Top News:
Adam Rubin / Surfing The Mets:
Holliday, Bay bidding may surpass Mets' appetite — Omar Minaya arrived at the GM Meetings at the O'Hare Hilton on Monday night maintaining it was his obligation to investigate the price tags of top-tier free agents. However, a team insider told the Daily News he expected that the salary demands …
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Joel Sherman / New York Post:
Yankees plotting to keep Damon, Pettitte, Matsui — CHICAGO — The Yankees are strategizing ways to retain all three of their major free agents — Johnny Damon, Andy Pettitte and Hideki Matsui — sources told The Post. — Damon and Pettitte are the priorities.
Discussion:
NY Daily News, Pinstripe Alley, Mike Silva's …, River Avenue Blues, The iYankees Blog and Sliding Into Home
Ken Davidoff / Newsday:Omar Minaya on slugging, and Kenny Williams on Hideki Matsui
Discussion:
Unfiltered
Adam Hirshfield / NESN.com:
Jason Varitek to Exercise Player Option, Will Stay With Red Sox — The Red Sox declined to exercise their $5 million team option on catcher Jason Varitek on Monday, but that doesn't mean the longtime captain will be leaving Boston. — NESN learned on Monday night that the 37-year-old Varitek …
Discussion:
Full Count, SOX & Dawgs, Red Sox Monster, MLB Rumors, Circling The Bases, Over the Monster, Babes Love Baseball and MetsBlog.com
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Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:
Varitek still waiting — Just spoke to Theo Epstein. Contrary to a report, Jason Varitek has not yet exercised his $3 million player option for 2010. At least as far as the Sox know. — As Epstein correctly pointed out, Scott Boras usually pushes such decisions until the deadline.
Discussion:
MLB FanHouse
Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:Are the Sox planning a spending spree?
Discussion:
It's About The Money
Rob Bradford / Full Count:Wakefield, Sox Agree on New Two-Year Deal
Discussion:
Boston Globe, SOX & Dawgs, Over the Monster, Yawkey Way Academy, MLB Rumors and MLB Daily Dish
David Waldstein / Bats:
Yanks' Cashman Won't Be Swayed — CHICAGO - Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman made it clear Monday that even if Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon had gone 20 for 20 in the World Series with 10 home runs apiece, it would not change the team's thinking about how it would deal with the two impending free agents.
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Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:
Yankees' Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon are free agents, but aren't gone just yet — CHICAGO - Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui were among the five Yankees to file for free agency Monday, and while the general consensus is that the Bombers won't bring back both players in 2010, that may not be the case.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Jerry Crasnick / ESPN:
Executives chime in on offseason topics — Sign Holliday or Bay? Should instant replay be expanded? And where will Lackey land? — ESPN.com — CHICAGO — Major League Baseball general managers have a demanding job marked by long hours, stifling pressure and constant second-guessing.
Discussion:
Studious Metsimus, It's About The Money, Sports Illustrated, The LoHud Yankees Blog, MLB Rumors and MetsBlog.com
Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
Unloading Milton Bradley without paying steep price won't be easy for Chicago Cubs GM Jim Hendry — Even if Cubs eat salary, Hendry may struggle to find taker for OF — Cubs general manager Jim Hendr shakes hands with Milton Bradley. (M. Spencer Green, Associated Press / January 8, 2009)
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Howard Megdal / MLB Rumors:Bradley Being Discussed In Three-Way Deal
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, Mike Silva's …, My Summer Family, GoatRiders of the Apocalypse, MLB.com and Can't Stop The Bleeding
Fred Mitchell / Chicago Breaking Sports:Cubs' Billy Williams: Don't give up on Milton Bradley
Discussion:
MVN
Ed Price / MLB FanHouse:
MLB Free-Agent Compensation ‘Elias Rankings’ Released — CHICAGO — The annual Elias rankings are out, determining which free agents could result in draft-pick compensation for their former teams. — Free agents are classified as Type A, Type B or not at all.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, Rays Index, Seattle Times, FanGraphs Baseball, AaronGleeman.com, lenNY's Yankees, A Die Hard Yankees Fan, Hot Foot, Bronx Baseball Daily, Yahoo! Sports, Lookout Landing, DRaysBay, U.S.S. Mariner, Texas Rangers, Fack Youk, River Avenue Blues, Circling The Bases, Sliding Into Home, Pinstripe Alley, Hardball Times and Replacement Level …
Bill Shaikin / Los Angeles Times:
Mark Cuban says he'd be interested in buying the Dodgers — Cuban says he'd base a decision on his ability to buy a controlling share as part of an ownership group. The Dodgers are not for sale, but the McCourt divorce raises questions about team's future.
Discussion:
Circling The Bases, Dodger Divorce, MLB FanHouse, True Blue LA and Memories Of Kevin Malone
Jim Salisbury / Philly.com:
Phils still in the running for Halladay — CHICAGO - Ruben Amaro Jr. arrived at the annual general managers' meetings late this afternoon and listed his priorities for upgrading his team this off-season. — “Third base, bullpen, bench,” the Phillies' GM said in the lobby of the O'Hare Hilton, where the meetings run through tomorrow.
Pizza Cutter / Hardball Times:
The triumph of Moneyball — Is there a word in the baseball lexicon that can start an argument faster than Moneyball? It's not really a word, if you think about it, but then neither is the only other thing that springs to mind: DH. It's odd that a book not called “The Bible” …
Larry Stone / Seattle Times:
Time to bring Ken Griffey Jr. back in 2010 — All signs are pointing to Ken Griffey Jr. signing for another season in Seattle. Why not? — Just bring him back. — Ken Griffey Jr.'s future will likely be decided in the next few days, as agent Brian Goldberg resumes discussions with the Mariners.
Discussion:
Hardball Times
Tom Singer / MLB.com:
DuPuy: MLB competitive balance working — President/COO pleased with progress, says more to be done — Bob DuPuy, Major League Baseball's president and chief operating officer, spoke about the sport's “enormous competitive balance” on an ESPN radio appearance Monday morning.
Discussion:
Circling The Bases
Rap Sheet:
Can rookie Sebastian Vollmer end the Matt Light Era at left tackle? — It's an old dilemma for a coach. For Patriots fans and coach Bill Belichick, it goes back to up-and-coming Tom Brady vs. franchise QB Drew Bledsoe, circa 2001. — An established veteran goes down with an injury …
