Top News:
Sports Illustrated:
Done deal — Red Sox, Matsuzaka agree to six-year contract — Daisuke Matsuzaka has reached a deal with the Boston Red Sox for 6 years, $52 million, SI.com's Jon Heyman has learned. The deal contains escalator clauses that could bring it up to $60 million.
RELATED:
Gordon Edes / Extra Bases:
Dice-K en route — The Red Sox contingent in Southern California is currently flying back to Boston with pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka and his agent, Scott Boras, on board. — "You can assume that a deal is done or close," said one source with direct knowledge of the talks.
ESPN:
Red Sox, Matsuzaka headed to Boston — BOSTON — Daisuke Matsuzaka headed to Boston on Wednesday with Red Sox officials, a sign Boston had reached a preliminary contract agreement with the star pitcher. — "They all took off together," Red Sox owner John Henry said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
Michael Silverman / Boston Herald:
Matsuzaka deal full speed ahead: Pitcher, Boras flying to Hub with Sox — COSTA MESA, Calif. - Daisuke Matsuzaka and his agent Scott Boras are flying back to Boston with the Red Sox [team stats] this afternoon, a clear sign that the sides are going to be able to strike a long-term deal.
Discussion:
Empyreal Environs
Gordon Edes / Boston Globe:
No progress on Matsuzaka — Latest negotiating session lasts only 40 minutes — As day turned into evening in Southern California yesterday, a source with a direct pipeline to the Daisuke Matsuzaka negotiations reported "no progress" in the Red Sox' attempts to sign the Japanese pitcher …
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com
Michael Silverman / Clubhouse Insider:
Matsuzaka wants $11M per year; Sox offering $8M — COSTA MESA, Calif. — Pessimism from both sides of these Daisuke Matsuzaka talks rules the day, or early morning, but talks are not dead and the deadline is still not until Thursday (in case you hadn't heard).
Discussion:
Boston Sports Media Watch
ESPN:
Talks ongoing between Blue Jays, Wells — The Blue Jays apparently are serious about keeping budding superstar Vernon Wells in the fold. — Wells, who can become a free agent after next season, was offered a seven-year, $126 million extension by Toronto. No deal has been agreed to, however.
RELATED:
Jeff Blair / globesports.com:
Jays offer Wells monster contract — Toronto — The Toronto Blue Jays have made a formal contract offer to Vernon Wells that would put the centre fielder comfortably among the top-10 highest-paid players in the major leagues and likely exceed the average annual value of the free-agent deal …
Tom Krasovic / San Diego Union-Tribune:
M. Giles available as free agent now — Padres General Manager Kevin Towers said yesterday that he could have acquired Braves second baseman Marcus Giles last month if he had been willing to trade reliever Scott Linebrink. Towers held onto Linebrink and now has a chance …
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
RELATED:
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates retain rights to Chacon, Cota — Also claim reliever Osoria off waivers from L.A. — By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — The Pirates have tendered contracts to all eight of their arbitration-eligible players, including starter Shawn Chacon and catcher Humberto Cota, each thought to be on the bubble.
RELATED:
Barry Svrluga / Washington Post:
Nationals to Trade Vidro for Prospects — The Washington Nationals took a major step toward freeing room on their future payroll and breaking loose a logjam in the middle infield, agreeing to trade second baseman Jose Vidro — who has spent his entire career with the Montreal-Washington organization …
Discussion:
Capitol Punishment
Matthew Leach / MLB.com:
Miles re-signs; Ankiel non-tendered — Flores, Taguchi offered contracts; Sosa a free agent — ST. LOUIS — Rick Ankiel's lengthy saga with the Cardinals may be over. Or it may have just been given new life. — Ankiel, once a star pitcher now trying to make it back to the Majors as an outfielder …
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Exposing the truth — Mariners' Betancourt allegedly smuggled into U.S. — MIAMI (AP) — Seattle Mariners shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt and the family of Chicago White Sox pitcher Jose Contreras were among the Cubans allegedly smuggled into the United States by an agent and others accused …
Marc Topkin / St. Petersburg Times:
Hollins' exit creates room as talks continue with Iwamura … ST. PETERSBURG - Needing to create space on the 40-man roster and room on the field, the Devil Rays dropped reserve outfielder Damon Hollins by not tendering him a contract. — "We obviously have a lot of depth in the outfield …
Baseball Crank:
Free Agent Contracts By EWSL — For those of you who have been wondering what I was doing instead of blogging about baseball lately - besides being swamped with work and a not-sleeping-well baby - I decided to take a systematic look at this year's free agent signings thus far, using Established Win Shares Levels.
Discussion:
Knuckle Curve
