Baseball

First, talk of a possible Jeter offer and now a reported proposal to have the Sandman enter Fenway. Say it ain’t so Mo, say it ain’t so. Apparently it is so but it is not coming to fruition.

It is being reported that the Red Sox have tendered an offer to closer Jonathon Papelbon as of late Thursday night. It looks like the right-handed fireballer will be Shipping Up to Boston for yet another season of America’s pasttime.

In recent years, the Philadelphia Phillies have made most of their offseason noise in big trades and free agent signings, bringing names like Roy Halladay, Placido Polanco, Raul Ibanez and Brad Lidge to the City of Brotherly Love. However, in the past, the Phillies structured their roster in different ways, including a plethora of minor league deals, trading big names for young potential, spending heavily on the first year player draft and taking a gamble in the Rule 5 Draft. Which, in recent years, has landed All-Star outfielder Shane Victorino and long-relief man David Herndon.

Gil McDougald of the Yankees slides back into first, too late to avoid a double play, in the play that turned the 1955 World Series and gave Brooklyn its only World Series.

Thursday night's non-tender deadline forced the Mariners to make some moves, which included all three of a trade, a signing and a non-tender.

LHP Erik Bedard was signed to a one-year, $1 million non-guaranteed contract. Should the Mariners decide Bedard is not healthy or able to contribute they can cut him in spring training for a fraction of the contract.

As we anxiously await the beginning of the Winter Meeting and the possibility of our favorite Major League Baseball teams adding that one significant piece to take them to the next level, let’s stoke the fantasy hot stove with some prospect talk. This series on prospects will cover a wide range of players as well as positions. We’ll cover sleepers as well as some of the more obvious stars of the future.

Chicago Cubs icon Ron Santo has passed away due to complications in his struggle against bladder cancer, according to WGN Radio.

Santo was a great third baseman for the Cubs from 1960 to 1973 and later became part of the Cubs radio team in 1990.

Regarded as one of the best players to never earn induction into the MLB Hall of Fame, Santo was a nine time All-Star in his 15 major league seasons.

The clock struck midnight, and the deadline for MLB teams to tender contracts passed. Of course, non-tendering doesn't mean you can't or won't return to that club, but often times it's a good sign that the team, player or both wanted to go in a different direction.

Let's take a look at some of the players who were non-tendered and where they might catch on.

LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith, Seattle Mariners

It is with a heavy heart that the Cubs announced today the death of famed player and announcer Ron Santo.

The iconic third baseman played for the Chicago Cubs for thirteen of his fourteen MLB seasons (1960-1973), during which time he was a nine time All-Star selection, a five time Golden Glove winner and the recipient of the 1973 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award.

Ron Santo also had his number, No. 10, retired in September of 2003.

Other than the back and forth bickering about Derek Jeter through media outlets, the New York Yankees had been fairly quiet this offseason. Sure, they have been talking with free agent right-hander Cliff Lee, but we all expected that.

Outside of those topics, the Yankees remained quiet, until now. The hot stove is official heating up in New York.

Derek Jeter, the captain of the New York Yankees, wants to stay in New York.

The ugly truth, though, is this is a business. It's a brutal business at times as we have seen with other players who have been committed to their teams. At some point, an organization must decide what is best for them.