Top News:
Rob Bradford / Full Count:
Red Sox talking about Bay return — According to a team source, the Red Sox have had internal discussions about extending their organizational budget to potentially allow for another offer for free agent outfielder Jason Bay. The discussed proposal to Bay would be in the vicinity of the four-year …
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Nick Cafardo / Boston Globe:
Bay's agent is making return calls — Free agent Jason Bay's options haven't been very good this offseason, so his agent, Joe Urbon, who turned down the Red Sox' four-year, $60 million offer earlier this month, has been going back to the Sox in an effort to keep his client in a ballpark …
Adam Rubin / Surfing The Mets:
Bay watch back on for Red Sox — The Mets' patient strategy on the Jason Bay negotiations may be coming back to haunt them. — Suddenly there is reason to believe the Red Sox are ready to take another run at signing Bay, and if that's not painful enough for Mets' fans to hear, they may well have the Yankees to blame for it.
Discussion:
The Musings and Prophecies …
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Capps, Nats agree to one-year deal — Right-hander will compete with Bruney for closer role — WASHINGTON — Right-hander Matt Capps has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Nationals, pending a physical, according to Capps and his agent, Paul Kinzer. Monetary figures were not disclosed.
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Bruce Levine / MLB:
Closer Capps agrees to one-year deal with Washington Nationals — The Washington Nationals have signed Matt Capps to a one-year contract to be their closer for 2010, his agent said late Wednesday. — The deal is for $3.5 million for 2010, with a chance to make another $425,000 in performance bonuses.
MLB:
Sources say Washington Nationals, Matt Capps are close to one-year deal — The Washington Nationals are closing in on a one-year deal with Matt Capps, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney. — Assuming the deal is completed, sources say that Capps — who was not tendered a contract …
Chico Harlan / Nationals Journal:
Capps, Nats agree to deal — At roughly 1 a.m., the Nationals got their man. — Making their clearest step yet to improve a bullpen and end their pained search for a closer, the Washington Nationals on early Thursday morning reached a deal with free agent reliever Matt Capps, who has saved 66 games in the last three seasons.
Dejan Kovacevic / PBC Blog:
Pirates talking with Gregg — The Pirates have had several discussions with free agent Kevin Gregg, another of the few remaining closers on the market, according to a source involved with the talks. — Gregg, 31, had a 4.72 ERA in 72 appearances for the Chicago Cubs this past season.
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Craig Calcaterra / Circling The Bases:the Pirates now deny that they have made Octavio Dotel an offer
Mike Puma / New York Post:
Yankees' Damon remains left out — There was a vacancy sign placed above left field at Yankee Stadium yesterday, but Johnny Damon's outlook on returning hasn't changed any. — On the same day the Yankees sent Melky Cabrera to the Braves as part of a deal that added Javier Vazquez to the starting rotation …
Discussion:
River Avenue Blues, NY Daily News, The iYankees Blog, Pinstripe Alley and Circling The Bases
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John Manuel / Sports Illustrated:
Baseball's Top 20 Prospects … Baseball America's Prospect Handbookis going to press, and it's hard to describe the book to my non-baseball friends (a short list, but I have had a few such discussions). It's a book of 900 scouting reports on the game's top minor league players: 30 for each of the 30 major league organizations.
Jerry Crasnick / ESPN.com:
Atlanta Braves, Troy Glaus in serious discussions, close to agreement — Free agent corner infielder Troy Glaus and the Atlanta Braves have reached a tentative agreement on a contract, a baseball source told ESPN.com on Wednesday. — Glaus must undergo a physical exam before the deal can be completed.
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Mike Petraglia / Full Count:
Youk, Cashman win Boston writer awards — Kevin Youkilis has been selected as the 2009 winner of the Thomas A. Yawkey Memorial Award as Red Sox Most Valuable Player in voting done by the Boston Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. — The two-time All-Star hit .305 …
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Jim Callis / Baseball America:Boston Red Sox Top 10 Prospects
Discussion:
Over the Monster, Boston Red Sox Blog, SOX & Dawgs, Boston Globe, Clubhouse Insider and Full Count
Jayson Stark / ESPN:
Source: Los Angeles Angels, Fernando Rodney agree to 2-year deal — Former Detroit Tigers closer Fernando Rodney and the Los Angeles Angels have agreed to a two-year, $11 million deal pending a physical, a source told ESPNdeportes.com's Enrique Rojas. — The physical examination is scheduled to take place later Wednesday.
Ken Gurnick / MLB.com:
Inbox: Did Dodgers pursue Halladay? — Los Angeles fans ask about DeWitt, contracts and more — Did the Dodgers really try to trade for Roy Halladay? — Actually, they did. Perhaps more interestingly, sources claim that the Blue Jays preferred the Dodgers as trading partners …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
Dan Hayes / North County Times:
PADRES: Hoyer plans to be busy after new year — Though several free agents the Padres targeted this offseason have signed with other teams, general manager Jed Hoyer remains confident that he'll be able to upgrade the team's 40-man roster over the next two months.
Eric Simon / Amazin' Avenue:
Mets All-Decade Team: Catcher — Time for the aughts is running out, though the last Mets' baseball of the decade was played almost three months ago. It wasn't such a bad stretch: 815-805, a game per season above .500, two NLCS appearances, one pennant, Joe McEwing. What's not to like?
Discussion:
Mack's Mets
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Buster Olney / ESPN:
Eight options for the Mets, post-"Baywatch" — For the Mets, there are already legitimate questions about whether Jason Bay is the right investment for their ballpark. He is a below-average defender who hits for power and Citi Field is a place where deep fly balls and subpar outfielders will suffer.
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