Top News:
Billy Witz / New York Times:
W.B.C. Championship Will Be a Study in Contrasts — LOS ANGELES — This World Baseball Classic has taken the languid pastime of springtime baseball and turned it into something else, as if the game were being viewed through a fun house mirror. — It has had outrageous defense …
Discussion:
ESPN, Los Angeles Times, CBS Detroit, NBCSports.com, Baseball America, Associated Press, New York Daily News, Cubs Insider, CBS Chicago, Bless You Boys, The Good Phight, Royals Review, Bleacher Nation, Twinkie Town, Dallas Morning News, Amazin' Avenue, Lookout Landing, The Big Lead, Sportsnet.ca and Bluebird Banter
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Keaton Moore / Fox Sports:
USA Shuts Out Puerto Rico to be Crowned the 2017 World Baseball Classic Champions — Keaton Moore/FanSided via Call to the Pen Fansided March 23, 2017 — And just like that, the United States stunned the Team Puerto Rico to win their first-ever World Baseball Classic championship.
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports:
Marcus Stroman's choice puts United States' WBC hopes in his hands
Marcus Stroman's choice puts United States' WBC hopes in his hands
Discussion:
Sportsnet.ca and baseballmusings.com
Doug Miller / MLB.com:
USA ousts Japan, in case you mist it!
USA ousts Japan, in case you mist it!
Discussion:
New York Times and Halos Heaven
Vince Lara-Cinisomo / Baseball America:
Longtime GM and Manager Dallas Green Dies — Dallas Green, the first Phillies manager to win a World Series and later the general manager who brought Ryne Sandberg to the Cubs, died Wednesday. He was 82. — A cause of death was not announced, but Green had been receiving dialysis treatment …
Discussion:
CSN Philly, Amazin' Avenue, The Good Phight and Yahoo Sports
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Frank Fitzpatrick / Philly.com:
Dallas Green, first Phillies manager to win the World Series, dies at 82 — Dallas Green, 82, the bearish, blustering, boom box-throated manager who in 1980 whipped a talented but complacent Phillies team to the franchise's first world championship, died Wednesday, a team official confirmed.
Discussion:
Yahoo Sports and Phillies Nation
Mark Polishuk / MLB Trade Rumors:
Mariners Option Dan Vogelbach To Triple-A — In a somewhat surprising move, the Mariners announced that first baseman Dan Vogelbach has been optioned to Triple-A. GM Jerry Dipoto told reporters (including Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times) that veteran Danny Valencia will be the Mariners' everyday …
Discussion:
Yahoo Sports, U.S.S. Mariner and Lookout Landing
Fortune:
Theo Epstein — President, Baseball Operations, Chicago Cubs Theo Epstein walks across Wrigley Field after a news conference. — In the fall of 2016, as partisan distrust and division reached abysmal depths, fascination with the Chicago Cubs became that all-too-rare phenomenon that united America.
Discussion:
CBS Chicago, CBS Boston, Bleacher Nation, Sportsnet.ca and Bleed Cubbie Blue
Jon Heyman / FanRag Sports:
Heyman: 30 potential breakout players for 2017 — CLEARWATER, Fla. - Young Yankees slugger Greg Bird hit two blasts here at Spectrum Field Wednesday afternoon, and it seemed for a while like they might actually fly onto busy US-19 that encircles the back of this comely park.
Discussion:
Bluebird Banter and Federal Baseball
Mark Polishuk / MLB Trade Rumors:
Giants Release Gordon Beckham — 5:05pm: The Giants have officially released Beckham, the club told reporters (including Andrew Baggarly of the Bay Area News Group). — 4:10pm: The Giants will release Gordon Beckham from his minor league contract with the club as per Beckham's request, MLBTR has learned.
Discussion:
KNBR-AM
Cincinnati.com:
MRI shows no structural damage in the elbow of the Reds' Raisel Iglesias — GOODYEAR, Ariz. - An MRI showed a bone bruise in Raisel Iglesias' right elbow, but no structural damage, Reds manager Bryan Price. Iglesias is scheduled to begin a throwing program on Sunday, timing that could put his readiness for Opening Day in jeopardy.
Discussion:
FanRag Sports, MLB Trade Rumors and Redleg Nation
David Pinto / baseballmusings.com:
Team Offense, Milwaukee Brewers — The 2017 series on team offense continues with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers finished tied for 11th in the National League and tied for twenty fifth in the majors in 2016 with 4.14 runs scored per game. — I am using RotoChamp as a source of default lineups.
Jeff Todd / MLB Trade Rumors:
Brewers Release Joba Chamberlain, Ryan Webb — The Brewers have released veteran righties Joba Chamberlain and Ryan Webb, per a club announcement. Both had been signed to minor-league deals over the offseason. — Though he allowed only three runs in his eight spring frames …
Discussion:
Al's Ramblings and MLB Daily Dish
George A. King III / New York Post:
Yankees getting trade offers to fill sudden shortstop hole … CLEARWATER, Fla. — Taking the approach that the answer is always no until you ask the question, the Reds and Tigers contacted the Yankees to see if they had an interest in acquiring a shortstop after Didi Gregorius went down with a shoulder injury.
Discussion:
FanGraphs Baseball, Beyond the Box Score, MLB Daily Dish and MLB Trade Rumors