Top News:
ESPN:
MLB owners, players' union agree to 5-year labor contract — It took nearly around-the-clock bargaining over the past two days and nights, but Major League Baseball and its players' union have kept their 21-year streak of labor peace intact for another five years.
Discussion:
Fox Sports, Associated Press, baseballmusings.com, SI.com, Brew Crew Ball, Bleed Cubbie Blue, FanGraphs Baseball and South Side Sox
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Bob Nightengale / USA Today:
Major League Baseball, union agree on new collective bargaining agreement — Major League Baseball and the players union, knowing there was far too much at stake for an impasse, agreed to a new five-year collective bargaining agreement Wednesday night less than four hours before their current deal expired.
Discussion:
Lookout Landing, Full Count and Over the Monster
ESPN:
Baseball comes to its senses, making peace and avoiding chaos — Once upon a time in baseball, it wouldn't have ended like this. And that, of course, is because, for close to 25 years, labor negotiations in baseball never ended like this. — With peace. With stability.
Discussion:
Philly.com and McCovey Chronicles
Jeff Todd / MLB Trade Rumors:
MLB, MLBPA Agree To New Collective Bargaining Agreement — TODAY, 7:57am: Blum and colleague Stephen Hawkins provide further detail on the function of the qualifying offer system. Here are some of the key points, which rather notably tweak what had previously been suggested by other reporting:
Discussion:
Forbes, Twinkie Town, Camden Chat, Purple Row, Royals Review, Bucs Dugout and Talking Chop
Associated Press:
CBA ending All-Star link to World Series' home-field advantage — NEW YORK — The league that wins Major League Baseball's All-Star Game no longer will get home-field advantage in the World Series, which instead will go to the pennant winner with the better regular-season record.
Discussion:
Federal Baseball
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Why trading Andrew McCutchen is a real possibility for the Pirates — The former MVP is a big part of Pittsburgh's past — but perhaps not its future — Of all the big names available in trade, Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen might be the most likely to go.
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John Perrotto / FanRag Sports:
Three possible trade destinations for Andrew McCutchen — The growing sense around the Pittsburgh Pirates is that it is no longer a matter of if they will trade Andrew McCutchen, but rather a matter of when. — The center fielder becomes a free agent at end of next season if a $14.5 million club option for 2018 isn't exercised.
Discussion:
Sports Talk Philly and Phillies Nation
Fox Sports:
MLB players, owners reach new collective-bargaining agreement — The current deal was set to expire Thursday. — Baseball players and owners reached a tentative agreement on a five-year labor contract Wednesday night, a deal that extends the sport's industrial peace to 26 years since …
Discussion:
Athletics Nation, Bleacher Nation and True Blue LA
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ESPN:
Sources: No lockout vote scheduled yet for Wednesday as MLB's labor deal nears expiration — Even as the clock ticked down toward the midnight expiration of Major League Baseball's labor agreement and a potential work stoppage, MLB had yet to schedule a lockout vote by owners, sources told ESPN late Wednesday afternoon.
Discussion:
Bleed Cubbie Blue and baseballmusings.com
John Harper / New York Daily News:
If Mets can't get lockdown reliever in trade, Zack Wheeler could strengthen their bullpen — If the Mets can't get a lockdown reliever in a trade for Jay Bruce — or Curtis Granderson — and some baseball people feel that will prove to be the case, their best option for significantly strengthening …
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Matt Gelb / Philly.com:
Phillies hire former Twins GM Terry Ryan as scout — The Phillies continued to add to their front office Wednesday with the hire of Terry Ryan, a seasoned baseball man who has a long-time relationship with team president Andy MacPhail, as a special-assignment scout.
Discussion:
Phillies Nation
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Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Phillies Hire Terry Ryan As Special Assignment Scout — The Phillies announced that they've hired former Twins general manager Terry Ryan as a special assignment scout. The move will reunite Ryan with team president Andy MacPhail, whom he knows well from the pair's days together …
Discussion:
The Good Phight and Yahoo Sports
Scott LauberESPN / ESPN:
Who will replace Big Papi in Boston? — BOSTON — In case you missed it two weeks ago, David Ortiz filed the paperwork with Major League Baseball that made the inevitable official. — Big Papi is retired. — So, although Ortiz still occasionally walks through the doors of Fenway Park …
Discussion:
providencejournal.com, MLB Trade Rumors and FenwayNation
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Rob Bradford / Full Count:
Source: Red Sox ‘probably’ not going to be finalist for Edwin Encarnacion
Discussion:
Boston, Over the Monster, MLB Daily Dish, NESN.com and FenwayNation
Rick Westhead / TSN:
Encarnacion's agent says Jays ‘showing Edwin the most love’
Discussion:
MLB Daily Dish, Union-News, Yanks Go Yard, Bless You Boys, Jays Journal, NESN.com, MLB Trade Rumors and FanRag Sports
