Top News:
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Teixeira out eight to 10 weeks with wrist strain — TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees' injury-riddled spring took another serious hit on Wednesday, as the team announced Gold Glove first baseman Mark Teixeira will miss eight to 10 weeks with a strained tendon in his right wrist.
Discussion:
FanGraphs Baseball
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Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Yankees To Consider Corner Infielders
Yankees To Consider Corner Infielders
Discussion:
Pinstriped Bible, MLB Daily Dish and HardballTalk
Brian MacPherson / blogs.providencejournal.com:
Ryan Westmoreland announces retirement from baseball — FORT MYERS, Fla. — Ryan Westmoreland announced his retirement from professional baseball in an email to several members of the media on Wednesday. — “With a clear mind and heart, as well as the unwavering support and friendship of my family …
Discussion:
Boston Globe, CBSSports.com, Over the Monster, HardballTalk and MLB Rumors
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Evan Grant / Texas Rangers Blog:
Source: Texas Rangers close to deal with Derek Lowe — SURPRISE, Ariz. - The Rangers are about to sign a Scott Boras-represented starting pitcher. Or a reliever. He can do both. — According to a major league source Tuesday, the Rangers are on the verge of a minor league deal with 39-year-old RHP Derek Lowe.
Discussion:
Lone Star Ball
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T.R. Sullivan / Postcards From Elysian Fields:
Last Call from the Desert...Kyle Lohse, Derek Lowe, Lance Berkman — Wrapping up after the Rangers 3-2 win over the Cubs: … David Murphy on the uncertainty surrounding CEO Nolan Ryan. — A Rangers source on free agent pitcher Kyle Lohse: “We are not going to sign Kyle Lohse.
Discussion:
HardballTalk, CBSSports.com and MLB Rumors
Jason Beck / MLB.com:
Leyland clarifies statement on Porcello — LAKELAND, Fla. — From the moment Jim Leyland said Monday that Rick Porcello as a closer was not necessarily a “wild thought,” one figured the Tigers manager would clarify his remarks to slow the speculation. That clarification came Wednesday.
Discussion:
MLB Rumors
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Tracy Ringolsby / MLB.com:
Williams misses being GM, but not toll it took on him — GLENDALE, Ariz. — By Thanksgiving last year, Kenny Williams was bouncing off walls. — He had ceded the title of general manager of the White Sox to Rick Hahn in late October, slipping into the role of executive vice president.
Discussion:
Halos Heaven and MLB Rumors
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Scott Miller / CBSSports.com Sports News …:
Free agent Wilson not expected to sign until after season starts — Free-agent reliever and former Giants star closer Brian Wilson continues his rehabilitation pretty much in anonymity, and it might be several weeks into the season until he's ready to sign.
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish, HardballTalk and MLB Rumors
Christina De Nicola / MLB.com:
For Rodriguez, a Mets reunion would be ‘great’ — PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Less than an hour before Team Venezuela played an exhibition game against the Mets at Tradition Field, right-hander Francisco Rodriguez sat in the visiting dugout, ready to catch up with former teammates in the home clubhouse.
Discussion:
HardballTalk and CBSSports.com
Troy Renck / On the Rox:
Rockies Recap: Rockies 8, Team USA 7 — Rockies 8, Team USA 7 — At Salt River Fields — Hits: Given the lineup and his recent illness, Drew Pomeranz delivered his best performance of the spring. Pomeranz has been sick for four days with a cold that left him weak.
Discussion:
Purple Row
Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Quick Hits: Mets, Rangers, Hamilton — The strength of the 2013 Mets appears to be their rotation, but when you compare New York's starting five to the rotations of the Nationals, Phillies and Braves, the group no longer seems as intimidating. As Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes …
Discussion:
CBSSports.com Sports News …, New York Post and MLB Daily Dish
Fox Sports:
Cuba tops Japan to win Group A — FUKUOKA, JAPAN (AP) — Alfredo Despaigne hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning, helping Cuba defeat two-time defending champion Japan 6-3 Wednesday to finish first in Group A of the World Baseball Classic. — Despaigne's home run off reliever Takeru Imamura …
Discussion:
Bleed Cubbie Blue
Associated Press:
Cardinals hire Willie McGee — JUPITER, Fla. — The St. Louis Cardinals have hired former great Willie McGee as a special assistant to the general manager focusing on the minor leagues. — The 54-year-old McGee, added to the staff on Wednesday, served a special instructor at spring training last month.
Matthew Callan / Amazin' Avenue:
The Night Hugo Chavez Broke Shea Stadium — We have a strict NO POLITICS rule here at Amazin' Avenue. Nonetheless, I could not let the passing of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez go by without sparing a few nonpartisan words about his small role in one of the weirdest nights ever seen at Shea Stadium.
Discussion:
SportsGrid, Baseball Nation and Old Time Family Baseball