Top News:
Howard Bryant / ESPN.com:
Bryant: Conflicts and missteps undermine Mitchell report — With the highly anticipated Mitchell report on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball expected to be released within the coming days, scores of baseball employees who were interviewed by former Senator George Mitchell's investigators …
RELATED:
NY Daily News:
MLB receives Mitchell Report — Major League Baseball officials are reviewing George Mitchell's long-anticipated steroid report at the former Senate majority leader's law offices, 21 months after commissioner Bud Selig asked Mitchell to investigate the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.
Matthew Cerrone / MetsBlog.com:
Buzz: Santana seeing Boston, Mets Watching — ...well, over the last day or so, i have talked with essentially the same group of people that i normally do, who are connected to and have knowledge of what the Mets are up to, and the sense i get is that while the team still feels confident …
Discussion:
BBTF's Baseball Primer …
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Joe Christensen / Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Ellsbury seems key in any deal with Red Sox — There's still no imminent trade involving Twins ace Johan Santana, but Boston's young center fielder keeps coming up in discussions. — The Twins continued exploring potential trade options for Johan Santana on Monday, picking up where they left off at last week's winter meetings.
Thomas Harding / MLB.com:
Rockies, Cook agree on new deal — Right-hander's contract worth $34.5 million through 2011 — DENVER — The Rockies and right-handed pitcher Aaron Cook on Tuesday signed a new contract that will pay him $34.5 million and will keep him with the club through 2011, with a mutual option for 2012.
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Associated Press:
Rockies, Cook finalize three-year, $30M extension — DENVER — Pitcher Aaron Cook finalized a new contract with the Colorado Rockies on Friday that guarantees him an additional $30 million over three seasons. — Cook already was set to earn $4.5 million next year under an option the Rockies exercised in October.
Discussion:
Bucs Dugout
Tom Krasovic / San Diego Union-Tribune:
Cubs may be raising stakes for Fukudome — Offer thought to be close to $50 million — The Padres are facing determined competition from the Cubs for Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome. Growing indications yesterday had the Cubs willing to guarantee Fukudome close to $50 million.
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Dom Amore / Hartford Courant:
Pavano Weighing His Options — Carl Pavano is still mulling a Yankees proposal to release him and then re-sign him to a minor league contract. He said Monday he is not close to a decision. — "I'd be giving up a lot of options if I signed a minor league deal," Pavano said.
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Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Yankees offer Pavano a parachute — The saga of Carl Pavano has taken another comic turn. — As was reported last week, the Yankees want to release Pavano, pay off the remainder of his contract and re-sign him to a minor-league deal. The belief is that the Yankees need Pavano in the organization for insurance purposes.
Discussion:
MY BASEBALL BIAS
George King / New York Post:
MATSUI MAY 'WAIVE' BYE — The Yankees haven't asked Hideki Matsui to waive his no-trade clause and accept a deal to San Francisco, but there were strong indications last night he wouldn't stand in the way of a deal if presented to him. — When the Giants asked the Blue Jays …
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Nick Piecoro / Arizona Republic:
Diamondbacks raise Kuroda offer — While considering paying the high cost in talent that a trade would require, the Diamondbacks still are trying to bolster their rotation by paying a higher cost in dollars instead. — The Diamondbacks recently improved their contract offer …
RELATED:
Sabernomics:
Responding to Zimbalist — Today, Maury Brown has posted Andrew Zimbalist's review essay of The Baseball Economist along with Vince Gennaro's Diamond Dollars. This essay is to be featured in the next issue of the Journal of Economic Literature. — I am open to criticism …
Discussion:
Sabermetric Research
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Andrew Zimbalist / The Biz of Baseball:
Review: Diamond Dollars & The Baseball Economist — Review essay on Vince Gennaro, Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning in Baseball. — Hingham, Ma.: Maple Street Press, 2007, 253 pp., — J.C. Bradbury, The Baseball Economist: The Real Game Exposed. — New York: Dutton, 2007, 336 pp.
Le Anne Schreiber / ESPN:
Proportion, perspective missing ingredients in news coverage … Sometimes in this column, I call out ESPN for journalistic practices or problems unique to it, such as the conflict of interest issues arising from rights ownership and other business ties to the leagues it covers.
Jon Paul Morosi / Detroit Free Press:
Timo Perez re-signs with Tigers; Brandon Inge trade talks — Outfielder Timo Perez has elected to remain with the Tigers, by signing a one-year major-league contract worth a maximum of $525,000. — The deal is similar in structure to those signed by Detroit infielder Ramon Santiago …
Discussion:
Roar of the Tigers, Take 75 North, Bless You Boys, MLB Trade Rumors and Where have you gone …
Matthew Cerrone / MetsBlog.com:
Read: MetsBlog Interview with Omar Minaya — Mets GM Omar Minaya and LHP Oliver Perez were guests during last night's Mets Hot Stove Report on SNY. — To watch a clip of Minaya's appearance, click here. — ...i was able to run down to the studio and ask him a few questions …
Tom Haudricourt / Brewers Blog:
Wise designated for assignment — As predicted in my story in the JS this morning, the Brewers have designated reliever Matt Wise for assignment to make room for newly signed closer Eric Gagne on the 40-man roster. — The Brewers have 10 days to trade Wise or release him.
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
