Top News:
Jeff Todd / MLB Trade Rumors:
Royals Avoid Arbitration With Tim Collins — The Royals have agreed to contract terms with lefty Tim Collins to avoid arbitration, the club announced. Collins will earn $1.475MM for the 2016 season, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports on Twitter. — That's exactly what he made last year …
Discussion:
Royals Review
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Tim Dierkes / MLB Trade Rumors:
Non-Tender Candidates — More than 200 players are arbitration eligible and unsigned for 2016. Around 50 of those can be considered non-tender candidates. Players who are not tendered contracts become free agents. The deadline for teams to decide is Wednesday, December 2nd at 11pm central time.
Discussion:
Rays Colored Glasses, Red Reporter and Brew Crew Ball
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Cardinals Sign Brayan Pena To Two-Year Deal — 3:37pm: Pena's $5MM guarantee will be spread out evenly, paying him $2.5MM in each season of the contract, MLBTR has learned. — 3:35pm: Pena's contract guarantees him a total of $5MM, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos, Red Reporter, MLB Daily Dish and Yahoo Sports
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Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cardinals sign Pena to back up Molina — ST. LOUIS • The Cardinals finalized a two-year deal with veteran catcher Brayan Pena on Monday and installed him as the latest backup for Gold Glove-winning catcher Yadier Molina. — Pena's contract is worth $5 million over its two years, a source confirmed.
Discussion:
Associated Press, FOX2now.com and Cards Diaspora
Jon Heyman / CBSSports.com:
Diamondbacks pursue Cueto, clear air about a long-ago All-Star snub — Star free-agent right-hander Johnny Cueto received a $120-million, six-year offer from the Diamondbacks, but it's no surprise Cueto didn't accept the proposal; Cueto has received calls of interest from the Dodgers, Giants, Red Sox, Cubs and others.
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish, Over the Monster, CBS Boston, MLB Trade Rumors and CBSSports.com
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Nick Piecoro / Arizona Republic:
Hunt for starter has Diamondbacks chasing Johnny Cueto
Discussion:
Yahoo Sports, Plain Dealer, Full Count, Red Sox Monster, AZ Snake Pit, ESPN, Inside the 'Zona, ESPN, Baseball Essential Shop, NBCSports.com and MLB Trade Rumors
Jon Heyman / CBSSports.com:
Marlins targeting Bonds as hitting coach; team hopeful he accepts — The Marlins have targeted controversial alltime great slugger Barry Bonds to become the team's new hitting coach, CBSSports.com has learned. — The Bonds' pursuit is sure to trigger debate, but Marlins people see Bonds …
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors, NBCSports.com, SI.com, Forbes, Bluebird Banter, Halos Heaven, Free Winning Picks, McCovey Chronicles, USA Today, NESN.com and Yahoo Sports
Bob Dutton / thenewstribune:
Mariners showing interest in free-agent outfielder Nori Aoki — Free-agent outfielder Nori Aoki appears to be the Mariners' latest off-season target — Aoki finished last season on the disabled list because of post-concussion concerns — Mariners began focusing on Aoki …
Discussion:
Baseball Essential and MLB Trade Rumors
Jon Heyman / CBSSports.com:
Young righthander Shelby Miller is creating quite a feeding frenzy on the trade market, and it's to the point it's got to be record interest for a pitcher who went 6-17. — Of course, by now we know pitchers' won-loss records aren't a very useful tool in deciphering a pitcher's value.
Discussion:
NBCSports.com, Bleacher Nation, MLB Trade Rumors, Talking Chop, Pinstripe Alley and MLB Daily Dish
Anthony Fenech / Detroit Free Press:
Avila 'can't wait' to play for White Sox, face Tigers — When Alex Avila was looking for a suitor in free agency, the veteran catcher, first and foremost, sought an opportunity to play. — With the Detroit Tigers, he wouldn't have gotten that opportunity; James McCann is the starter.
Discussion:
Beyond the Box Score, South Side Sox and Chicago
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Jason Beck / MLB.com:
Free-agent righty a model of durability over past 4 seasons
Discussion:
Federal Baseball, Bless You Boys, Pinstripe Alley, Baseball Prospectus and BBTF's Baseball Primer …
Jeff Todd / MLB Trade Rumors:
Braves Sign Jim Johnson — 5:28pm: The deal is for $2.5MM, MLB.com's Mark Bowman tweets. — 5:04pm: The Braves have signed righty Jim Johnson to a one-year deal, the club announced via press release. Johnson, 32, is a client of Moye Sports Associates. — With the move …
Discussion:
NBCSports.com, MLB Daily Dish, Yahoo Sports, True Blue LA and Baseball Essential Shop
Adam Rubin / Baseball America:
Major League Executive Of The Year: Sandy Alderson — NEW YORK—Upon leaving Major League Baseball to become general manager of the financially-wobbly Mets in October 2010, Sandy Alderson assembled a dream team of front-office executives, including one-time GMs Paul DePodesta and J.P Ricciardi and interim GM John Ricco.
Discussion:
Just Mets and Amazin' Avenue
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Red Sox, Chris Young Agree To Two-Year Deal — 5:43pm: Young will receive a two-year guarantee, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. — 12:29pm: The Red Sox and outfielder Chris Young are in agreement on a multi-year contract, pending a physical, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
Discussion:
Boston, Over the Monster, FanGraphs Baseball, NBCSports.com, Pinstripe Alley and CBS Boston
