Top News:
Fox Sports:
Phillies still bidding for prize ace — 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. — The Yankees and Rangers are not alone. — The Phillies are still bidding for free-agent left-hander Cliff Lee …
RELATED:
Trsullivan / Postcards from Elysian Fields:
Cliff Lee is going to Philadelphia Phillies — The Rangers were told Monday night that Lee is going to the Phillies, It is a done deal — YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! (RC)^2 (Ar See Squared) Roy-Roy-Cole-Cliff. The Phantastic Phour! YESSSSS!!!!!!
Discussion:
BronxBanterBlog.com, MetsBlog.com, New York Post, HardballTalk, FanGraphs Baseball, Bronx Baseball Daily, The LoHud Yankees Blog, Full Count, The Good Phight, Mets Merized Online, ESPN, baseballmusings.com, lenNY's Yankees, Pinstripe Alley, Phillies Nation, Sliding Into Home, NESN.com, Lookout Landing, The700Level.com and The Zo Zone
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Phillies Agree To Sign Cliff Lee — The wait is over. In a surprising development that leaves two top American League teams empty-handed, Cliff Lee has agreed to sign a five-year, $120MM deal with the Phillies. The contract also includes a reachable vesting option for a sixth year.
Discussion:
HardballTalk, Red Sox Monster, Amazin' Avenue, Al's Ramblings, Halos Heaven, The iYankees Blog and DRaysBay
Jerry Crasnick / ESPN.com:
Sources: Cliff Lee to return to Phillies — Pitcher Cliff Lee reached an agreement on a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies late Monday night, a Texas Rangers team source told ESPNDallas.com's Richard Durrett. — Lee personally notified the Rangers that they were out of the running …
Discussion:
The LoHud Yankees Blog, HardballTalk, ESPN, Subway Squawkers, It's About The Money, Bats, ESPN, NESN.com, MetsBlog.com, Athletics Nation and USA Today
T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com:
Phillies swoop in and bring back Lee — ARLINGTON — Free-agent pitcher Cliff Lee is headed back to Philadelphia. — The Rangers worked as hard as they could to re-sign Lee, but their pursuit came to an end on Monday when he informed the club that he was signing with the Phillies.
Discussion:
Dallas Morning News, Fanhouse MLB Blog, Nationals Baseball and Lone Star Ball
Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Lee spurns Yanks, Rangers, returns to Phils … Almost a year after they traded him, Cliff Lee is headed back to the Philadelphia Phillies. — Lee, the most highly sought pitcher on this winter's free-agent market, turned down more lucrative offers from the New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers …
Discussion:
Sports Illustrated, Cincinnati Reds and Beyond the Box Score
Matt Forman / Baseball America:
Scouting reports for the Top 10 Prospects (How to subscribe) — For a team that has lost more games than any other in major league history, the Phillies are in heady territory. Though they fell short of their third straight National League pennant in 2010, it would be hard to argue that this isn't the best era in franchise history.
Discussion:
Phillies Nation and The Good Phight
USA Today:
Stunner: Cliff Lee headed back to Phillies — UPDATE (2:20 a.m. ET): The Yankees say they'll be just fine without Cliff Lee. — Prior to learning that Lee would sign with the Phillies, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told The New York Times: “People think we're desperate, but I've got …
Discussion:
New York Times, Phillies Nation, Crashburn Alley and Babes Love Baseball
Marc Carig / New Jersey Online:
Yankees waiting after making first offer to Cliff Lee
Discussion:
MLB Rumors and Bronx Baseball Daily
David Waldstein / New York Times:
Darek Braunecker, Agent for Cliff Lee, Is Getting Noticed
Discussion:
New York Yankees Fan Blog
Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Cliff Lee Rumors: Monday
Discussion:
BronxBanterBlog.com, New York Post and Bugs & Cranks
Craig Calcaterra / HardballTalk:
The Rangers are going after Adrian Beltre. Have they lost out on Cliff Lee?
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com, MLB Daily Dish, Lone Star Ball and Texas Rangers
Jerry Crasnick / MLB:
Sources: New York Yankees, Texas Rangers unlikely Zack Greinke fits — The stakes are high as the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers wait for free agent Cliff Lee to decide where he'll be pitching in 2011 and beyond. The winner of the Lee sweepstakes will have an ace left-hander to plug in at the top of its rotation.
Discussion:
Bronx Baseball Daily, HardballTalk, Pinstripe Alley, MLB Daily Dish, JSOnline and ESPN
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Greg Johns / MLB.com:
A's sign right-hander McCarthy — Starter could bolster rotation if his shoulder is healthy — If Brandon McCarthy's shoulder is as healthy as he says, the Oakland A's landed another potential starter for their rotation Monday with the agreement on a one-year deal for the free-agent pitcher.
Discussion:
Texas Rangers
RELATED:
Joe Eskenazi / The Snitch:
Will Hideki Matsui Bring Porn Collection to Oakland?
Discussion:
SFGate, Can't Stop The Bleeding and MLB Daily Dish
Anthony DiComo / MLB.com:
Wilson, Oberkfell among new Mets coaches — NEW YORK — Sandy Alderson has his manager. Now, Terry Collins has his staff. — The Mets officially announced their 2011 coaching staff Monday, naming Dave Hudgens their new hitting coach, Ken Oberkfell bench coach, Mookie Wilson first-base coach and Jon Debus bullpen coach.
Discussion:
MetsMinorLeagueBlog.com, Faith and Fear in Flushing and Yahoo! Sports
RELATED:
Randy Medina / The Apple:
Several Mets Show Up Months Early For Spring Training After …
Discussion:
New York Mets Fan Blog, Mets Fever and Kranepool Society
Ken Gurnick / MLB.com:
Dodgers add three on Minor League deals — LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers on Monday announced the signings of three veterans to Minor League contracts with invitations to Major League camp. — Infielder Juan Castro, catcher JD Closser and utilityman Eugenio Velez have signed on …
Discussion:
VIN SCULLY IS MY HOMEBOY, MLB Rumors and Mike Scioscia's tragic illness
RELATED:
Associated Press:
MLB's Average Salary Finishes Over $3 Million — NEW YORK (AP) — The average salary in Major League Baseball finished over $3 million for the first time. — The 912 players in the big leagues before rosters expanded in September averaged $3,014,572, the Major League Baseball Players Association said Monday.
Discussion:
Boston Herald and Associated Press
RELATED:
Fox Sports:
Gauging the value of Garza vs. Greinke — Matt Garza is a sexy trade option for other teams this offseason. — 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.
Mike Klingaman / The Toy Department:
Heaven can wait, says Weaver — The New York Times said he was dead. But Earl Weaver, the Orioles' former manager, says it will take more than a story in the newspaper to see him off. — Weaver, 80, is alive and kicking - though with less animation than he did around umpires …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
