Top News:
Maria Torres / Los Angeles Times:
Former Angels infielder Luis Valbuena is killed in a car crash — Former Angels infielder Luis Valbuena, who played in Anaheim as recently as August, was killed in a car crash late Thursday after playing in a winter league game in his native Venezuela. — Cardenales de Lara teammate Jose Castillo …
Discussion:
NBCSports.com, BeisbolPLay, Fox News, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Crawfish Boxes and McCovey Chronicles
RELATED:
ESPN:
Ex-MLB players Luis Valbuena, Jose Castillo killed in car crash — Former Major League Baseball players Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo were killed in a car accident Thursday night, a spokesperson for their Venezuelan team, Cardenales de Lara, confirmed. — Valbuena was 33. Castillo was 37.
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News …, NESN.com and Let's Go Tribe
Associated Press:
Ex-MLB players Luis Valbuena, Jose Castillo die in car crash in Venezuela — CARACAS, Venezuela — Former Major League Baseball players Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo have been killed in a car crash in Venezuela. — MLB tweeted late Thursday the 33-year-old Valbuena and 37-year-old Castillo died.
Doug Delony / KHOU-TV:
‘RIP hermano’: Teammates, fans react to deaths of two former Houston Astros — Valbuena played in 222 games for Houston in 2015-16, while Castillo had a 15-game stint in 2008. — HOUSTON - The baseball community is in mourning early Friday after news broke overnight of the deaths of two Major League players.
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Luis Valbuena, Former Pirates Infielder Jose Castillo Killed In Car Accident In Venezuela
Discussion:
Al's Ramblings
Jim Reineking / WKYC-TV:
Former Cleveland Indians player Luis Valbuena among 2 dead in crash
Discussion:
Detroit News, CBS News and WEEI
Rick Hummel / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Goldschmidt, ‘the perfect fit’ for Cardinals, says all the right things — The newest Cardinal, longtime Arizona star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, said Friday during a press conference what Cardinals many fans would hope to hear. — “I don't know of a player in baseball who doesn't want to play here …
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Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
Paul Goldschmidt could put St. Louis ‘over the top’ in NL Central, Cardinals boss says — Chicago Tribune — The day after Cubs President Theo Epstein called 2019 a year of “reckoning,” the rival Cardinals said they hope to end their three-year postseason drought after trading for six-time All-Star Paul Goldschmidt.
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Goldschmidt's peers already see a match between All-Star slugger and the Cardinals
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cardinals introduce the new centerpiece of their offense: No. 46 Goldschmidt
Jon Tayler / Sports Illustrated:
Paul Goldschmidt Trade Underscores MLB's Depressing Boom-and-Bust Culture
Discussion:
NESN.com and FiveThirtyEight
Nick Piecoro / Arizona Republic:
Carson Kelly eager to catch on with Diamondbacks
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos
Dave Sheinin / Chicago Tribune:
In a winter of bold moves, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are still waiting — The Washington Post — It takes a certain resolve to trade away the best position player in your franchise's history, coming off a season in which you contended until mid-September, but that's what the Arizona Diamondbacks …
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News … and Federal Baseball
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Chris Lingebach / 106.7 The Fan:
Mark Lerner: Nats' offer to Bryce Harper ‘best we can do’ — Friday at Nationals Park was supposed to be about introducing Patrick Corbin to fans, but arguably the largest news item to come from the day wasn't about Corbin at all. — Nationals managing principal owner Mark Lerner spoke …
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors, Federal Baseball and DodgerBlue.com
Jesse Yomtov / Des Moines Register:
Nationals owner: 'Really don't expect' Bryce Harper to come back — Washington Nationals owner Mark Lerner seems resigned to the fact that Bryce Harper will be signing elsewhere this winter. — At Nationals Park introducing pitcher Patrick Corbin on Friday, Lerner spoke at length …
Sam McDowell / Kansas City Star:
As the MLB winter meetings near, let's take a look at the Royals' objectives there — During a span of 72 hours in a haven for those with a risk-seeking propensity, the top brass of 30 MLB teams will gather in a hotel and install, tweak and refine offseason blueprints.
Discussion:
Fish Stripes and Red Reporter
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Brian T. Smith / Houston Chronicle:
Smith: It's a little early to be worrying about Astros' offseason
Discussion:
Plain Dealer and Arizona Sports
ESPN:
Kluber for Schwarber and more trades we want to see in Vegas — Trades have dominated the hot stove season so far, and why should that stop in Las Vegas? — Before the winter meetings begin in Sin City, we identified another wave of big-name players who could be on the move …
Discussion:
New Jersey Online and True Blue LA
Bradford Doolittle / ESPN:
MLB's next big thing: Ranking the Today's Game Era Hall of Fame ballot — When the baseball industry makes its way to Las Vegas this weekend for the winter meetings, among the early arrivals will be the members of the 16-person “Hall of Fame-appointed electorate,” which is charged with evaluating …
David Schoenfield / ESPN:
Keeping playoff hero Eovaldi a risk Red Sox could afford to take — One of my favorite moments of the postseason came when the Red Sox lost Game 3 of the World Series to the Dodgers, the 18-inning game that never ended. Nathan Eovaldi was the losing pitcher after serving up a walk-off home run to Max Muncy.
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley and Over the Monster
RELATED:
Darren Hartwell / NBCSports.com:
MLB Rumors: Is Craig Kimbrel holding up free-agent reliever market?
Discussion:
Over the Monster and The Athletic
Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune:
White Sox newcomer Alex Colome eager to compete for closer role: ‘I know I can do the job’ — Chicago Tribune — Newcomer Alex Colome's 96 career saves make him a natural candidate to handle the closer role for the White Sox. — “I wasn't expecting a trade to Chicago,” Colome said Thursday during a conference call with reporters.
RELATED:
Jeff Wilson / Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
Rangers hand out 2018 awards. Who won what in the first year of their rebuilding plan? — Texas Rangers right fielder Shin-Soo Choo (17) lines out to San Diego Padres starting pitcher Tyson Ross (38) in the fifth inning as the Rangers play the Padres at Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX, Tuesday, June 26, 2018.
