Top News:
ESPN:
Jeff Wilpon: Mets wanted to ‘block’ rival Phillies from All-Star closer Edwin Diaz — New York Mets executive Jeff Wilpon said the team aggressively pushed to acquire Edwin Diaz in part to “block” the rival Philadelphia Phillies from trading for the All-Star closer. — EDITOR'S PICKS
RELATED:
Kristie Ackert / New York Daily News:
Mets say it would take this to trade Noah Syndergaard, plus a David Wright update — The Mets have been willing to listen to offers on Noah Syndergaard this winter, but they are not expecting to hear a return that is enough for them to part with the big right-hander.
Discussion:
Bleacher Report and MLB Trade Rumors
Kristie Ackert / New York Daily News:
Phillies' interest in Edwin Diaz forced Mets to go all-in on closer — The Mets were not going to let Edwin Diaz get away. — When the club heard that the Phillies were pushing for a deal to bring Diaz to the City of Brotherly Love, they pushed harder. — “We got word of that …
Kristie Ackert / New York Daily News:
Win-now Mets in need of more moves following Robinson Cano trade
Mike Puma / New York Post:
Jay Bruce speaks after Mets trade, with Van Wagenen praise
Discussion:
SNY
Mark Fischer / New York Daily News:
Yankees president Randy Levine says 'We're as good as the Red Sox' — Conceding the Red Sox are superior is forbidden in these parts and Randy Levine is staying within the ideals of the Evil Empire. — Even if it means stretching popular opinion. — “I think we're as good as the Red Sox right now …
RELATED:
Chicago Tribune:
Dodgers enter Bryce Harper sweepstakes — and that's a game-changer — The Washington Post — For a solid month now, the pursuit of free agent outfielder Bryce Harper, centered mainly around a trio of east coast franchises — in Washington, Philadelphia and the Bronx …
Chicago Tribune:
White Sox send Jim Thome to Las Vegas to meet with Bryce Harper — The White Sox aren't letting the state of their rebuild stand in the way of having lofty ambitions. — Hall of Fame slugger Jim Thome flew to Las Vegas last month as part of the organization's sales pitch …
Discussion:
Bleacher Nation and DodgerBlue.com
Yahoo! Sports:
Sources: After landing LeBron, Magic Johnson travels with Dodgers officials to court Bryce Harper
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News …, NESN.com, Bleacher Nation, Bleacher Report, True Blue LA, Sox On 35th, DodgerBlue.com, South Side Sox and MLB Trade Rumors
Scooby Axson / Sports Illustrated:
MLB Trade Rumors: Dodgers Meet With Bryce Harper
Discussion:
WEEI and Bleacher Nation
Jeff Todd / MLB Trade Rumors:
Nationals To Sign Patrick Corbin — The Nationals have agreed to a deal with veteran lefty Patrick Corbin, according to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Corbin, a client of ISE Baseball, has landed a $140MM guarantee over a six-year term, Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets.
RELATED:
Bob Nightengale / USA Today:
With everybody making moves, the NL East is suddenly baseball's most compelling division — The National League East has suddenly become the most intriguing, mesmerizing and dynamic division in all of baseball. — The furious divisional quartet of the Washington Nationals, New York Mets …
Bill Plaschke / The Charlotte Observer:
Dodgers make the right move by giving manager Dave Roberts a new contract — The roster changes daily. The lineup changes nightly. The bullpen reorganizes. The rotation rotates. — Throughout the last three Los Angeles Dodgers seasons, amid the constant rearranging of a clubhouse …
RELATED:
Bob Nightengale / USA Today:
Mariners' rebuild painful to watch, but it didn't have to be
Discussion:
The Seattle Times and Sports Illustrated
Henry Schulman / San Francisco Chronicle:
Giants' Dave Righetti to remain in organization — Former Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti is not riding into the sunset just yet. Righetti, whose contract with the club was due to expire at the end of the year, will have a place in the new baseball administration.
Discussion:
McCovey Chronicles
ESPN:
Young players have officially taken over major league baseball — This summer, when we asked major league veterans to talk about getting old, only one of them — Adam Jones, father of two sons — brought up Lightning McQueen. — Aging is not so much the body breaking down, Jones theorized …
Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
Column: The Cubs have needs to address with winter meetings approaching — and the time is ripe to make roster moves — Photos of Theo Epstein, the Cubs' president of baseball operations. — Chicago Tribune — Baseball lifer Jack McKeon thought Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde was qualified …
Ken Rosenthal / The Athletic:
Inside the Phils' pursuit of Segura; is Haniger the next to go? ; Mets not finished yet; more notes — Imagine closer Edwin Díaz providing the difference down the stretch as the Mets edge the Phillies for the 2019 NL East title. — Far-fetched? Perhaps, at least as both teams are presently constituted.
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors, SNY, Phillies Nation, NBCSports.com, The Good Phight, Cubs Insider, Bleacher Nation and The Seattle Times
