Top News:
NY Daily News:
NY Mets close deal to sell 12 minority shares of team, have repaid $25M loan to MLB — Have also paid off a $40M loan from Bank of America — Saul Katz (l.) and Fred Wilpon reach a $162M settlement with the Bernard Madoff trustee. — The owners of the Mets have closed deals to sell 12 shares …
Discussion:
New York Post, Amazin' Avenue, MetsBlog.com, Fox Sports, Bats, Mets Merized Online, HardballTalk and Baseball Nation
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Mets, Madoff trustee settle for $162M
Discussion:
NY Daily News, ESPN, Faith and Fear in Flushing, FanGraphs Baseball, Amazin' Avenue, New Jersey Online and Baseball Nation
Matthew Cerrone / MetsBlog.com:
Mets ownership & Picard reach $162M settlement
Discussion:
ESPN, Mets Merized Online, Amazin' Avenue and Tedquarters
Philly.com:
David Murphy: Utley's career could be in jeopardy — CLEARWATER, Fla. - An era is supposed to last longer than elementary school. Second basemen are supposed to last longer than senators. Six years might be a long time between albums, but it can't be all the time we'll get to watch Chase Utley at his peak.
RELATED:
Daniel Rathman / Baseball Prospectus:
The BP First Take — Have you already penciled the Phillies in atop your projected NL East standings? Well, you might want to find an eraser. — Ryan Howard is going to miss the first two months of the season while recovering from the Achilles injury he suffered last October …
Discussion:
csnphilly.com, The Good Phight and HardballTalk
Matt Gelb / Philly.com:
Utley leaving camp to see specialist
Discussion:
Phillies Nation, baseballmusings.com, The Good Phight, MLB Daily Dish and Yahoo! Sports
SportsDayDFW sports / Rangers Blog:
Sources: Rangers on verge of signing LHP Derek Holland to extension — EVAN GRANT — SURPRISE, Ariz. — When the Rangers went the winter without being able to get one of their core players to give up even a year of free agency in long-term contract talks, the club's chief negotiators pointed …
Discussion:
MLB Rumors, MLB.com, Baseball Time in Arlington, Lone Star Ball, MLB Daily Dish and HardballTalk
Fox Sports:
A-Rod seeks refund after spree — Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez is crying foul over a $17,600 charge on his AmEx Black Card after he took his 20-year-old niece, Michelle Silva, on a shopping spree with his girlfriend, Torrie Wilson. — Rodriguez is disputing the five-figure sum he spent …
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
Fox Sports:
Under Mattingly, Dodgers may pose threat — Don Mattingly had three strikes against him when he took over as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. — He had never managed in the majors or minors. He had to exert greater authority over players who knew him only as a coach.
Discussion:
True Blue LA
RELATED:
Bob Dutton / Kansas City Star:
Royals' Soria diagnosed with ligament damage in elbow — SURPRISE, ARIZ. — The news on Royals closer Joakim Soria couldn't be much worse. An examination Monday revealed “definite damage” in the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and seems likely to require surgery.
Discussion:
CBSSports.com, Kings of Kauffman and baseballmusings.com
RELATED:
Bob Dutton / Kansas City Star:
Soria leaves game with sore elbow after another rough outing
Discussion:
Royals Review, Baseball Nation, Yahoo! Sports, HardballTalk and Baseball Prospectus
Daniel Fromson / The Atlantic Online:
The Glove That Would Change the Game — TRADITION OR NOT, all sports will evolve," the science-fiction novelist Arthur C. Clarke predicted: even “the grand old game” of Ruth and Mays would be transformed by bionic-armed pitchers wielding lightweight, non-leather gloves.
Mark Polishuk / MLB Rumors:
Rangers Prefer To Keep Their Pitching Depth — The Rangers “might prefer” to keep some of the extra arms on their pitching staff rather than make a trade, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Scott Feldman, Koji Uehara and Mark Lowe are cited as Rosenthal as the expendable members …
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish
Greg Johns / MLB.com:
Ichiro, Montero, Seager go deep in slugfest — Vargas allows seven runs in just two-thirds of an inning — PEORIA, Ariz. — The Cubs jumped on Mariners starter Jason Vargas for seven runs in the top of the first inning Monday, then pulled out a 12-7 victory in a Cactus League shootout in Peoria Stadium.
Discussion:
Bleed Cubbie Blue
Doug Miller / MLB.com:
Yu throws eventful four innings in third start — Rangers righty fans four, walks three, allows one hit on 70 pitches — SURPRISE, Ariz. — Yu Darvish had stretches in which he showed pinpoint command and the baffling arsenal of pitches that have made him a Japanese legend at the age of 25.
Discussion:
Brew Crew Ball
