Floyd memorial roster spot …
Ben Shpigel / New York Times:
Mets' General Manager Leaves Florida Happy — ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 7 For some reason, the e-mail service on Omar Minaya's Blackberry does not work in the Dominican Republic, so he will be forced to communicate the old-fashioned way over the next five days.
Discussion:
It's Outta Here!
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.
Fox Sports:
Winners and losers at the Winter Meetings — Baseball's Winter Meetings have drawn to a close, which means it's time to pick through the carnage and make sense of what happened. — Back where he belongs — After low-level flirtations with the A's, Tigers and Cardinals, Barry Bonds is back with the Giants.
Discussion:
Hot Foot
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Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Case Closed: Bonds re-signs with Giants — LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Cardinals insisted Thursday they weren't Barry Bonds' "mystery team." — But for a short while during this week's winter meetings, they were a mildly intrigued team before the slugger wound up re-signing with the San Francisco Giants late Thursday.
Tim Kawakami / Mercury News:Bidding against themselves, Giants managed to lose hand
Discussion:
Sports Scope
Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
Payroll is lower, but key deals still linger — White Sox general manager Ken Williams has kept the club ahead of the financial curve, but important decisions are ahead. — Trading right-hander Freddy Garcia to Philadelphia has lowered the Sox's 2007 player payroll obligations to about $84 million for 14 players.
RELATED:
Rick Morrissey / Chicago Tribune:Sox no longer pitching championship dreams
Discussion:
South Side Sox
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.
Discussion:
Bad Altitude
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Tracy Ringolsby / Rocky Mountain News:Rockies' options are stand pat or deal
Discussion:
Dan Agonistes
Fox Sports:
Report: Dodgers could file tampering charge — The Boston Red Sox might still view the New York Yankees as the Evil Empire. But other Major League Baseball people apparently think of the Red Sox as a team that can operate outside of the rules, according to a report in The New York Times.
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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 …
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Ohka offered Major League contract — Right-hander will begin second stint with club if he agrees — LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Nationals have offered free agent Tomo Ohka a Major League contract, MLB.com has learned. If he agrees to the deal, Ohka will begin his second stint with the organization.
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Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:No Major Moves, Two Minor Ones
Discussion:
MLB.com, Nationals Farm Authority, District of Baseball, William F. Yurasko and Ben Maller's Sports …
Juan C. Rodriguez / Sun-Sentinel:
Rule 5 yields Labandeira, 2 other picks — Infielder was suspended for amphetamines — · The Marlins opted to spare somebody the burden of living up to Dan Uggla's Rule 5 legacy. — Thursday's Winter Meetings-culminating Rule 5 Draft was over in less than 40 minutes and did not feature …
Discussion:
FishStripes
RELATED:
Joe Capozzi / Palm Beach Post:No deals, but Marlins believe progress was made
Discussion:
FishStripes
Mark Feinsand / MLB.com:
Villone declines Yanks' arbitration offer — Reliever wants to play in New York, but keeping options open — NEW YORK — Ron Villone declined the Yankees' arbitration offer Thursday, leaving the left-hander available on the free-agent market. — Villone, who returned Thursday from a 12 …
Associated Press:
Jose Uribe is killed in car crash — SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic —Former San Francisco Giants shortstop Jose Uribe was killed early Friday in a car crash in his native Dominican Republic. — The Dominican National Police said the 47-year-old Uribe's sport utility vehicle crashed …
Sports Illustrated:
Cashman to A-Rod: 'We love you' — GM meets with slugger's agent to express support — LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Yankees general manager Brian Cashman sent a strong message to Alex Rodriguez in a long dinner meeting Wednesday night with agent Scott Boras: "We love you, and you're not going anywhere.''
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley
