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9:30 PM ET, December 5, 2019

Ballbug

 Top News: 
Jeff Passan / ESPN:
Sources: Yankees make signing righty Gerrit Cole top offseason priority  —  The New York Yankees have made signing right-hander Gerrit Cole their clear offseason priority and have ownership-level approval to offer him a record-setting deal, sources familiar with their plans told ESPN.
Bob Nightengale / USA Today:
As free agency dominoes fall, Madison Bumgarner is expected to fetch at least $100 million  —  The free-agent pitching market broke wide open Wednesday, but the biggest winner of the day might be Madison Bumgarner.  —  With the Philadelphia Phillies signing Zack Wheeler for $118 million …
RELATED:
ESPN:
Sources: Zack Wheeler joins Phillies on five-year deal worth $118 million
New York Times:
Steve Cohen in Talks to Buy Majority of Mets From Wilpons  —  The deal with Mr. Cohen, a billionaire hedge fund manager, would represent a significant change in the New York sports landscape.  —  Steven A. Cohen, a minority investor in the Mets, is negotiating with the Wilpon family to purchase …
RELATED:
Scott Soshnick / Bloomberg:
Mets in Talks to Sell 80% of Team to Investor Steve Cohen
Todd Dybas / NBCSports.com:
Nationals owner Mark Lerner says team can't afford Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon  —  The prime question as soon as Stephen Strasburg opted out of his contract was this: Could the Nationals afford to bring back Strasburg and Anthony Rendon?  According to managing principal owner Mark Lerner, the answer is no.
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Mets Acquire Jake Marisnick  —  10:40am: The Astros and Mets have both announced the trade.  —  10:27am: Houston will receive left-hander Blake Taylor and outfielder Kenedy Corona in return for Marisnick, ESPN's Jeff Passan tweets.  Taylor was on the Mets' 40-man roster after having …
Jeff Todd / MLB Trade Rumors:
Brewers Nearing Acquisition Of Omar Narvaez  —  The Brewers are closing in on a deal with the Mariners to acquire catcher Omar Narvaez, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter).  The trade return remains unknown.  —  Narvaez is one of the few backstops in baseball that can match …
Bill Baer / MLB Baseball News, Scores …:
Report: Twins, Michael Pineda agree to two-year, $20 million contract  —  Pierre Noujaim of Fox9 Minneapolis reports that the Twins and free agent starter  —  Michael Pineda have agreed on a two-year contract.  —  The Athletic's Dan Hayes confirms Noujaim's report and adds that the deal is for $20 million.
Yoo Jee-ho / Yonhap News Agency:
Two S. Korean players posted for MLB clubs  —  A pair of former South Korean baseball MVPs have been made available to major league clubs.  —  The Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner's Office announced Thursday (local time) that SK Wyverns' left-hander Kim Kwang-hyun …
Tim Tucker / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
How the signing of Cole Hamels affects Braves' 2020 payroll  —  Apparently, Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei was serious a couple of weeks ago when he said the Braves would “spend some money” this offseason.  And apparently, Braves executive Mike Plant was serious, too, when he said on that same day, “We're going to go after it.”
Discussion: Talking Chop
RELATED:
Mark Polishuk / MLB Trade Rumors:
Rangers Sign Nick Ciuffo, Wei-Chieh Huang To Minors Deals  —  The Rangers announced that catcher Nick Ciuffo and right-hander Wei-Chieh Huang have been signed to minor league contracts.  The two players and utilityman Rob Refsnyder (whose signing was reported last week) will all receive invites to the big league Spring Training camp.
Discussion: Lone Star Ball
Jeff Wilson / Baseball America:
2019 Minor League Manager Of The Year: Corey Ragsdale  —  Awards and recognition really aren't Corey Ragsdale's thing.  —  They're nice and all, he said, but they're more a reflection of a team effort rather than one person pulling on the rope.  —  So Ragsdale is deflecting credit to players …
Discussion: Lone Star Ball
Sam Fortier / Washington Post:
New Redskins wide receiver credits Colin Kaepernick workout for giving him another shot at NFL  —  The defining moment of Colin Kaepernick's long-awaited, hotly debated workout last month was a deep ball down the left sideline that sailed through the Georgia sky and landed 50 yards away …
Bill Shaikin / Los Angeles Times:
Angels and Anaheim reach a deal for the team to stay in city through 2050  —  The Angels have bound themselves to the city of Anaheim longer than they have bound themselves to Mike Trout.  —  For more than half a century, the Angels have played in a stadium surrounded by acres of parking lots.
Discussion: Bleacher Nation and NBCSports.com
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 More News: 
Associated Press:
Player treatment, not discipline, likely for opioids
Discussion: MLB Baseball News … and NESN.com
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Angels Acquire Dylan Bundy
ESPN:
St. Pete, Rays end talks of sharing team's home slate with Montreal
Discussion: MLB Baseball News … and NESN.com
 Earlier Picks: 
MLB Baseball News, Scores, Standings …:
Rangers honor retired jerseys with dimensions at new stadium
Discussion: Lone Star Ball
Jared Martin / Sports Illustrated:
Derek Shelton Officially Introduced as Pirates Manager - Reaction to the Press Conference
 

 
From WeSmirch:

Miranda Siwak / Us Weekly:
50 Cent Is ‘Going for Sole Custody’ of His Son With Daphne Joy After She Was Named in Diddy Lawsuit (Exclusive)

Jeff Conway / Forbes:
Olivia Colman Reflects On Her Beloved Career: ‘I Have Been Very Lucky’

Heidi Parker / Daily Mail:
Jennifer Aniston, 55, and Sandra Bullock, 59, are seen leaving a plastic surgery office in Connecticut that is known for facelifts and rhinoplasty

 
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