Royals sign left-hander Jason Vargas to four-year deal

Meh.

The Kansas City Royals signed left-handed starter Jason Vargas to a four-year, $32 million contract Thursday, committing a significant number of years to a pitcher with a career 4.30 earned-run average but the ability to eat significant innings, sources close to the negotiations told Yahoo Sports.

The 30-year-old Vargas went 9-8 with a 4.02 ERA with the Los Angeles Angels last season after coming over from Seattle, where he threw 611 innings from 2010-12.

The signing cements the loss of ...

David Murphy’s daughter broke news of her dad’s move to Cleveland at daycare

A toddler close to the situation is reporting that free agent outfielder David Murphy has reached an agreement with the Cleveland Indians.

The story goes like this:

Murphy’s young daughter spent Tuesday telling everyone at her daycare that her father “is going to be an Indian.” Curious parents and teachers asked Murphy about it when he came to pick her up and, surprisingly, the former Texas Ranger confirmed the rumor.

Jose Canseco had goats in his car for some reason and got pulled over

Just got pulled over with goats in the car. The cop laughed at our poor goats . Awesome

Morrissey: Forget numbers; intangibles merit one more contract for Konerko

Morrissey now delivering whiplash.

If you tilt your head in just the right way, you might see Konerko as a battle line in the war (WAR?) between emotion and sabermetrics.

There is no measure from 2013 that would make you want Konerko on your roster, not at his age (he’ll turn 38 during spring training) and not with the nagging injuries that always seem to be tugging at him. He went .244/.313/.355 last season. The metrics crowd would suggest euthanasia is in order.

But Konerko has meant so ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 11-21-2013

Grantland Rice tries a few “Wilbert Robinson is fat” jokes on for size, November 21, 1913:

We offer the prediction that by the first of next May Wilbert Robinson will be regarded as one of the biggest managers in baseball.
...
If Robby could secure an infielder or an outfielder who can cover as much ground standing up as he does sitting down, there’d be no question as to the whereabouts of the next N.L. pennant.
...
The old Baltimore star has a great chance in Brooklyn, and those who know him ...

Don Malcolm: BUD, GET YER SKINNY ASS INTO THE WITNESS BOX

As vomiter turned hurler, David Leavitt Leo Daley, once noted…“Deconstructing the Twinkie is like trying to deconstruct the baseball universe.”

It should not be a surprise that the man who has reigned over what we smilingly (to keep from cryingly) refer to as “the B.S. era” would not be found within several kilometers of a witness stand. But perhaps ol’ Budzilla will regret the fact that his absence from the monkey court will provide A-Rod and his seemingly endless conga line of lawyers with a ...

Fraley: Will Prince Fielder flop like Josh Hamilton? There are similarities, but scouts say no

Hey this ain’t Clairol’s Touch of Yogurt shampoo you’re getting here or something.

Three major league scouts who observed Fielder this season said it is unlikely that he will experience the same fate with the Rangers. They also cautioned that Fielder appears to be on the downside of his career at age 29 and will be hard-pressed to be productive for the remaining seven years of his contract.

“There are a lot of holes in that swing, pitches that he wasn’t getting to anymore,” an American ...

Knapp: The King in Limbo

Dusty Baker: “He has a big heart; it’s just hard to get in there”... Peter Magowan: “The weight’s off his shoulders, things that were wearing him down, whether it was baseball or family issues. He just looks happier now”... Levi Leipheimer: “He does talk about [PEDs], not in specifics. He talks about the owners and the commissioner’s office and their relationship to it”... Kirk Rueter: The whole trip, he sat there with [my wife], and they were just talking, and he was telling her how to get ...

NY Times: Kepner: Yankees’ Best Deal Might Be Letting Cano Go

The Yankees have gotten nine excellent seasons and one championship from Robinson Cano. They have paid him about $58 million. Now he wants that much again, and about $250 million more, for a decade that almost certainly will not be as productive.

This is familiar territory for the Yankees, who caved to Alex Rodriguez six years ago, bidding against themselves after talking tough. It was a foolish deal that turned into a fiasco, with Wednesday’s walkout from a grievance hearing the latest ...

Heyman: Fielder for Kinsler blockbuster is agreed to

BOOM!

The Rangers and Tigers have agreed on a blockbuster deal to send Prince Fielder to Texas for Ian Kinsler, pending CBSSports.com has learned.

There could be another player involved in the trade as potential well, but that hasn’t been confirmed.

Physicals would be needed if the trade id completed.

The Rangers made a play for Fielder when he was a free agent a couple years ago before the Tigers signed him for $214 million over nine years.

