Top News:
Andrew Marchand / ESPN:
Spring training 2011: New York Yankees add to mix by signing Kevin Millwood — The New York Yankees signed right-hander Kevin Millwood to a minor league deal on Friday. — The Yankees expected to announce soon if Freddy Garcia or Bartolo Colon will be the team's fifth starter, with the other likely headed to long relief.
Discussion:
Baseball Analysts, The LoHud Yankees Blog and River Avenue Blues
RELATED:
Drew Silva / HardballTalk:
Yanks nearing minor league deal with Kevin Millwood — From Jon Heyman of SI.com comes word that the Yankees are close to signing right-hander Kevin Millwood to a minor league contract. — Millwood, 36, had been holding out for a guaranteed big league roster spot, but it never came …
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Yankees Sign Kevin Millwood — The Yankees signed Kevin Millwood to a minor league contract, the team announced. The deal is contingent on the right-hander passing a physical. Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork reports that the contract is for a pro-rated $1.5MM with incentives and that Millwood …
Discussion:
Pinstriped Bible …, SBNation.com, Bronx Baseball Daily and New Jersey Online
New York Times:
Mets Are Said to Be Suffering Sizable Losses — The Mets, long one of baseball's most highly valued franchises, have lost millions of dollars in recent years, including nearly $50 million in 2010, according to two people briefed on the team's finances. — The team's losses …
Discussion:
Amazin' Avenue, HardballTalk, ESPN and The Mets Police
RELATED:
Will Leitch / New York Magazine:
The Moneyball Mets — Sandy Alderson needed to dump salary …
The Moneyball Mets — Sandy Alderson needed to dump salary …
Discussion:
MetsBlog.com, HardballTalk and SBNation.com
Richard Justice / Houston Chronicle:
McLane ‘close’ in deal to sell Astros to Jim Crane — Drayton McLane is nearing a deal to sell the Astros to Houston businessman Jim Crane, several people with knowledge of the discussions said Friday. — “They're close,” a high-ranking Major League Baseball official said.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors and baseballmusings.com
Aaron Gleeman / HardballTalk:
Yankees trade Sergio Mitre to Brewers for Chris Dickerson — Just hours after adding some veteran rotation depth by agreeing to terms on a minor-league contract with Kevin Millwood the Yankees have traded Sergio Mitre to the Brewers, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.
Bill Ladson / MLB.com:
Riggleman juggles batting order — LAKELAND, Fla. — More than a month after saying Jayson Werth would hit third and Ryan Zimmerman cleanup, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman has decided to move Werth up to the second spot in the order and Zimmerman back to his normal spot in the three-hole.
RELATED:
Oscar Balloon / Hollywood Elsewhere:
What Happened Was — That guy I know who often see films months in advance caught a version of Bennett Miller's Moneyball (Sony, 9.23) last night, and...well, here he is: “I loved it, and I didn't expect to. It's a baseball-from-the-business-angle movie, for goodness sake …
Discussion:
HardballTalk and Mike Silva's …
Scott Cacciola / Wall Street Journal:
Meet Baseball's Human Garbage Can — Arizona's Bullpen Catcher Will Eat Almost Anything—For a Price; the Habanero Incident — SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—When Bryan Price joined the Arizona Diamondbacks as their pitching coach in 2006, he started hearing rumors about Jeff Motuzas, the team's longtime bullpen catcher.
Discussion:
AZ Snake Pit, SBNation.com, Washington Post, HardballTalk and The Big Lead
Scott Lauber / Boston Herald:
Clay Buchholz takes aim at total innings goal — An eye on 200 — JUPITER, Fla. — For all he achieved last year in his first full major league season, from the microscopic 2.33 ERA to the All-Star Game selection to the sixth-place finish in the Cy Young Award voting, there was one goal Clay Buchholz was unable to reach.
Discussion:
joy of sox
RELATED:
Joe Frisaro / MLB.com:
Buchholz has ‘work to do’ before season
Associated Press:
Royals Hoping Cabrera Rebounds — SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Melky Cabrera has been a spring training surprise for the Kansas City Royals. — Cabrera, who signed with the Royals in December, is batting .479 this spring with five doubles, two homers and 16 RBIs and 17 runs scored.
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
RELATED:
Michael Harrington / Philly.com:
Pedro Martinez is a work of art — If you're like us, you've been wondering what former Phillies pitcher Pedro Martinez has been up to. — Well, the former all-star and Cy Young winner was in Washington on Thursday to conduct a baseball clinic. Oh, and on Friday, he's dropping …
RELATED:
Gordon Edes / ESPN:
Showalter's slap at Theo has no sting
Showalter's slap at Theo has no sting
Discussion:
Baseball America, Associated Press and NoMaas.org
Aaron Gleeman / HardballTalk:
Scott Kazmir is “in denial about his continuing struggles” — Scott Kazmir has a 7.79 ERA this spring after pitching horribly last season, yet after every poor outing he talks about stuff like “throwing the ball well” and feeling “so much better.” — Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times writes …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times
John Branch / Bats:
A Man Remembers Meeting the Babe — The little boy on the pony is 92 now, but he does not need a black-and-white film to remember the October afternoon in 1927 when Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig came to his family's backyard in Sioux City, Iowa. — “The whole neighborhood wanted to see Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig …
Craig Calcaterra / HardballTalk:
Comment of the Day: Curt Flood Jr. talks about the Stan Musial restaurant story — Yesterday I highlighted Murray Chass' poorly-sourced hatchet job against Stan Musial. The leadoff in that hatchet job was Chass' claim — based on a story Curt Flood allegedly told Marvin Miller who told Chass …
Discussion:
It's About The Money, baseballmusings.com and Murray Chass On Baseball
Josh Kosman / New York Post:
MLB will pitch new debt limit — Major League Baseball is working to cut how much debt its teams can carry, The Post has learned. — The move, aimed at avoiding a Mets-like cash squeeze or a Texas Rangers bankruptcy-type scenario, will be centered on widening the definition of team debt, sources close to the situation said.
Discussion:
HardballTalk, The Owner's Box and SBNation.com
Pat Lackey / Where Have You Gone Andy Van Slyke?:
WHYGAVS Interviews Neal Huntington: Roster decisions and the Draft — This is part one of my interview with Neal Huntington; you can find the introduction and all the other parts here as they're posted. — WHYGAVS: I noticed Josh Fields hitting in both minor league games today.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors and baseballmusings.com
