Top News:
Alex Speier / Full Count:
Bill Hall to Red Sox in Kotchman Deal — A baseball source said that Bill Hall would be going from the Mariners to the Red Sox in the Casey Kotchman deal, describing his inclusion in the agreement between the clubs as “a done deal.” Hall will be sent to the Sox along with a player to be named and cash for Kotchman.
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MLB:Sources: Seattle Mariners to acquire Casey Kotchman from Boston …
Discussion:
Red Sox Monster, U.S.S. Mariner, MLB Rumors, Prospect Insider, Mariners blog, NESN.com, 6-4-2 and ESPN
Gordon Edes / ESPN:Boston Red Sox move Jacoby Ellsbury to left field, Mike Cameron to center field
Discussion:
Over the Monster, 3:10 To Joba, Bronx Baseball Daily, NESN.com, Union-News and Amazin' Avenue
Amalie Benjamin / Boston Globe:Sox to send Kotchman to Mariners, receive Bill Hall
Discussion:
Al's Ramblings
Alex Speier / Full Count:UPDATED: Sox, Mariners Close to Deal on Kotchman
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Lookout Landing
Jeff Pearlman:
The Big Unit bids farewell — In the coming days, people throughout baseball will pay homage to Randy Johnson, who is announcing his retirement today. They'll talk about his power, his ferocity, his toughness. They'll recall his pitch to John Kruk in the All-Star Game, and how he helped put Seattle baseball on the map.
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Fox Sports:
Big Unit has case to be best-ever lefty — After 22 seasons, five Cy Young awards, 303 wins, 166 losses, 4,135.1 innings, 17,067 batters faced, and 66,892 pitches thrown, Randy Johnson is retiring. His dominance, his flair and his legendary slider will all be missed. But it's the right time.
Associated Press:
Randy Johnson retires after 22 seasons, 303 victories — SAN FRANCISCO — Randy Johnson is retiring after 22 major league seasons. — The Big Unit, an overpowering lefty who last June became the 24th pitcher to win 300 games, made the expected announcement Tuesday on a conference call.
Pat Andriola / Hardball Times:Randy Johnson retiring?
Discussion:
FanGraphs Baseball, Boston Globe, Camden Chat, Lookout Landing, The iYankees Blog and MVN
Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Holliday, Cards reach 7-year deal — The St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a seven-year, $120 million deal with Matt Holliday, SI.com has learned. Holliday will also get a full no-trade clause. — Holliday batted .353 with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs in 63 games with the Cardinals …
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Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Holliday deal alters landscape — When considering what his roster would look like in the event Matt Holliday signed elsewhere, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said his preference would be to hoard pitching. — He said the goal would be a “robust rotation.”
Matthew Leach / Obviously, You're Not a Golfer:
Holliday tidbits — Just a few odds and ends from today's Matt Holliday deal... * It's likely that the deal will officially be announced, with a formal news conference, on Thursday rather than tomorrow. The Hall of Fame election announcement is on Wednesday, and they likely will try not to steal any of the spotlight from that.
MLB.com:
A look at MLB.com staff's Hall votes — Here is how MLB.com's voting members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America filled out their ballots for the 2010 Hall of Fame selection process, the results of which will be revealed at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday on MLB Network and MLB.com:
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Joe Frisaro / MLB.com:
Van Horne finalist for 2010 Frick Award — Marlins play-by-play announcer entering 43rd year in MLB — MIAMI — For more than four decades, Dave Van Horne has been a voice of authority, a voice of insight and voice of reason. — The Marlins' lead radio play-by-play announcer …
Discussion:
FishStripes
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Joe Capozzi / Florida Marlins news, analysis …:
Andre Dawson and Dave Van Horne would give Florida Marlins a Hall of Fame double play — Happy New Year, and it could most definitely be a happy 2009 for two Marlins reps — special assistant Andre Dawson and radio voice Dave Van Horne. Both are candidates for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Juan C. Rodriguez / Florida Marlins:
Florida Marlins: “Still in the game” for Chapman; Uggla to stay put? — The Marlins apparently are giving free agent Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman something to think about. According to an American League source following the situation, the Marlins are “still in the game” …
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, Caught Lookin', Circling The Bases, MLB Rumors, TYU, Halos Heaven, The LoHud Yankees Blog and NESN.com
Pete Caldera / NorthJersey.com:
Yankees' aim: bolster bench depth — Out in the Bronx, there is no cause to add a slugging left fielder to the Yankees' lineup. — “Our team is, for the most part, set,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday by phone from his office at Yankee Stadium.
Discussion:
Yankeeist, The iYankees Blog, TYU, It's About The Money, Pinstripe Alley, River Avenue Blues and Sliding Into Home
Corey Brock / MLB.com:
San Diego counting on bargains — GM Hoyer anticipating price of free agents will fall — SAN DIEGO — It's beginning to look as though first-year Padres general manager Jed Hoyer has correctly gauged the free-agent market. — Now he's probably hoping everyone else hasn't.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
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MLB.com:
Gutierrez, Seattle on verge of extension — Center fielder's deal reportedly for four years with an option — The Mariners reportedly are on the verge of signing center fielder Franklin Gutierrez to a four-year contract extension for $20.5 million with a team option for a fifth year, Gutierrez's agent Wil Polidor told MLB.com.
Discussion:
Mariners blog
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TommyT / Baseball Ink:
Mariotti volunteers to be thrown out of the BBWAA — Jay Mariotti, [hypocrite] former print writer, from Yahoo Sports and ESPN appeared for the umpteenth time on ESPN's Around the Horn today and volunteered to be thrown out of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), who vote for induction into the Hall of Fame.
