Top News:
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Girardi open to Granderson in left field — Yanks skipper plans to assess situation in Spring Training — NEW YORK — With plenty of ground to cover at Yankee Stadium, Yankees manager Joe Girardi is open to the idea of moving Curtis Granderson to left field and using Brett Gardner in center field after Spring Training begins.
Discussion:
Bottom9 Baseball
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MLB:
New York Yankees' Brian Cashman not pursuing Johnny Damon — After four seasons and one championship, Johnny Damon won't be returning to the New York Yankees unless he slashes his asking price. — “I'm not having any discussions on him,” general manager Brian Cashman said, according to MLB.com.
Discussion:
Fack Youk, The LoHud Yankees Blog, Circling The Bases, Yankeeist, Bronx Baseball Daily, MLB Rumors, TYU and The iYankees Blog
MLB:
Sources: New York Yankees ink Randy Winn, Johnny Damon left out … The New York Yankees have agreed to terms with free agent outfielder Randy Winn on a one-year contract, pending a physical, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney. — Damon — Winn — The contract is worth in the neighborhood of $2 million.
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:Damon's return to Yanks highly unlikely
Discussion:
The LoHud Yankees Blog, TYU, Zell's Pinstripe Blog, Bats, The iYankees Blog and WasWatching.com
Fox Sports:
Mets' problems go deeper than GM Minaya — Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005. He appears weekly on MLB on FOX. — One day, maybe soon, the Mets will fire general manager Omar Minaya. — Frankly, they should fire him right now rather …
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Bob Klapisch / NorthJersey.com:
Same old Mets even with Johan Santana — In the most narrow sense, it was a good day for the Mets, who watched Johan Santana throw off a mound for the first time since last September's elbow surgery. The great ace, attending the Mets' minicamp in Port St. Lucie, Fla., also played catch with Oliver Perez …
Keith Law / ESPN:
Rangers' farm system still loaded — As I did last year, I offer this teaser to Thursday's ranking of the Top 100 prospects in baseball by ranking the 30 farm systems based on the current inventory in each organization. This ranking includes only players who are still eligible …
RELATED:
Frankie Piliere / Fanhouse MLB Blog:2010 Farm System Rankings
Discussion:
redsminorleagues.com, TYU, The iYankees Blog, River Avenue Blues, Bottom9 Baseball and The Real Dirty Mets Blog
ESPN:
Dawson may wear Cubs hat for speech — Andre Dawson said he was disappointed the Hall of Fame decided his bust in Cooperstown, N.Y., will feature a Montreal Expos hat, but Dawson plans to acknowledge Chicago Cubs fans during his induction speech in July. — Dawson, who spent …
Discussion:
Walkoff Walk, Baseball Beat …, Circling The Bases, BBTF's Baseball Primer …, Bats, Associated Press and Lone Star Ball
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Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com:
Hall picks Expos; Dawson preferred Cubs — Hawk to join Carter as second from Montreal enshrined in Hall — Andre Dawson will enter the Hall of Fame as a member of the Expos, as the image on his plaque will feature him wearing a Montreal cap, the Cooperstown museum announced on Wednesday.
Fred Mitchell / Chicago Breaking Sports:
Andre Dawson to enter Hall of Fame as an Expo — Andre Dawson will be going into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a member of the Montreal Expos, the Tribune has learned. — Dawson, who played the first 11 seasons of his major league career with the Expos, signed a blank contract to play …
Bill Center / SignOnSanDiego.com:
Padres acquire free-agent pitcher Jon Garland — Free agent pitcher Jon Garland is apparently becoming a Padre. — Padres President Tom Garfinkel, speaking at a Military Appreciation Luncheon Tuesday afternoon at the Torrey Pines Hilton, said the Padres have signed the 30-year-old free agent …
Discussion:
Sabernomics, Yahoo! Sports, Mets Merized Online, Circling The Bases, Angels blog and New York Mets Fan Blog
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Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Yankees Reach Agreement With Randy Winn — The Yankees reached an agreement with outfielder Randy Winn on a one-year deal, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the deal is worth $2MM. The Winn signing definitively closes the door on Johnny Damon, tweets Sherman.
Discussion:
NY Post, Yahoo! Sports, It's About The Money, River Avenue Blues, The Fowl Balls, YFSF and Angels blog
Joe McDonald / Providence Journal:
Big things expected from Sox prospect Westmoreland — When former Lowell Spinners manager Gary DiSarcina would deliver his lineup card to home plate prior to the first game of a series, it would be inevitable that every opposing manager would ask him the same question. — “Who's this Westmoreland kid?”
Discussion:
The Joy of Sox
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Troy Renck / All Things Rockies:
Relax and keep minor-league signings in perspective — The emails are frequent, and reflect a sense of urgency and anger. Every time the Rockies sign a veteran at the end of his career, there is outrage. First it was over Paul Lo Duca, then Jay Payton, now Tim Redding. — The passion is great.
Howard Bryant / ESPN:
McGwire: Too toxic to return — A chorus of baseball voices raises questions about Mark McGwire's steroids admission — Whatever cleansing effect Bud Selig and Tony La Russa thought might be produced by Mark McGwire's re-entry into baseball has been hijacked by real anger from an unexpected source …
Adam Rubin / Surfing The Mets:
Notes from Mets' three-day camp — Jerry Manuel offered a few tidbits as the Mets' three-day minicamp nears a close: — • I asked, since Daniel Murphy has played multiple positions during his career — albeit struggling at times defensively — if Murphy one day could be a Joe McEwing of sorts, with a better bat.
Dan Connolly / Baltimore Sun:
'It's not about me,' Tejada says as Orioles announce signing — Returning as stopgap 3rd baseman, veteran says he thinks Orioles can win — When Miguel Tejada was first introduced to the Baltimore media a little more than six years ago at a Camden Yards news conference …
Tim Kurkjian / MLB:
New plan in place in effort to rebuild Toronto Blue Jays — New Toronto GM stressing scouting and development in an attempt to rebuild franchise — Ten years ago, a 23-year-old from Montreal approached veteran scout Mike Toomey at an Expos game at Olympic Stadium.
