Top News:
ESPN:
Fantasy reaction to Andrew McCutchen's trade to the Giants — Give new San Francisco Giants outfielder Andrew McCutchen some credit. After all, a year ago at this time, most fantasy managers viewed the longtime statistical great as having lost much of his relevance, as his production cratered …
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Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Giants, Pirates Agree To Andrew McCutchen Trade — 4:14pm: Baggarly tweets that it will indeed be Crick and Reynolds going to Pittsburgh in exchange for McCutchen. It does not appear as if there's any money changing hands, he adds. — 3:56pm: The Pirates will receive one additional …
Discussion:
Mercury News, McCovey Chronicles and Purple Row
NBC Sports BayArea / MLB on Yahoo! Sports:
SAN FRANCISCO - Whenever a marquee free agent signs in the offseason, people around the league talk about the floodgates opening for other deals. For the Giants, the hope is that a weekend trade, not a signing, might be the trigger for increased movement. — The — Pittsburgh Pirates dealt right-hander
Discussion:
Bucs Dugout, McCovey Chronicles and Lone Star Ball
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cards notebook: Waino's future not an issue for either side right now — Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright said he spent parts of last season oscillating between thinking he was pitching well enough for a contract extension to pitching poorly enough that he wouldn't get one.
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Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Matheny leaning toward lineup with Carpenter batting third, Fowler leading off — St. Louis Cardinals' Dexter Fowler celebrates with teammate Matt Carpenter as he returns to the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals …
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Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cecil started early to be ready for late-game assignments — ST. LOUIS • On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is what the Cardinals signed him to do in relief and 1 is, well, something shy of being released, Brett Cecil proved to be a harsh grader of his first season in the club's bullpen.
Jeff Wilson / Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
Darvish staying calm in stalled market, but would Rangers have a chance if he blinks? — Yu Darvish can probably scratch the Houston Astros off his list of suitors. — The Astros, the reigning world champs, added to their deep starting rotation Sunday by acquiring right-hander Gerrit Cole from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley
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Jeff Todd / MLB Trade Rumors:
Nationals, Howie Kendrick Agree To Two-Year Deal — 2:14pm: The two sides have reached an agreement, tweets MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. The deal is pending a physical. — 10:01am: The Nationals are nearing a deal with infielder/outfielder Howie Kendrick, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).
Discussion:
MLB on Yahoo! Sports, FanRag Sports, Mets Merized Online and Lone Star Ball
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Kaz Nagatsuka / Japan Times:
Hideki Matsui elected to Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame — Hideki Matsui already has three Central League MVPs, a World Series MVP and a People's Honor Award, and he has played for the most storied teams in both Japan and the United States. — “Godzilla” has collected numerous accolades …
Discussion:
MLB on Yahoo! Sports and FanRag Sports
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ESPN:
Baseball's best bets to break out in 2018 — Predicting breakout seasons is the holy grail for front office executives and fantasy baseball players, one of baseball's most profitable prognostication challenges. The 2018 season will have its own Justin Smoak and Yonder Alonso …
Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
Cubs say Sammy Sosa not welcome back until he puts ‘everything on the table’ — Chicago Tribune — The red carpet won't be rolled out at Wrigley Field for Sammy Sosa until he comes clean. — Chairman Tom Ricketts issued a lengthy but vague reply Saturday at the Cubs Convention …
Discussion:
CBS Chicago, MLB on Yahoo! Sports and Bleed Cubbie Blue
Associated Press:
Blue Jays announce plans for extended protective netting at Rogers Centre — TORONTO — The Blue Jays will extend the protective netting at Rogers Centre to the outfield end of each dugout this season and increase the height of netting behind home plate by approximately 10 feet, to 28 feet.
Steve Greenberg / Chicago Sun Times:
Willson Contreras: ‘I want to be the best catcher in the game for a long time’ — This is sure to rub somebody out there the wrong way. Willson Contreras will come off as cocky, or too big for his polyester britches. He may even be accused of being disrespectful to a pair of opposing players who are catching royalty.
Discussion:
NBCSports.com, Bleacher Nation and MLB on Yahoo! Sports
ESPN:
Olney: How do teams value leadership on the free-agent market? Not as much as you'd think — Jason Heyward knows first-hand that teams are much more likely to pay for defense than they would have been 15 or 20 years ago, having pulled an eight-year, $184 million deal from the Cubs mainly because of how he covers outfield.
Discussion:
Royals Review, Bleacher Nation and MLB Trade Rumors
