Top News:
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.
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.
Ben Frederickson / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cardinals' Weaver packs on pounds
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Giants Acquire Andrew McCutchen — 5:34pm: Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets that the Pirates are covering $2.5MM of McCutchen's $14.75MM salary. — 5:25pm: It became all the more clear on Monday that Pirates fans are looking at the end of an era, as the team announced that face …
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Bradford DoolittleESPN / ESPN:
Old, bold and unwilling to fold: Can the Giants make one last run? — Did you ever have a year so bad you wish you could just pretend it didn't happen? The year just completed — 2017 — was kind of like that for the San Francisco Giants. And while it's not possible for them to have their …
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 …
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
Fox Sports:
Howie Kendrick and Nationals agree to $7M, 2-year contract — WASHINGTON (AP) The Nationals have agreed to a $7 million, two-year contract with outfielder Howie Kendrick, a deal subject to a successful physical. — Agent Pat Murphy confirmed the deal to The Associated Press on Monday.
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Jeff Todd / MLB Trade Rumors:
Nationals, Howie Kendrick Agree To Two-Year Deal — 2:14pm: Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the two sides have reached an agreement, pending a physical (Twitter links). The contract contains an additional $2.25MM worth of incentives that can be unlocked based on plate appearances.
Discussion:
NBCSports.com, FanRag Sports, Mets Merized Online and Lone Star Ball
Mike Mazzeo / New York Daily News:
Mets' infield options shrink as Howie Kendrick signs with Nationals
Mets' infield options shrink as Howie Kendrick signs with Nationals
Discussion:
MLB on Yahoo! Sports
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:
FanRag Sports and MLB on Yahoo! Sports
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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:
MLB on Yahoo! Sports and Pinstripe Alley
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Bob Nightengale / WKYC-TV:
Pittsburgh Pirates trade Gerrit Cole to World Series champion Houston Astros
Pittsburgh Pirates trade Gerrit Cole to World Series champion Houston Astros
Discussion:
MLB on Yahoo! Sports
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 …