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We still have so much to learn about defense, but one thing just about everybody can agree on now is that free agent Jermaine Dye isn’t any good in right field at this stage of his career. Given the nature of the concepts used to measure defense and the smaller sample sizes being dealt with,…

Satisfied with his role but not with the idea of spending another year in Texas, Omar Vizquel became the first major league free agent to sign with a different team Monday, joining the White Sox on a one-year, $1.375 million contract. In Chicago, Vizquel will be counted on to play behind youngsters Alexei Ramirez and…

With a deal seeming more likely by the hour, let’s run through the candidates to pick up Toronto’s ace: Yankees – Money isn’t much of an issue, and the Yankees certainly have the pieces to get a deal done between Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, elite hitting prospect Jesus Montero and outfielder Austin Jackson. Also, new…

Free Agency Preview – Catcher Free Agency Preview – First base & DH Free Agency Preview – Second base Free Agency Preview – Third base Free Agency Preview – Shortstop Free Agency Preview – Outfield Free Agency Preview – Starting pitchers This is the last in a series of columns looking at this winter’s free…

The wheels were set in motion for Josh Johnson to join a sterling class of free agent starters in two years when he and the Marlins reached an impasse in contract talks on Friday. Agent Matt Sosnick told ESPN.com that he and Johnson were using the four-year, $38 million contract that Zack Greinke signed a…

The Red Sox have discussed Matt Holliday, Adrian Beltre, Mike Gonzalez and Rick Ankiel with agent Scott Boras, the Boston Herald’s Michael Silverman reports. There are no big surprises in the list. Holliday may well have taken over as Boston’s top priority following Jason Bay’s decision to reject a four-year, $60 million offer. That’s not…

MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat reported Friday that the Blue Jays initiated contact with the Cubs on a potential Roy Halladay deal. Muskat doesn’t believe anything will happen with the Cubs in that regard, but, if true, it’s still awfully interesting that the Jays are calling around to discuss Halladay with other teams. That suggests a deal…

Friday was the last day for teams to add prospects to the 40-man roster in advance of next month’s Rule 5 draft. That resulted in plenty of minor moves of interest mostly to geeks like me: *The Red Sox claimed reliever Robert Manuel off waivers from the Mariners. Manuel, 26, was the return from the…

From the Denver Post’s Troy Renck comes the news that the Rockies are looking to sign starting second baseman Clint Barmes to a two-year deal with an option for 2012 that would buy out his first year of free agency. On the surface, it might not seem like a bad idea at all. Having received…

Free Agency Preview – Catcher Free Agency Preview – First base & DH Free Agency Preview – Second base Free Agency Preview – Third base Free Agency Preview – Shortstop Free Agency Preview – Outfield This is part seven in a series of columns looking at this winter’s free agents, trade candidates and non-tender possibilities.…

On the day before teams could officially make offers to another team’s free agents, most of the talk from GMs and owners related to which players they wouldn’t pursue. *As we touched on earlier, the Angels are out on Matt Holliday. *The Giants say it’s doubtful that they’ll be involved in the chase for Holliday…

FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, who suddenly joined twitter a mere two days after I whined about his absence mentions that that the Braves were turned down by the Brewers after offering Derek Lowe for Corey Hart. It wasn’t a tough call for Milwaukee. Hart’s stock is way down from a year ago and he likely could…

Aaron Heilman was traded for a third time in 12 months Wednesday, going from the Cubs to the Diamondbacks for prospects Scott Maine and Ryne White. There’s a good chance the Cubs would have non-tendered Heilman. The former Met did bounce back from an awful 2008, lowering his ERA from 5.21 to 4.11 last season,…

Talking to The News Journal’s Scott Lauber, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. on Wednesday listed third base and bullpen help as his top priorities this winter, adding that he didn’t expect his team’s payroll to exceed $140 million by much if any margin. That doesn’t leave the Phillies with as much flexibility as anticipated. The…

As indecisive as the voters were on who was the NL’s best pitcher in 2009, there was an incredible consensus on the top three, with Tim Lincecum, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright claiming 94 of the 96 available ballot spots. Not surprisingly, the two voters who were against the grain weren’t from the usual pool…

Angels owner Arte Moreno gave the Los Angeles Times a bunch of quotes that illustrate where his team stands entering free agency. *Reaffirming GM Tony Reagins’ quotes from a couple of days ago, Moreno said there will be no pursuit of free agent Matt Holliday: “He is not going to be an Angel. We are…

23-year-old Nippon Ham Fighters ace Yu Darvish and Venezuelan outfielder Alex Ramirez took home the Japanese league MVP awards on Wednesday. Darvish, who probably qualifies as one of the world’s top 10 pitchers, earned the Pacific League honor despite making just 23 starts this season. He went 15-5 with a 1.73 ERA and a 167/45…

Let down by Jason Giambi, Orlando Cabrera and Nomar Garciaparra last winter, the A’s plan to sit out free agency this time, GM Billy Beane told MLB.com on Wednesday. Instead, he wants to go the trade route. “We’re going to look at young players to fill spots, first and foremost,” Beane said. “If those players…

Free Agency Preview – Catcher Free Agency Preview – First base & DH Free Agency Preview – Second base Free Agency Preview – Third base Free Agency Preview – Shortstop This is part six in a series of columns looking at this winter’s free agents, trade candidates and non-tender possibilities. I’ll be making predictions for…

Steve Kornacki of Booth Newspapers was the lone writer to give Justin Verlander a first-place vote in the AL Cy Young balloting announced Tuesday. The decision didn’t cost Zack Greinke a unanimous selection — Felix Hernandez claimed two first-place votes — but it did move Verlander past CC Sabathia into third place in the voting.…

A source told FOXSports.com that the Cardinals, Dodgers, Mets, Mariners, Astros, Rangers and Orioles have expressed early interest in free agent John Smoltz. That there are three AL clubs in the group of seven teams is a bit of a surprise. It figured that the interest in Smoltz would be mostly concentrated among NL teams,…

Sure, $1.25 million is barely a drop in the bucket for the Bombers, but why spend it if you don’t have to? The Yankees on Tuesday declined Sergio Mitre’s $1.25 million option for 2010, but did so while retaining the 28-year-old’s rights for 2009. That’s because Mitre is short of the six years of service…

Annoyingly, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi have been doing a blog that’s not a blog for FOXSports. Rosenthal is the best in the biz at putting legitimate rumors out there, but FOX has made it more and more difficult to access his latest tidbits, with too much content that doesn’t carry over to RSS…

Free Agency Preview – Catcher Free Agency Preview – First base & DH Free Agency Preview – Second base Free Agency Preview – Third base This is part five in a series of columns looking at this winter’s free agents, trade candidates and non-tender possibilities. I’ll be making predictions for the key free agents, but…

With all of the rumors swirling about budgetary problems potentially forcing a Brandon Phillips deal, some will be surprised that the Reds didn’t simply let Ramon Hernandez leave as a free agent. After all, Ryan Hanigan is younger, makes the minimum and was a more effective player than Hernandez last season. The Reds could have…