Ballbug: Adding SNY to Mets' Sale Pitch Would Increase Allure (Richard Sandomir/New York Times)

Ian Begley / ESPN:

Mark Cuban won't initiate bid for Mets — NEW YORK — Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban won't be calling the New York Mets to place a bid on the minority stake of the team that was recently put up for sale. — But if the Mets want to reach out to Cuban to sell him on the merits of owning …

Discussion: Dodgers Blog, Mike Silva's …, Amazin' Avenue and 6-4-2

SNY May Be Part of Mets Deal — Team Would Consider Selling Part of Network if Needed to Lure Minority Partner — The New York Mets would consider selling a portion of its share in the regional sports cable network SNY if it can't otherwise sell a minority stake in the team, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Discussion: MetsBlog.com and ESPN

NY Daily News:

Lupica: Trustee aims to smear Wilpons — This is what you are supposed to believe now, as the trustee for the victims of Bernie Madoff, a lawyer named Irving Picard, tries to shake down Fred Wilpon, his family, his partners: — That after all these years in New York …

Discussion: baseballmusings.com and HardballTalk

Mike Ozanian / SportsMoney:
New York Mets Book Value: -$225 million

Discussion: ESPN, New Jersey Online, Mets Merized Online, Wall Street Journal and MetsBlog.com

Richard Sandomir / New York Times:
Adding SNY to Mets' Sale Pitch Would Increase Allure

Discussion: Tedquarters and SNY

Fox Sports:

Dye won't settle for minor-league deal — Jermaine Dye was first among AL outfielders in homers from 2005-09, yet can't get a job. — Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since August 2005. He appears weekly on MLB on FOX. Follow him on Twitter.

Discussion: MLB Rumors, SBNation.com, At Home Plate, Projo Sox Blog and HardballTalk

Discussion: Federal Baseball and Nationals Inquisition

Matt Eddy / Baseball America:
Minor League Transactions: Jan. 25-31

Discussion: True Blue LA and ESPN

Ken Gurnick / MLB.com:

Dodgers avoid arbitration with reliever Kuo — LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers and reliever Hong-Chih Kuo reached agreement Wednesday on a one-year, $2.725 million contract, with another $675,000 possible through bonuses. — Kuo is coming off a record-breaking All-Star season.

Discussion: Yahoo! Sports

Discussion: ESPN and True Blue LA

Ben Lindbergh / Baseball Prospectus:

A Little Bit Softer Now — “They have crooked arms. They throw crooked, they walk crooked, and they think crooked. They even wear their clothes crooked. You have to figure they're a little crazy.” —Al Schacht … —Ray Miller — “Just because I'm left-handed and quotable doesn't mean I'm from another solar system.”

Discussion: THE BOOK

Kevin Goldstein / Baseball Prospectus:

Texas Rangers Top 11 Prospects — System In 20 Words Or Less: One of the best systems in the game has dropped dramatically due to a combination of graduations, trades, and disappointments. — Five-Star Prospects — 1. Martin Perez, LHP — Four-Star Prospects — 2. Jurickson Profar, SS

Jason Beck / MLB.com:

Tigers' Jackson targets 40 stolen bases — DETROIT — Give it to Austin Jackson: He isn't setting his goals low. In fact, he's setting them pretty fast. — To Tigers fans at the North American International Auto Show, Jackson might have raised some eyebrows on the team's Winter Caravan stop …

Discussion: HardballTalk

Jason Beck / MLB.com:

Tigers close door on bringing Bonderman back — DETROIT — What little opening the Tigers left for Jeremy Bonderman to return has now officially closed. Team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski told the Detroit News that the club will not re-sign it right-handed rotation member for the past eight years.

Discussion: TigerBlog

Buster Olney / ESPN:

An extension of pitching metrics

Discussion: HardballTalk

Mark Polishuk / MLB Rumors:

Yankees Remain In Contact With Kevin Millwood — The Yankees have added Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia in the last week, but the team is still in contact with Kevin Millwood, reports Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman (Twitter link). It could be that the Yankees just want to give themselves …

Discussion: River Avenue Blues, Mike Silva's …, Baseball Prospectus and Pinstriped Bible …

Joe Frisaro / MLB.com:

Dawson to join Marlins on overseas troops visit — MIAMI — A couple of years ago, Marlins special assistant and Hall of Famer Andre Dawson had the sobering experience of visiting wounded soldiers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. — It was during a series with the Nationals …

Discussion: FishStripes

Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:

Rays Sign Felipe Lopez — The Rays signed infielder Felipe Lopez to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, the team announced. ESPNDeportes' Enrique Rojas reports (in Spanish) that Lopez will earn $1MM if he makes the Major League roster and can earn another $1MM in incentives.

Discussion: Fanhouse MLB Blog

Discussion: Beyond the Box Score, DRaysBay, Projo Sox Blog, Yahoo! Sports, Rays Index and NESN.com