Top News:
Bob Nightengale / USA Today:
Rob Manfred: MLB teams should plan for spring training to start on time, full 162-game season to be played — Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred informed clubs Monday that they should be preparing for spring training to start on time in February and to plan on a full 162-game season being played …
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Bill Shaikin / Los Angeles Times:
MLB 2021 fan plan: No mandate for vaccines or COVID-19 tests — Major League Baseball does not plan to mandate that fans provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result before entering a ballpark this year. — In a memo sent to teams Monday and obtained by the Los Angeles Times …
Discussion:
Federal Baseball, USA Today, Brew Crew Ball, Bleacher Nation, NBCSports.com and MLB Baseball News …
Kyle Koster / The Big Lead:
Wouldn't Mind Seeing Charlie From Manitowoc Get More Reps in the Green Bay Packers Booth — Comedian Charlie Berens put together this joyful bit as a joke because that's what comedians do. But if you dig past the laughter, there's something extremely endearing about having an Average Joe in the broadcast booth.
Discussion:
Daily DDT, Amazon Adviser, Air Alamo, Dog of the Day, Victory Bell Rings, GMEN HQ and Saturday Blitz
The Athletic:
Will a James Harden trade happen soon? Sources indicate it could — When James Harden brought the Houston Rockets' messy melodrama to center stage late Tuesday night, announcing during his 90-second postgame Zoom session that “it's something that I don't think can be fixed,” …
Ken Rosenthal / The Athletic:
Realmuto to Astros unlikely; Hendriks' contract; Padres consider more arms — Free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto is a fit for the Astros, at least from a baseball perspective. But the quality of the draft picks the team would sacrifice for signing Realmuto, or any other free agent attached …
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors, NBCSports.com, New York Post and MLB Baseball News …
Kyle Koster / The Big Lead:
Rey Ordóñez and the Fault in Our Stars — When logging onto the Internet (capitalized in assorted style guides back then) required a dial tone, they pumped up to four baseball games into my childhood home for the price of a cable-television package.
Discussion:
Sabre Noise
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cubs, Cardinals, and NL Central rivals are busy making moves, going nowhere — In what has been a whirlwind winter in some corners of Major League Baseball, the Windy City has added a Hall of Fame manager, a needlepoint outfielder, a pitcher with Cardinals ties who has been one of the steadiest starters …
Discussion:
Bleacher Nation
MLB Insiders / ESPN:
One year after the scandal, how do we view the Astros — and what's next for MLB? — On Jan. 13, 2020, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred released his findings and announced the Houston Astros' punishment for electronically stealing signs during the team's 2017 World Series run.
Jesse Rogers / ESPN:
Pitcher Corey Kluber hopes bullpen session shows he's healthy after 2 lost seasons — Free agent Corey Kluber is out to prove he's healthy, as the right-hander prepares for a bullpen session in front of major league teams Wednesday in Florida. — The two time Cy Young winner has pitched …
Discussion:
New Jersey Online, MLB Trade Rumors, Kings of Kauffman, Bleacher Nation, Cubs Insider, Pinstripe Alley and Lookout Landing
Listen to Free Radio:
Joe Judge on Daniel Jones' future: ‘He gives us the confidence to go forward’ — Is Daniel Jones the future at quarterback the New York Giants? — Even after just two years, that's a question that will be asked ad nauseum (as if it hasn't already) until either Jones takes a major step forward …
Discussion:
Big Blue View, MLB Baseball News … and Elite Sports NY
David Schoenfield / ESPN:
Francisco Lindor says he's open to discussing long-term deal with New York Mets — The New York Mets have been searching for years for a superstar position player. They now have one in Francisco Lindor, and the big question on everyone's mind: Will he sign a long-term deal with the Mets?
Mark Feinsand / MLB.com:
How Bauer stacks up against Cole, Stras — Trevor Bauer's stature as the top pitcher available in free agency is very clear. What remains unclear is how much the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner is worth on the open market. — It's unclear precisely what type of contract Bauer is seeking …
Discussion:
FanSided, MLB Trade Rumors, Talking Chop and Bleacher Nation