Trading Kinsler would open second base for ...

Alex Rodriguez Blasts MLB In Surprise Interview With Mike Francesa

Hero sandwich.

Alex Rodriguez took his case to a sympathetic ear: Mike Francesa. In an intense and resolute interview on WFAN this afternoon, Rodriguez assailed Major League Baseball’s investigation, bemoaned a system set up against the players, and for the first time I can remember, came straight out and denied the PED use he’s accused of.

We’ve put together some of the highlights into the video above. Among them:

  - Rodriguez calls Bud Selig “the man from Milwaukee,” and claims he ...

Matheny extended, Carpenter retires

Matheny, 43, led St. Louis to the postseason in each of his two seasons as manager, losing the National League Championship Series in 2012 and the World Series this year. His contract extension will run through the 2017 season.

Carpenter, 38, was 95-44 for the Cardinals over nine seasons, three of which were mostly lost to injuries as he experienced a recurring nerve-related condition in his pitching arm. He was the National League Cy Young Award winner in 2005, when he went 21-5.

I always ...

Bowman: After Hudson, Braves seek short-term veteran starter

There was some thought that the Braves might be among those teams that could be in the market for David Price or any of the other legitimate aces that could be available on the trade market. But Wren has made it clear that he is not willing to mortgage his club’s future by offering the kind of package it would likely take to get one of these pitchers.

Instead, it seems more likely that Atlanta will evaluate the trade market in search of an accomplished veteran who would not require as ...

Our Kansas City Royals inspired Lorde’s monster hit ‘Royals’

OK, we’re the last to know this, right? Turns out that 17-year-old Lorde’s megahit song, “Royals” – the one that’s topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven straight weeks now – was inspired by our own boys in blue in Kansas City.

Source: Giants to sign Javier Lopez to three-year deal

Yesterday Brian Sabean said the San Francisco Giants were close to bringing back Javier Lopez, and we’re hearing the deal is close to being official: three years for $13 million.

Lopez, 36, made $4.25 million in each of his last two seasons, so this isn’t much of a raise in terms of average annual value. However, there are other obvious advantages for Lopez in this deal.

First, three years guaranteed isn’t bad for a pitcher in his late-30s, even if lefty relievers tend to stick around a ...

Alex Rodriguez storms out of hearing, call process ‘farce’

Alex Rodriguez has reached the rarified air of such legendary figures as Mike Tyson and Toronto mayor Rob Ford. There is no longer anything he can do that registers as a surprise, including storming out of his own hearing to appeal a 211-game suspension from Major League Baseball, which he did on Wednesday.

A-Rod having his suspension upheld, then showing up to Yankees spring training in full uniform, living in a rented Winnebago and blasting The Standells’ “Dirty Water” until he is ...

Players Added To The 40-Man Roster

Today is the deadline for teams to add players to their 40-man roster in order to protect them from being selected in next month’s Rule 5 Draft.

Grantland: The Great Imposter

In 1979, Barry Bremen was just a novelty-goods salesman who was acting out a dare when he stole some official warm-ups and shot a few baskets at the 1979 NBA All-Star Game. That was just the beginning. From there Bremen would be known as “The Great Imposter,” posing as a major leaguer, PGA golfer, NFL referee … even a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. This film tries to answer not only the question of how he did this, but also the more important one: Why?

Josh Johnson agrees to terms with Padres

Knowing the Blue Jays luck, Johnson is a good bet to win the 2014 Cy Young.

The Padres and free-agent right-hander Josh Johnson have agreed to a one-year deal worth a guaranteed $8 million, CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman has confirmed. The news was first reported by ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick, whose source also tells him that Johnson’s contract will include incentive clauses based on games started. The deal is expected to be announced on Wednesday.

Johnson, 29, is coming off a 2013 season ...

Baseball America: 2014 St. Louis Cardinals Top 10 Prospects

TOP 10 PROSPECTS

1. Oscar Taveras, of
2. Carlos Martinez, rhp
3. Kolten Wong, 2b
4. Stephen Piscotty, of
5. Marco Gonzalez, lhp
6. Tim Cooney, lhp
7. Alex Reyes, rhp
8. James Ramsey, of
9. Rob Kaminsky, lhp
10. Carson Kelly, 3b/c

The roster churn at the major league level created ripples in the minor leagues. Of the 100 players who started the year on full-season rosters, 63 moved up. Outfielder James Ramsey, Piscotty and lefty Tim Cooney—three 2012 draft picks from the college ...

Verducci: The worst positions in baseball—and how to fix them

By using the Beane Reflect.

