Top News:
Dan Martin / NY Post:
Yankees sign Branyan to minor-league deal — The Yankees agreed Wednesday to sign Russell Branyan to a minor-league deal with an invitation to major league spring training. — The move does not impact the team's chances of adding another lefty bat and it remains in the hunt for Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Raul Ibanez.
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Joel Sherman / New York Post:
Yankees want to keep Chavez, add DH — The Yankees claim they have just a small amount of money left to spend this offseason, but yet they retain big plans on how they want to use it. — The perception has been that the Yankees have less than $2 million to sign a lefty-swinging designated hitter …
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Branyan inks Minor League deal with Yankees — NEW YORK — Russell Branyan has already proven that he can show off his power at Yankee Stadium, so it seems appropriate that the Yankees will give him a chance to do so while wearing their uniform. — The 36-year-old infielder …
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports
Keith Law / MLB:
Law: Ranking the farm systems — Thanks to some shrewd trades over the past year, San Diego's system is stacked
Corey Brock / MLB.com:
Padres reach deal with veteran hurler Suppan — SAN DIEGO — The Padres agreed to a Minor League deal with veteran pitcher Jeff Suppan on Wednesday, a deal which includes an invitation to Major League camp for Spring Training. — Suppan, 37, has a 138-143 record in 442 Major League games …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
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Chris Haft / MLB.com:
Giants add Mota, Theriot to 40-man roster — Club designates outfielder Christian for assignment — SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants likely completed their pre-Spring Training procedural moves Wednesday by adding right-hander Guillermo Mota and infielder Ryan Theriot to the 40-man roster …
Discussion:
McCovey Chronicles
Associated Press:
A's owner: San Jose ruling wait is ‘excruciating’ — SAN JOSE, Calif. — Oakland Athletics owner Lew Wolff said Wednesday that the indecision by Major League Baseball over whether his club can move to San Jose has been “excruciating” but that he believes the process is finally nearing an end.
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports
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Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Reds Designate Carlos Fisher For Assignment — The Reds designated righty Carlos Fisher to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Ryan Ludwick, reports MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Jeff Francis' minor league deal with the Reds was also finalized. — Fisher, 28, has compiled a 4.74 ERA …
Discussion:
Yahoo! Sports and Mark My Word
Colin Wyers / Baseball Prospectus:
Weighting is the Hardest Part — To access the 2012 PECOTA spreadsheet, click here. … —T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land — PECOTA has arrived. — BP's projection system, at its core, follows the same basic principles as it has before. We begin with our baseline projections …
Discussion:
Baseball Nation, Over the Monster, THE BOOK, Bucs Dugout and Let's Go Tribe
Fox Sports:
Sources: Rangers, Andrus agree on deal — The Texas Rangers reached agreement Tuesday on a three-year contract with shortstop Elvis Andrus, according to major league sources. — The deal, which will cover all three of Andrus' arbitration years, is expected to be in the $14 million to $15 million range.
Discussion:
FanGraphs Baseball, MLB Rumors, Call to the Pen and Yahoo! Sports
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Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Rangers, Elvis Andrus Sign Extension
Rangers, Elvis Andrus Sign Extension
Discussion:
Motor City Bengals, MLB Daily Dish, Lone Star Ball and Lookout Landing
Anthony McCarron / NY Daily News:
Yankees catcher Russell Martin touts the addition of Hiroki Kuroda to Bombers rotation — Says righthander is talented, clutch . . . and really funny — Veteran righty Hiroki Kuroda can handle pressure of New York, says Yankee catcher and former Dodger teammate Russell Martin.
Discussion:
Bombers Beat
Tom Van Riper / Fields of Green:
America's Most Disliked Athletes — see photosMARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty Images — Click for full photo gallery: America's Most Disliked Athletes — We've recently seen it by league, how about overall? Over the past few months we've looked at the most disliked players in the NFL (Michael Vick) and NBA (Kris Humphries).
Discussion:
ProFootballTalk and ESPN
Associated Press:
Bonifacio beats Marlins in arbitration — ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Emilio Bonifacio became the second player to defeat the Miami Marlins in salary arbitration this year. — Bonifacio was awarded a $2.2 million salary by a three-person panel on Wednesday rather than the Marlins' offer of $1.95 million.
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com and MLB Rumors
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Joe Frisaro / MLB.com:
Bonifacio, Marlins await panel's decision
Bonifacio, Marlins await panel's decision
Discussion:
MLB Rumors and HardballTalk