Top News:
Fox Sports:
Sources: MLB playoffs expanding in 2012 — Baseball's playoffs will expand from eight to 10 teams, starting this season, according to major-league sources. — The sport's new collective-barganing agreement stipulated that additional wild cards would be added in each league no later than 2013.
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Philly.com:
Inside the Phillies: Manuel is no fan of baseball's latest playoff change — CLEARWATER, Fla. - In Charlie Manuel's perfect baseball universe, the best teams in each league at the end of the regular season would meet in the World Series every year. — That's the way it was when the Phillies manager …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
Fox Sports:
Expanded playoffs are good for baseball — At first, I opposed expanding the baseball postseason. — Hardly anyone contended that the playoffs were too short. If anything, the postseason was too long. — I'm still concerned that baseball's decision to add a wild card in each league …
Buster Olney / MLB:
Sources: MLB, union closer to 10-team playoffs — On the eve of Thursday's soft deadline for finalizing details of the implementation of a 10-team playoff field, Major League Baseball and its players association are close to announcing the change that would take effect in October, sources said Wednesday.
Discussion:
Royals Review and Plain Dealer
Jeff Passan / Yahoo! Sports:
Rangers' signing of Dominican phenom Jairo Beras is investigated by MLB over age discrepancy — Major League Baseball will investigate the Texas Rangers' signing of Dominican prospect Jairo Beras for $4.5 million after questions about his age arose. The Rangers believe he is 17 and eligible …
Discussion:
Baseball Prospectus and MLB Rumors
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Ben Badler / Baseball America:
Rangers' Surprise Signing Draws Industry Scrutiny
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
Associated Press:
Marlins RF prefers Giancarlo Stanton — JUPITER, Fla. — His mom calls him Cruz. Teammates call him Bigfoot. Most baseball fans know him as Mike Stanton, precocious slugger for the Miami Marlins, but his first name is actually Giancarlo. — “The man of a million names,” Stanton said.
Discussion:
Fox Sports, MLB Rumors, Fish Stripes and Deadspin
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Joe Capozzi / Fish Tank blog:
Miami Marlins slugger will go by a new name — Giancarlo Stanton — Batting fourth for the Miami Marlins, right fielder Giancarlo Stanton. That's how slugger Mike Stanton will be introduced from now on. — Starting Monday when he is introduced over the public-address system at Roger Dean Stadium …
Discussion:
HardballTalk, Eye on Baseball and NotGraphs Baseball
Adam McCalvy / MLB.com:
Crew, Axford to continue work on multiyear deal — Both sides say they'd like contract extension; talks cordial — PHOENIX — Brewers closer John Axford was quick to explain why he's the only member of the 40-man roster yet to sign a 2012 contract. — “Just like last year, I'm holding out for billions,” he joked.
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish and Al's Ramblings
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Tom Haudricourt / JSOnline:
Brewers, Axford talking multi-year deal
Discussion:
Brew Beat, HardballTalk and MLB Rumors
Mike DiGiovanna / Los Angeles Times:
Angels slugger Kendrys Morales taking steps forward — Kendrys Morales leads the Angels out of the locker room prior to a spring training baseball practice on Monday. (Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press) — Tempe, Ariz.— Angels slugger Kendrys Morales, sidelined for the last year …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
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Bill Chastain / MLB.com:
Final night of '11 still resonates with Rays — PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Luke Scott called the final night of the 2011 season “the greatest night in baseball history,” and that seems to be the general sentiment among fans and players alike. — Rays fans won't soon forget that night at Tropicana Field …
Discussion:
St. Petersburg Times, DRaysBay, NESN.com, Boston Globe, Eye on Baseball, HardballTalk and Britt's Bird Watch
Associated Press:
Pirates' Burnett struck in right eye by batted ball … BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett was struck in the face by a batted ball on Wednesday, and will fly from the team's spring training complex to Pittsburgh to have his right eye examined by team doctors.
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Bob Klapisch / NorthJersey.com:
George Steinbrenner wouldn't know these Yankees — TAMPA, Fla. - Ten days into spring training and the Yankees have been everything you'd expect from a $200 million monolith: crisp, fundamentally sound, free of angst or anxiety. Walking around camp, you'd never know this is the same team …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
Nathan Rode / Baseball America:
Giolito Hits Triple Digits — Los Angeles Times' high school reporter Eric Sondheimer tweeted breaking news Tuesday evening that Harvard-Westlake High (Studio City, Calif.) righthander Lucas Giolito hit 100 mph in a start against El Camino Real High (Woodland Hills, Calif.).
Matt Gelb / Philly.com:
Howard sidelined indefinitely — CLEARWATER, Fla. — Ryan Howard has indeed suffered a setback in his recovery from Achilles surgery and will be sidelined indefinitely following a procedure to clean an infection from his original wound. — Foot specialist Mark Myerson performed a …
Discussion:
HardballTalk
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