Before the playoffs began, I asked A’s general manager Billy Beane what he liked best about his club. “Baseball teams are very mathematical,” he said. “You can have a star player like Mike Trout and completely nullify his performance if you have two players that are really bad. We don’t have bad players. All 25 players are very specific players with very specific roles.

“We’re a mutual fund, and we’re a value fund. We’ve got a bunch of equities earning three to ...

Could Biogenesis ruin Alex Rodriguez financially? | SportsonEarth.com

Arod, wannabe tycoon.

Sherrington: Why, sadly, Dallas native Ernie Banks almost unknown in hometown

“Most people don’t even know he’s from Texas,” said Jay Black, curator of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

Dallas never really knew one of its most famous athletes for reasons both plain and complicated.

Whatever the story, it’s up to Banks’ hometown to make it right, and soon.

Until then, Banks remains a Chicago institution instead. Mr. Cub has a statue outside Wrigley Field and a street off Lake Shore Drive. He’s so Chicago, Carl Sandburg would have saved him a stanza if he’d ...

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 11-20-2013

Milwaukee Sentinel, November 20, 1913:

“Too much tummy,” Orvie Overall said on Wednesday, caused him to make a second and permanent retirement from baseball by wiring Owner Ewing of the San Francisco club that he is through with baseball and will stick to his job with a local brewery. Overall made strenuous efforts to “come back” when he returned to the Chicago Cub payroll last spring, but superfluous flesh refused to melt.

Overall had retired in 1910 after an arm injury, but came back in 1913 ...

Bobby Richardson says Yankees made Robinson Cano a star

I guess “Horrible” Horace Clarke wasn’t available for comment.

Richardson, once a great Yankee second baseman, thinks that kind of fan passion should “figure into the mix” when another great Yankee second sacker, Robinson Cano, makes his free agency decision this winter.

“I hope he’ll remember he got his notoriety and his start from the Yankees and that he won’t do something that others have done and just go where the money is,” Richardson said of Cano Tuesday before the Major ...

The Poscast with Joe Posnanski and Michael Schur - Ep. 1 - We’re Back

Now that Poz is with NBC, a Parks & Rec guest spot seems inevitable!

• Red Sox winning the World Series: Both agree that distinguishing World Series winners by whether the winner played the final game at home is not a thing.  Michael is a Red Sox fan, so he’s happy they won!

• Instant replay: They like the concept of more replays, dislike the “challenge” system.

• “Nickname” draft:

Poz - Earvin “Magic” Johnson
Schur - Walter “Sweetness” Payton
Poz - James “Cool Papa” Bell
Schur - Wayne “The ...

Yankees president to Mets: For $300M, Cano is all yours

Hell, it’s not like Levine has always been up front about fundamental measurements.

Yankees president Randy Levine says the Yankees have no intention of paying $300 million or more to keep Robinson Cano. But if the Mets want to write that check, they can have him.

Asked if he could envision Cano in a Mets uniform – as Cano was pictured on the back page of Tuesday’s Post – Levine laughed and said: “For 300 million, yes.”

The Post reported exclusively that Jeff Wilpon, GM Sandy ...

ESPN: Szymborski: Atlanta Should Shop Kimbrel ($$$)

One of the Braves’ strengths is bullpen depth, so even if losing Kimbrel costs the team an excellent reliever, the possible return from a trade is worth the risk. Atlanta’s bullpen, outside of Kimbrel, combined for a 2.67 ERA in 2013, so we’re not talking about a pen that’s starving for quality. A Kimbrel trade wouldn’t involve someone on the Byron Buxton level, unless Twins general manager Terry Ryan hangs out with Rob Ford in the offseason, but in a world in which the Phillies are willing to ...

Craigy-poo: The Tea Party and the Sierra Club are joining forces to protest the new Braves ballpark

I’m not sure if the Tea Party and the Sierra Club getting together on an issue means that the Braves ballpark is crazy-bad or, somehow, actually good. But it is something to see them joining forces to protest the place.

I’m also not sure why a ballpark that was partially premised on the idea that Turner Field had inadequate parking will sport 2,500 fewer parking spaces and will rely on a system of golf-carts to ferry people from nearby mall parking lots. But what do I know?

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 11-19-2013

Pittsburgh Gazette Times, November 19, 1913:

President Charles Ebbets of the Brooklyn National League baseball club, announced [yesterday] that the Superba’s [sic] new manager to succeed William Dahlen would be Wilbert Robinson, until recently a member of the New York Giants.
...
His appointment to succeed Dahlen comes as a surprise to Brooklyn baseball fans.

That’s a nice surprise.