If you love baseball news, Twitter and procrastinating at your 9-to-5 office job, then your work-place productivity likely took a serious beating on Tuesday.
It began early yesterday morning with official confirmation from the Blue Jays that they had signed Brandon Morrow to a three-year, $20-million extension.
Following a late morning press conference and a round of radio and TV interviews, the Twittersphere blew up just after 2:30 p.m. with a tweet alleging that Prince Fielder had signed with… the Washington Nationals.
Just one problem: it turns out the tweet was a fake.
So a short time later, just after a cadre of respected journalists had sent out apologetic tweets for biting on the Fielder news, another Twitter report emerged, this one from a legit source suggesting Fielder had signed a nine-year deal with the Detroit Tigers — you could say it was greeted with a touch of skepticism.
But as it turned out, it was correct, and soon after when news broke of Francisco Cordero’s signing with the Blue Jays, baseball-loving, office-slackers officially decided to mail it in for the rest of the day.
Lost in talk Tuesday around Morrow, Fielder and Cordero was pretty significant news surrounding Tim Lincecum, Jorge Posada and Cuban defector Yeonis Cepedes.
So in the sad event you found yourself locked in a boardroom (or even worse — a classroom) all day Tuesday, here’s a recap of what you missed on sportsnet.ca (in chronoloigical order):
8:01 A.M. ET
BRANDON MORROW SIGNS 3-YEAR EXTENSION WITH BLUE JAYS:
The Toronto Blue Jays have signed Brandon Morrow to a three-year, $20-million contract with a club option for the 2015 season of $10-million, the club announced during a Tuesday press conference.
READ FULL STORY HERE
Shi Davidi on Morrow: Anthopoulos spending in-house
TORONTO — In nearly 2.5 years as general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, Alex Anthopoulos has proven resistant to the temptations of the big, splashy off-season move, the kind the Detroit Tigers are reportedly on the verge of making with prized free agent Prince Fielder.
READ FULL COLUMN HERE
Carson column: The curious case of Brandon Morrow
TORONTO — Is this the right time to extend Brandon Morrow? He hasn’t exactly been the picture of consistency in his two seasons as a starter after coming over in a trade from the Seattle Mariners.
READ FULL COLUMN HERE
Sportsnet Radio Fan 590 Audio:
Brnadon Morrow on Jeff Blair Show
John Farrell on Jeff Blair Show
Video: Barry Davis 1-on-1 with Morrow
Video: Brandon Morrow press conference
11:59 A.M. ET
TEARY-EYED JORGE POSADA RETIRES A YANKEE
NEW YORK — Jorge Posada was watching television when he saw speculation on which teams were interested in signing him as a free agent.
“They put my face on different uniforms,” he said. “And it didn’t look good.”
READ FULL STORY HERE
3:00 P.M. ET
PRINCE FIELDER SIGNS WITH DETROIT TIGERS:
DETROIT — Free agent first baseman Prince Fielder and the Detroit Tigers agreed Tuesday on a nine-year, US$214 million contract that fills the AL Central champions’ need for a power hitter, a person familiar with the deal said.
Detroit boldly stepped up in the Fielder sweepstakes after the recent knee injury to star Victor Martinez. A week ago, the Tigers announced that the productive designated hitter could miss the entire season after tearing his left ACL during off-season conditioning.
READ FULL STORY HERE
Grange on Fielder: Willing to pay is the A.L. way
TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays may have dodged a bullet, but the battle they’re in certainly didn’t get any easier on Tuesday.
As for when they’re going to be ready — or willing — to truly engage the big guns of the American League? Well, the answers to that didn’t get any clearer.
READ FULL COLUMN HERE
Sportsnet Radio Fan 590 Audio:
Shaun Marcum on Jeff Sammut Show
Gord Ash on Jeff Sammut Show
Video: Ken Rosenthal was ‘shocked’ by the Prince Fielder signing:
3:01 P.M. ET
TIM LINCECUM SIGNS ANOTHER LUCRATIVE SHORT-TERM DEAL
SAN FRANCISCO — Two-time NL Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants reached a verbal agreement Tuesday on a two-year contract worth US$40.5 million.
The deal includes a $500,000 signing bonus and salaries of $18 million this year and $22 million in 2013, according to a source requesting anonymity. Lincecum still must take a physical, which the Giants hope will happen early next week to complete the deal.
READ FULL STORY HERE
4:47 P.M. ET
BLUE JAYS SIGN EX-RED CLOSER FRANCISCO CORDERO
Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos hinted that he might yet get some more bullpen help Tuesday morning and by early evening word came that he had a new set-up man in veteran right-hander Francisco Cordero.
The one-year deal is, according to Ken Rosenthal of foxsports.com, worth US$4.5 million, which would mark Anthopoulos’s biggest cash outlay to a free agent thus far. Cordero, who will work ahead of new closer Sergio Santos, must first pass a physical.
READ FULL STORY HERE
9:02 P.M. ET
CUBAN YEONIS CEPEDES ONE STEP CLOSER TO MLB
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — The agent for Yoenis Cespedes says the Cuban outfielder has established legal residency in the Dominican Republic, the final hurdle to becoming a free agent.
READ FULL STORY HERE
8:58 P.M. ET
LA RUSSA TO POSSIBLY DECIDE WORLD SERIES HOME FIELD
ST. LOUIS — Tony La Russa will become the second retired manager to lead an all-star team next summer, joining Hall of Famer John McGraw.
La Russa concluded a 16-season run in St. Louis with the team’s second World Series title in five years last October, stepping down after 33 seasons overall. Commissioner Bud Selig announced Tuesday that the 67-year-old La Russa will manage the National League in this year’s game July 10 in Kansas City.
READ FULL STORY HERE