The Nationals have agreed to sign free agent right-hander Brad Lidge to a one-year deal worth a guaranteed $1 million plus incentives, the team has announced. Lidge, 35, posted a 1.40 ERA last season, but was limited to 25 games due to shoulder problems, and he ended up losing his closer’s job to Ryan Madson. However, he did save 27 games and had a 2.96 ERA for the Phillies in 2010, and in his ten-year career he has [...]

The New York Mets today announced that John Franco, the club’s all-time leader in saves and games pitched, will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame during the Mets Hall of Fame Induction ceremony presented by Citi Sunday, June 3 prior to the 1:10 p.m. game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Franco saved 276 games for the Mets over his 14-year career (1990-2004) with the team, the second-longest in franchise history behind Ed Kranepool’s [...]

MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo completed his final installment of his Top 10 prospects at each position and ranks the game’s top outfield prospects. 1. Bryce Harper, Nationals: Harper might play all of the 2012 season at age 19, but it would be a mistake to think that’s a reason he won’t be in Washington this year. All signs point to him getting every chance to make the Opening Day roster, and why not? Harper has already shown an [...]

Looks like we haven’t seen the last of Tony LaRussa yet. The recently retired Cardinals skipper will serve as the manager of the National League All-Star team for the 2012 Midsummer Classic at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City on July 10th. La Russa will become the second retired manager to lead an All-Star squad. Hall of Fame manager John McGraw retired following the 1932 season and managed the NL squad in the first Midsummer Classic in 1933. [...]

Prince Fielder has finally found a new home and it’s one that he is very familiar should be familiar with. The all-star first baseman has signed a nine year, $214MM contract to play for the Detroit Tigers, where he once roamed around by his father’s side as a 12-year old. The contract is the fourth largest deal in baseball history in terms of total dollars behind Alex Rodriguez’s two historic deals and Albert Pujols’ mega-deal with the Angels last [...]

Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun had his appeal heard n Thursday afternoon according to reporters Bill Madden, Andy Martino and Teri Thompson of the New York Daily News: Ryan Braun, the National League’s Most Valuable Player, pleaded his case Thursday before a three-member panel that will decide whether he faces a 50-game suspension for testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone. The appeal came just two days before Braun will accept his MVP award at the New York Chapter of [...]

According to a press release from the Seattle Mariners, they have signed left-hander Oliver Perez to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training. Perez, 30, is a veteran of nine Major League seasons with San Diego (2002-2003), Pittsburgh (2003-2006) and New York-NL (2006-2010). He has a career record of 58-69 with a 4.63 ERA (572 ER, 1111.2 IP) with 628 strikeouts in 206 games including 195 starts. He did not appear at the [...]

The Texas Rangers and Japanese RHP Yu Darvish have agreed to a six-year contract just before today’s 5:00 pm  ET deadline, according to multiple reports. The two sides agreed on a multi-year contract that will pay him in the neighborhood of $10 million per season for six seasons. GM Jon Daniels and Darvish’s agents worked late into the night Tuesday and resumed negotiations today as the deadline approached. Team president Nolan Ryan joined the negotiations [...]

ESPN Sunday Night Baseball will kick off the 2012 season with their Opening Night telecast featuring the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals versus Jose Reyes and the Miami Marlins on Wednesday, April 4, at 7 p.m. This season will also mark the debut of analyst Terry Francona, who ironically replaces Bobby Valentine and joins play-by-play commentator Dan Shulman and analyst Orel Hershiser in the Sunday Night Baseball booth. Bobby V of course, replaces Francona as the new Red Sox skipper. [...]