Baseball

According to the Milwaukee Sentinel, the Toronto Blue Jays have traded No. 1 pitcher and staff ace Shaun Marcum to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for prospects, none of which have been confirmed by any sources.

Some reports have the Jays acquiring middle infielder and Canadian Brett Lawrie as part of the package, but details aren't spilling out. Other reports I'm hearing are its for third baseman Mat Gamel, but again, these are early reports.

The Washington Nationals made an early splash Sunday evening when the team announced they’d agreed on a seven-year deal worth $126 million for right fielder Jayson Werth.

The 31-year-old Werth, who helped the Phillies win the 2008 World Series, hit .296 this year in his fourth and final season with Philadelphia. He had an NL-high 46 doubles, 27 homers and 85 RBI. Werth was selected in the first round of the 1997 draft by the nearby Baltimore Orioles.

Jayson Werth had the opportunity to get any type of deal from any team he desired. The Boston Red Sox were high on Werth's case for most of the winter and lost out..to the Washington Nationals?!?  The Philadelphia Phillies, the organization that he used as a launching pad to this 2010 Free Agency Period, were even fooled by the "lowly" Nats.

Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has reported via Twitter that the Milwaukee Brewers are in the process of completing a trade for RHP Shaun Marcum, 28, of the Toronto Blue Jays.

According to one of his sources, the Brewers will be sending minor league pitching prospects to Toronto. There is no word on who they may be at this time.

In their short history, the Washington Nationals have been perennial runners-up in the free agency process. The Nationals didn't land the biggest name in Cliff Lee or Carl Crawford, but they came pretty close with the signing of former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth.

The Nationals may have overpaid for Werth—not very surprising news considering his agent is Scott Boras. Washington gave the 31-year-old Werth a seven-year contract at an average of $18 million a year totaling $126 million.

After making a trade with the San Diego Padres to acquire first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, the Boston Red Sox have reportedly failed to sign him to an extension.

The Red Sox had until 2 p.m. ET Sunday to complete the deal. Gonzalez reportedly is looking for a deal somewhere around $180 million.

Last season, Gonzalez batted .298 with 31 home runs and 101 RBIs and made just $4.8 million.

In a stunning move that has most MLB GM's screaming and crying, the Washington Nationals have signed free agent OF Jayson Werth to a seven-year, $126 million contract. Werth is a very good player and one of the top three free agents available, but seven years is far too long and $126 million is way too much money to be given to a 31 year old player.

In trying to rationalize the deal for the Nationals, it makes the loss of Adam Dunn a bit easier to take. Problem is that's about where the rationalizations end.

A report yesterday had claimed the Boston Red Sox were in the process of finalizing a deal that would see perennial all-star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez shipped to Boston for a plethora of prospects including pitching prospect Casey Kelly, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, outfielder Raymond Fuentes and a player to be named later (PTBNL).

Breaking news came to light today as the Red Sox and Gonzalez could not agree on a contract extension by this afternoon's deadline according to SI's Jon Heyman.

After working out a trade for Adrian Gonzalez yesterday, the Boston Red Sox were given a deadline of 2 p.m. on Dec. 5 to work out an extension with Gonzalez, which they have failed to do, according to a source.

It's widely believed Gonzalez is looking for a contract similar to the eight-year, $180 million deal Mark Teixeira received from the New York Yankees prior to the 2009 season.

2011 marks another Hall of Fame ballot featuring one of the MLB’s most villainous characters:  Rafael Palmeiro. 

Palmeiro can be remembered for three things: