Top News:
Tyler Kepner / New York Times:
Andy Pettitte Rejects Yankees' Offer, Making Return Uncertain — In some ways, Andy Pettitte is no different from the dozens of other free agents to start the new year without a team. Players all over baseball are waiting for better offers, and teams are searching for bargains.
Discussion:
Ken Davidoff's baseball …, MY BASEBALL BIAS, Subway Squawkers, Jorge Says No!, It is about the money, stupid, MLB FanHouse, In Mo We Trust, Brew Crew Ball, MLB Rumors, Bugs & Cranks, The Sommer Frieze, Respect Jeter's Gangster, River Avenue Blues, IT IS HIGH, IT IS FAR, IT IS, iYankees, The Yankee Scrolls, My Pinstripes, Pinstriped Scranton and Zell's Pinstripe Blog
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Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Manny in L.A. still makes sense — Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005. He appears weekly on the FSN Baseball Report and MLB on FOX.
John Harper / NY Daily News:
Andy rejects offer, but could still return — Although Andy Pettitte has frustrated Yankee brass by declining to accept the Bombers' one-year offer of $10 million, the Yankees haven't closed the door on a deal for the veteran lefthander. — According to a person close to the situation …
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:Pettitte rejects Yankees' contract offer
Discussion:
This Purist Bleeds Pinstripes
Peter Gammons / ESPN:
Romero questions suspension — While Major League Baseball never said J.C. Romero tried to cheat, the 33-year-old reliever who won the third and clinching games of the 2008 World Series has been ruled guilty of “negligence” and will be suspended for the first 50 games of the 2009 season. — Romero
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Jerry Crasnick / ESPN:
MLB hands Yankees' Mitre 50-game suspension — New York Yankees pitcher Sergio Mitre has received a 50-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy. Like Philadelphia Phillies reliever J.C. Romero, Mitre claims he had no desire to break baseball rules and that he took …
MLB.com:
Mitre receives 50-game suspension — Righty says positive test a result of over-the-counter supplement — Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who was signed by the New York Yankees in November, was suspended by Major League Baseball for 50 games on Tuesday after violating the league's drug policy.
Sporting News:
MLB to suspend Phillies LHP Romero, Yankees RHP Mitre 50 games — Major League Baseball on Tuesday will suspend Philadelphia Phillies lefthander J.C. Romero and New York Yankees righthander Sergio Mitre for the first 50 games of the 2009 season for using banned nutritional supplements, according to published reports.
Ken Davidoff / Newsday:
Confident Mets will not raise offer to Lowe, source says — The Mets, confident that they have no serious competition for Derek Lowe's services, do not intend to raise their three-year, $36-million offer to the righthander at this time, a person informed of the club's thinking told Newsday.
Discussion:
NY Sports Dog, 24 Hours From Suicide, Mets Merized Online, New Jersey Online, A Red Sox Fan …, Mets Fever and Newsday
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Adam McCalvy / MLB.com:
Brewers ‘not in’ on Lowe sweepstakes — GM Melvin sets to rest rumors that club is chasing 35-year-old righty — MILWAUKEE — The Derek Lowe-to-the-Brewers rumblings can be put to rest. — “We're not in on him,” general manager Doug Melvin said of the free-agent right-hander.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
David O'Brien / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:Braves still ‘optimistic’ about improving roster
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Bill Chastain / MLB.com:
Rays land power bat in Burrell — Right-handed slugger signs two-year, $16 million contract — ST. PETERSBURG — The suspense is over: Pat Burrell is the power bat the Rays have been looking to land. — On Monday afternoon, the Rays signed the free-agent slugger to a two-year, $16 million deal.
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Tom Verducci / Sports Illustrated:
Old guard squeezed in new market … The baseball actuarial tables have been rewritten. As clubs continue to place greater value on young players under control (witness the new religion about not losing compensatory draft picks), the older free agent is being severely devalued.
Markcuban / blog maverick:
The Cubs — With all the support and encouragement I got to buy the team, I think its appropriate to share the decision making process behind what happened and why. Buying the Cubs was a unique opportunity to own one of the most storied franchises in sports.
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ESPN.com:
Sources: A's, Giambi on verge of one-year deal — The Oakland Athletics and free agent DH Jason Giambi are on the verge of agreeing on a one-year deal with an option for 2010, Sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney. — The deal would pay Giambi, who started his major league career in Oakland …
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Troy Renck / All Things Rockies:
Marquis could be a hit; Redding remains in mix — A confluence of factors led the Rockies to acquiring Jason Marquis, a transaction that will become official tomorrow. He's a winner, having gone to the playoffs every season of his career. He's a competitor, posting a 2.51 ERA in his Coors Field cameos.
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Fred Mitchell / Chicago Tribune:
Ex-Cub Lee Smith doesn't understand lack of Hall love — Retired Cubs closer fuming over lack of Hall of Fame votes — Jim Murray, the late Pulitzer Prize-winning sports columnist, once referred to Lee Smith as the active player most likely to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Third lefty is added to pen — The Cardinals' bullpen puzzle became complete Monday — except for one significant piece. — The Cardinals acquired their third lefthanded reliever in two months, signing free agent Royce Ring to a one-year contract. Ring joins Charlie Manning and Trever Miller …
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Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Nationals miss out on Bradley — Slugger picks Cubs; Milledge, Dukes to compete in center — WASHINGTON — The Nationals wanted free agent Milton Bradley to be their center fielder in 2009, but they found out on Monday that the switch-hitter elected to sign with the Cubs.
