Top News:
New York Post:
Lotta loot for guy with lotta — Jason Bay still has to pass a physical (no sure thing). He still has to pass a stink test that he actually wants to be a Met (no sure thing). And he still has to pass through several hundred games as a two-way player (no sure thing).
Discussion:
Chicago Breaking Sports, Circling The Bases, MLB Rumors, SULLY BASEBALL and Sports Illustrated
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Amalie Benjamin / Boston Globe:Bay comes to terms with the Mets
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, MetsMinorLeagueBlog.com, ESPN, 24 Hours From Suicide and FanGraphs Baseball
Marty Noble / MLB.com:Mets, Bay hammer out four-year deal
Discussion:
Red Hot Mama, The Big Lead, Baseball Daily Digest, FanGraphs Fantasy Baseball and The LoHud Mets Blog
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cards, Holliday closing in on deal — The wait might have been worth it for the Cardinals, as the club and free-agent outfielder Matt Holliday are working toward an agreement that multiple sources described as gaining momentum and potentially is the largest ever offered by the franchise.
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Fox Sports:
Sources: Holliday sets price point for contract talks — Free agent outfielder Matt Holliday is intent on signing a contract that exceeds the $18 million average salary of a four-year offer he rejected from the Rockies during the 2008 season, according to major-league sources.
Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Cards up the ante in Holliday derby … The St. Louis Cardinals have offered free agent outfielder Matt Holliday a contract for at least six years and presumably $100 million or more in hopes of retaining the 29-year-old outfielder. — This Cardinals offer, which is believed …
Discussion:
The iYankees Blog
Chad Jennings / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Pitching notes from Mark Newman — Let's start the pitching notes with the very last player Mark Newman and I talked about last week. He's not in the organization, but you know the name well. — • Aroldis Chapman is arguably the most intriguing free agent pitcher still on the market.
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Chad Jennings / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Position player notes from Mark Newman — Here are a few leftover notes from vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman. Some are related to the minor leagues, some to the big leagues. I also have some leftover pitching notes that I'll post a bit later.
Fox Sports:
Rockies look to Olivo to replace Torrealba — The Rockies are attempting to work out final details on a contract with catcher Miguel Olivo. — Olivo became the focus of the Rockies off-season efforts after they reached a stalemate in negotiations to re-sign Yorvit Torrealba.
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish
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Troy E. Renck / Denver Post:
Rockies could cut ties with catcher Torrealba — With the Rockies and catcher Yorvit Torrealba struggling to bridge the gap on the allocation of a $6 million contract, the club is moving toward signing Miguel Olivo, according to a major-league source. — The Rockies and Torrealba …
Mark Zuckerman / The washington times Blogs:
Farewell, and thanks — This is the blog post I hoped never to have to write. — Alas, what has been speculated for the last month is now official: The Washington Times is eliminating its sports section, and I (along with about two dozen other colleagues from this department) …
Discussion:
D.C. Sports Bog, NationalsFanboyLooser, The Nationals Enquirer and BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:
Lowell's surgery a success — According to a source, Mike Lowell was found to have a 95-percent tear in the radial collateral ligament in his thumb when Dr. Donald Sheridan operated on him today. — The surgery went well, Lowell will return to his home in Florida tomorrow and will need 6-8 weeks of recovery.
Discussion:
Fenway West
Steve Gilbert / MLB.com:
D-backs secure infielder Johnson — With one-year deal, veteran likely to start at second base — PHOENIX — Kelly Johnson is finally an Arizona Diamondback. — On Wednesday, the free agent inked a one-year deal with the D-backs that will pay him $2.35 million in 2010.
Scoop Jackson / ESPN:
Pinstripes fit Granderson just fine — The newest Yankees outfielder is ready for his closeup and big city scrutiny — Curtis Granderson is sitting in a locker room in the basement at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he played college ball. He is surrounded by words and deeds …
ESPN:
Texas Tech Red Raiders fire Mike Leach … LUBBOCK, Texas — Texas Tech fired coach Mike Leach on Wednesday, just two days after he was suspended by the school as it investigated his treatment of a player with a concussion. — The school handed a termination letter to Leach's attorney …
Discussion:
Detroit4lyfe, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, SBNation.com and Can't Stop The Bleeding
