Top News:
Associated Press:
Report: Yankees call Cliff Lee's agent — NEW YORK — The Yankees called Cliff Lee's agent Sunday on the first day of the free-agent negotiating period to say they will be back in touch with an offer for the top pitcher on the market, a baseball official familiar with the conversation told The Associated Press.
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Christian Red / NY Daily News:
Jorge Posada plans to be starting catcher, says Yankees should wrap up Derek Jeter contract talks — He is entering the last year of his four-year, $52.4 million contract, and he's logged a lot of miles on his 39-year-old body. — But when blue-chip Yankee catching prospect Jesus Montero's name …
Discussion:
BronxBanterBlog.com, Subway Squawkers and River Avenue Blues
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
Yankees Start the Wooing of Lee Immediately — The Yankees called the agent for pitcher Cliff Lee shortly after free agency began at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, telling the agent that signing Lee was one of their top priorities this off-season, an official in baseball briefed on the matter said.
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley, New Jersey Online and NoMaas.org
Andy Martino / NY Daily News:
Clint Hurdle, Don Wakamatsu, Tim Teufel and Ken Oberkfell on Sandy Alderson's interview list — The Mets' managerial search returns to New York Tuesday, when GM Sandy Alderson will begin another series of meetings with candidates. The team has not yet made a schedule public …
Discussion:
Mets Merized Online
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Maureen Mullen / Comcast SportsNet:
Source: Mets to interview Red Sox coach DeMarlo Hale for manager's job — BOSTON - Red Sox bench coach DeMarlo Hale is among the candidates to be the next manager of the New York Mets, according to a source. — Hale, 50, also interviewed for the Blue Jays manager position earlier …
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish
Peter Botte / NY Daily News:
Wally Backman feels good about Sandy Alderson meeting, who will also see Terry Collins, Chip Hale — Sandy Alderson already has said he doesn't expect the Mets to make a huge splash in the free-agent market that opened at 12:01 Sunday morning. — Instead, the recently hired GM continues …
Discussion:
Boston Globe, Mets Merized Online, HardballTalk and The Mets Police
George / Fox Sports:
Why would Uggla reject Marlins' offer? — Dan Uggla will have some options now that he turned down Florida's latest offer. — Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005. He appears weekly on MLB on FOX. Follow him on Twitter.
Discussion:
Sabernomics, baseballmusings.com, HardballTalk, Mariners Insider and MLB Rumors
NY Daily News:
If the Yankees can't lure free agent Cliff Lee to the Bronx, Brian Cashman's Plan B is a bit iffy — The apparent internal decision by the Yankee high command to turn the bulk of the catching duties over to their Venezuelan slugging prospect, Jesus Montero, next year tells us two things …
Discussion:
Bronx Baseball Daily and TYU
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Keith Law / ESPN:
Keith Law's top free agents, Nos. 1-10 — Carl Crawford, Cliff Lee and Adrian Beltre are among the best on the market … Welcome, again, to MLB free agency. It's a good class, although the 2009-10 group — with Jason Bay, Matt Holliday, John Lackey et al — might have been better.
Discussion:
River Avenue Blues
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Dan Connolly / Orioles Insider:
Connor agrees to be Orioles' pitching coach — It's official, well, official without being announced by the team. Mark Connor will be the Orioles' new pitching coach, replacing Rick Kranitz, whose contract expired and has moved on to the Houston Astros as their minor league pitching coordinator.
Discussion:
Camden Chat, HardballTalk, MLB Daily Dish and Baltimore Sun
Michael Baron / MetsBlog.com:
Heyman: Mets Spending Big On Executives — As Andrew Vazzano of The 'Ropolitans pointed out via Twitter, perhaps a heavy investment in front office talent will lead to a better investment strategy in player personnel... eDaPS — This is so moronic. “big money on execs rather than players”?
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
Steven / FJB:
See Ya Later — After a few months of silence, I think I'm probably done as a Nationals blogger. — Since about April, my blogging time has been eaten up by all sorts of other things, mainly related to moving from the DC area to Portland, Maine. Then I was working day and night for the last month or so on the election.
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Busy offseason is ahead for Cardinals — Full contact free agency officially opens today. Any team may now contact any representative for any free agent. The Cardinals accordingly have prepared their shopping list. — A talented but thin club that just left an unfulfilling 86-win season behind believes …
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos and MLB Rumors
