Top News:
Christian Red / NY Daily News:
Closer Mariano Rivera to sign two-year, $30 million deal with New York Yankees by Friday night — Punta Cana, Dominican Republic - Yankee fans rejoice: “Enter Sandman” will blissfully be heard for two more years in the Bronx. — According to a source familiar with the negotiations between …
Discussion:
The LoHud Yankees Blog, The Mighty Quinn Media Machine, Sports Illustrated, The Sommer Frieze, ESPN, Yankeeist, Bronx Baseball Daily, Subway Squawkers, Yahoo! Sports, The Joy of Sox, Blogging The Bombers, Respect Jeter's Gangster, NESN.com, Fanhouse MLB Blog, lenNY's Yankees and My Pinstripes
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Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Yankees To Re-Sign Mariano Rivera — The Yankees will re-sign Mariano Rivera to a two-year, $30MM deal by tomorrow night, according to Christian Red of the New York Daily News. Rivera recently received a three-year offer worth more money from a rival team, but wanted to stay in pinstripes …
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
Busy Time for Yankees: Rivera, Dodgers, Crawford — The standoff between Derek Jeter and the Yankees has captured baseball's attention, but away from the spotlight, Brian Cashman, the team's general manager, and Randy Levine, the team's president, have been busy elsewhere, negotiating a major contract …
Discussion:
The LoHud Yankees Blog
Andrew Marchand / ESPN:
Source: Yankees, Mariano Rivera agree — NEW YORK — Mariano Rivera is going to be the Yankees' closer for two more years, according to a baseball official with knowledge of negotiations between the team and the player's agent. — On Thursday night the Yankees and Rivera's agent, Fern Cuza …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Captain's Blog and Chicago Breaking Sports
USA Today:
Cubs legend Ron Santo dead at 70
Discussion:
Amazin' Avenue, BronxBanterBlog.com and Zell's Pinstripe Blog
Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune:
Ron Santo dead at 70 — Chicago Cubs icon failed to reach Hall of Fame — Ron Santo (left) and Billy Williams at the Cubs' spring training camp in 1971. (Tribune archive photo) — Legendary Chicago Cubs player and broadcaster Ron Santo died Thursday night in Arizona. He was 70.
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Richard Goldstein / New York Times:
Ron Santo, Stalwart for Cubs, Dies at 70 — Ron Santo, a star third baseman of the Chicago Cubs and their longtime broadcaster who became a revered figure for his exploits on the field and his battle against juvenile diabetes, died Thursday in a hospital in Arizona. He was 70.
Discussion:
Beyond the Box Score
Fox Sports:
Cubs icon Santo dead at 70 — CHICAGO (AP) — Ron Santo, one of the greatest players in Chicago Cubs history and a longtime WGN radio announcer whose devotion to the perennial losers was made obvious night after night by his excited shouts or dejected laments, has died. He was 70.
Gordon Wittenmyer / Chicago Sun Times:
Cubs great Ron Santo dies at 70
Discussion:
Seattle Times and JSOnline
Maury Brown / The Biz of Baseball:
Legendary Cubs Player and Broadcaster Ron Santo Dead at 70
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
Adam Kilgore / Nationals Journal:
Adam Dunn agrees to four-year contract with White Sox — First baseman Adam Dunn has agreed to a four-year, $56 million contract with the Chicago White Sox, pending a physical, a baseball source confirmed. The deal, first reported by the Los Angeles Times, closes the door for the Nationals …
Discussion:
The Nationals Enquirer, Nats320, The Goessling Game, Mr. Irrelevant … and Nationals Daily News
RELATED:
ESPN:
White Sox land Adam Dunn
Discussion:
Talking Chop, The Nats Blog, Federal Baseball, Viva El Birdos, Lone Star Ball, SportsReactions and Bless You Boys
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Blue Jays Not Close To Signing A.J. Pierzynski
Discussion:
Batter's Box Interactive …
Scott Merkin / MLB.com:
Report: White Sox, Dunn agree to four-year pact
Discussion:
Nationals Inquisition and Britt's Bird Watch
Joe Cowley / Chicago Sun Times:
White Sox finalize deal with slugger Adam Dunn: sources
Discussion:
HardballTalk
Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
White Sox Sign Adam Dunn
Discussion:
TYU, Sabernomics, LA Times Sports Blog, NESN.com and Federal Baseball
Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:
Sox deal remains Beltre's preference — Adrian Beltre is ready to make a deal. He hopes something can still get done with the Red Sox. — The All-Star third baseman flew from Los Angeles to the Dominican Republic yesterday to lend his support to a charity event hosted by David Ortiz.
Discussion:
SBNation.com, Full Count, ESPN, Associated Press and Boston Herald
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ESPN:
Source: Jason Varitek back in Boston
Discussion:
SawxBlog, The Bottom Line, Boston Globe and baseballmusings.com
Peter Abraham / Boston Globe:
Beltre hopes to return to Red Sox
Discussion:
SFGate, NESN.com and Over the Monster
Jon Paul Morosi / Fox Sports:
Three teams show interest in Werth
Discussion:
Phillies Nation, Bless You Boys, Tiger Tales, ESPN and MLB Rumors
Lyle Spencer / MLB.com:
Angels sign Takahashi to two-year deal — ANAHEIM — The Angels announced on Thursday night that they have signed left-hander Hisanori Takahashi to a two-year deal in a move that provides protection in both the rotation and bullpen. — “Our expectation is that he'll fit in very nicely …
Discussion:
Mets Fever
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David Appelman / FanGraphs Baseball:
2011 Fan Projection Ballots Now Open! — The 2011 Fan Projections ballots are now open for you to project your favorite players! — Last year we ran the first annual Fan Projection ballot here on FanGraphs and you responded with over 50,000 ballots to make the project a huge success!
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
MLB.com:
Padres tender contracts to 33 players — Club non-tenders Scott Hairston, Tony Gwynn, Matt Antonelli and Luis Perdomo — SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The San Diego Padres announced today that they have tendered contracts to 33 players for the 2011 season. Already under contract for 2011 …
Discussion:
Gaslamp Ball
Fox Sports:
NL West making quick offseason moves — Tracy Ringolsby is a Hall of Fame baseball writer. He is in his 35th year covering Major League Baseball, is a co-founder of Baseball America, and appears on pre- and postgame shows for Colorado Rockies games on FSN Rocky Mountain.
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, Amazin' Avenue and Mets Merized Online
MLB.com:
Seattle Mariners sign free-agent LHP Erik Bedard to one-year deal — SEATTLE — Seattle Mariners executive vice president & general manager of baseball operations Jack Zduriencik announced Thursday that the club has signed free-agent left-handed pitcher Erik Bedard to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract.
Discussion:
Lookout Landing, baseballmusings.com and Yahoo! Sports
Marc Topkin / St. Petersburg Times:
Non-tenders: Howell, Aybar, Cormier, Navarro — UPDATE, 10:41: Official word is Rays have non-tendered J.P. Howell, Willy Aybar, Dioner Navarro and Lance Cormier. — Exec VP Andrew Friedman was confident however they could re-sign Howell, which indicates they are more likely just working around …
Discussion:
Rays Index, DRaysBay and Al's Ramblings
Dejan Kovacevic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pirates cut Milledge loose through non-tender — Cedeno, Karstens agree to one-year contracts to avoid arbitration — The Pirates surprisingly cut Lastings Milledge loose, choosing not to tender their 2010 opening-day outfielder an offer through arbitration in advance of Major League Baseball's midnight Thursday deadline.
Discussion:
HardballTalk and Bucs Dugout
