Top News:
Jayson Stark / ESPN:
Source: Phils pursue Polanco — The Philadelphia Phillies are targeting Placido Polanco as their next third baseman, according to a source familiar with their thinking. And they were making a “very serious” effort to sign the 34-year-old free agent Wednesday, the source told ESPN.com.
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Amalie Benjamin / Boston Globe:
Wagner gets $7m from Braves — Free agent loss nets 2 draft picks — Not long after the Red Sox offered arbitration to Billy Wagner, the reliever they picked up in August from the Mets, they found themselves in exactly the situation they desired. While they would have worked around …
Discussion:
Loge 13
Fox Sports:
Latest buzz from the MLB offseason — The World Series may still be fresh in your mind, but MLB GMs are already focusing on next season. Thankfully, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi have all the latest gossip and buzz. Note: All times listed are ET. — Wednesday's latest news and notes
Discussion:
The Zo Zone
Rob Bradford / Full Count:
Hudson also drawing interest from Sox — The list gets longer by the day — middle infielders who the Red Sox are kicking the tires on. — The likes of Adam Everett, Mark DeRosa, and Adam Kennedy are all names that have surfaced in the last few days as players the Red Sox have at least called about.
Todd Zolecki / MLB.com:
Talks with Polanco getting serious — Club has strong interest in former Tigers second baseman — PHILADELPHIA — Talks have become serious as the Phillies have narrowed their focus to Placido Polanco to replace Pedro Feliz at third base. — Multiple sources told MLB.com on Wednesday …
Mark Bowman / MLB.com:
Braves get a new closer in Wagner — Left-handed reliever agrees to join Atlanta on one-year deal — ATLANTA — Throughout his career, Billy Wagner has occasionally reminded manager Bobby Cox that he would like the opportunity to be a part of the Braves' bullpen.
Adam Rubin / NY Daily News:
Report: New York Mets close to signing San Diego Padres catcher Henry Blanco — The Mets appeared to be closing in on a deal with free-agent catcher Henry Blanco. The Venezuelan newspaper “El Nacional” reported Blanco had left that country Sunday for a physical with the Mets.
Discussion:
Mets Merized Online, The 'Ropolitans, Circling The Bases, Amazin' Avenue and The Mets Police
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ESPN:
The Yankees' case for Halladay — The Yankees, Mets and Red Sox have spent more money in free agency over the past decade than any other teams, as ESPN's esteemed Mark Simon notes: Bi...
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ESPN:
Smallest free-agent outlays 1999 to 2008 (approximate in millions) — But then again, you knew that already. Even in years in which free-agent outlay is diminished by a high percentage — and this is probably going to be one of those years — the Yankees, Mets and Red Sox are usually pretty active, relative to teams like the Pirates.
Sports Illustrated:
Jon Heyman>DAILY SCOOP — More ColumnsEmail JonFollow Jon Heyman on — Halladay talk likely to top winter meetings bill; more notes (cont.) — Around the majors — • The Red Sox remain interested in Marco Scutaro at shortstop. Scutaro told his hometown Venezuelan paper Diario Panorama …
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Mark Feinsand / NY Daily News:
Joe Girardi, Brian Cashman and New York Yankees brass will meet to map out course of offseason — It's been four weeks since the Yankees won the World Series, a time for Joe Girardi and his players to celebrate, accept awards and soak in all that comes with winning a championship.
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Ronald Blum / Associated Press:
Players want longer first round of postseason — Buzz up! — NEW YORK (AP)—Get ready for more postseason baseball games—and fewer off days. — Players would like to see the first round of playoffs expand to best-of-seven when their next labor contract starts in 2012 …
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Corey Brock / MLB.com:
Enberg to be hired as Padres TV voice — Legendary broadcaster to call about 120 games in 2010 — SAN DIEGO — “Oh my!” The Padres have landed a legend for their television broadcast team — Dick Enberg, who is considered not only one of the most versatile broadcasters in sports, but also one of the most recognized.
Discussion:
Fanhouse MLB Blog
DanUpBaby / Viva El Birdos:
Ray Lankford for the Hall of Fame: A Completely Dishonest Proposal — Background — Ray Lankford is my favorite player of all time, and were it not for the unpleasant way in which he first left the Cardinals I would not be blogging about baseball, now or ever.
Chris Jaffe / Hardball Times:
Offer: get paid to watch baseball — Passing along an email I received from Cory Schwartz from MLB Advanced Media (and yes legal types, he's not only OK with passing it on, but emailed me just so it would get passed on): — MLB.com, the Official Site of Major League Baseball …
Discussion:
Circling The Bases
Manny Pacquiao / Yahoo! Sports:
Red Sox lean toward re-signing Bay — Amid the debate over the market's best available left fielder, there's this: — Some inside the Boston Red Sox front office lean toward re-signing Jason Bay — , if only because Bay has proven he will produce in Boston and in the American League East, while Matt Holliday
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MLB Rumors
