Top News:
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Nationals' Willingham on Mets' radar — According to source, New York interested in acquiring slugger — Add the Mets as one of the teams who have interest in Nationals left fielder Josh Willingham, according to a baseball source. The Giants, Mariners and Braves are the other teams …
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All Nats All the Time:
Mets interested in Willingham — Add the Mets as one of the teams who have interest in Nationals left fielder Josh Willingham, according to a baseball source. The Giants, Mariners and Braves are the other teams who reportedly are willing to acquire his services.
Yahoo! Sports:
Cuban Arguelles agrees to deal with Royals — The small-market Kansas City Royals are betting big on a free agent they've seen pitch only a handful of times. — Noel Arguelles, a 19-year-old left-hander who last year defected from Cuba, agreed to a five-year, $7 million major league deal …
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Zach Links / MLB Rumors:
Cust Could Be Odd Man Out In Oakland — The A's acquisition of Jake Fox from the Cubs could spell the end of Jack Cust's time in Oakland, writes Carl Steward of the Mercury News. Cust, who is set to command between $4-5MM in arbitration, is a likely non-tender candidate.
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Carl Steward / Mercury News:
Cust could be odd-man out in A's DH search — Oakland's deal for jack-of-all-trades hitter Jake Fox in advance of the winter meetings probably wasn't good news for another Jack — slugging designated hitter Jack Cust. — If the A's do nothing else in Indianapolis this week …
Jerry Crasnick / MLB:
Agent: Rafael Soriano considering returning to Atlanta Braves — Just a week ago, the Atlanta Braves didn't have any surefire late-inning relief options. Now they might have three. — It's been widely speculated that right-hander Rafael Soriano, who was offered salary arbitration …
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Mark Bowman / MLB.com:
Soriano mulling Braves' arbitration offer — Reliever reportedly looks at options prior to Monday deadline — ATLANTA — When the Braves signed Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito earlier this week, they did so without much concern about the possibility that Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano would accept their arbitration offers.
Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:
Yes, there are meetings at the meetings — Baseball's winter meetings get started tomorrow in Indianapolis. Most fans, based on the media coverage, probably assume it's a bunch of general managers and agents getting together in hotel suites to talk about trades and free agents.
Gordon Wittenmyer / Chicago Sun Times:
Piniella may stay beyond 2010 — After all the drama and speculation last summer about whether Cubs manager Lou Piniella would return for the final year of his contract, it now sounds as though he might be willing to consider staying beyond 2010. — For the first time publicly …
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Circling The Bases
Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Cubs treading water on Bradley … The Cubs are still “not close” to dealing talented yet troubled outfielder Milton Bradley to the Rays or Rangers, the two teams thought to be most interested, sources say. — The Cubs, according to a league official, are so far offering to include …
Scott Merkin / Being Ozzie Guillen:
Guillen's words of wisdom — Ozzie Guillen traveled from the Florida warmth to the cold of Chicago this past weekend for an important reason other than baseball or to take in a Chicago Blackhawks contest, as he did on Friday night. Guillen joined Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago …
Los Angeles Times:
Colleague could see the fall of Troy from months away … “As a die-hard USC supporter, I could have saved myself a lot of misery had I not canceled my newspaper like everyone else in my neighborhood. — “I know Page 2 probably told you what to write, but since you took credit for it …
Zach Links / MLB Rumors:
Yankees Seek Starter On Open Market — The Yankees are interested in free agent hurlers John Lackey, Rich Harden, Joel Pineiro, and maybe Randy Wolf, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. — Although major league sources indicate that the the team is looking …
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Anthony McCarron / NY Daily News:Tough guy John Lackey is ace of free agency; Could be better fit …
