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If you would like to be among the first to hear about trades, free agent signings, and breaking news, enter your email address in the sign-up box on the right hand side of the home page. We'll deliver the news to you via email as it happens!

Some examples of events heard first this week by BDD subscribers include...

- The Tampa Bay - Minnesota trade involving Delmon Young and Matt Garza

- The Royals signing of Yasuhiko Yabuta

- The Reds signing of Francisco Cordero

And that's just a taste or what you'll  get. During the Winter Meetings and at the trade deadline, action and alerts will come at you fast and furious. During the season, we'll present our extremely popular "Short Stop" daily recaps! So don't miss any of the action. Sign up for BDD's free newsletter today! You'll be the most informed baseball fan among your friends!

The Cardinals announced that they have agreed to terms on a one-year contract for 2008 with free agent infielder Cesar Izturis. The deal officially ends the term of David Eckstein in St. Louis.

Elsewhere, the Colorado Rockies announced today that they have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with free agent right-handed pitcher Matt Herges. The deal also includes a club option for 2009. Herges, 37, went 5-1 with a 2.96 ERA (48.2 ip, 16 er) in 35 relief appearances for Colorado in 2007.

The Washington Nationals today acquired 22 year-old outfielder Lastings Milledge from the New York Mets in exchange for outfielder Ryan Church and catcher Brian Schneider.

A little more about the players in the deal from the Nationals press release...

"This trade continues our plan of acquiring young players primarily via trade or the amateur draft," said Bowden.  "All of our top evaluators, including Mike Rizzo, Bob Boone, Dana Brown, Manny Acta and myself, believe that Lastings Milledge can develop into a middle-of-the-order bat."

Milledge is a career .257 hitter (90-for-350) with 16 doubles, 11 home runs and 51 RBI in portions of two big league seasons (2006 and 2007) with the Mets.  In 59 games with New York (NL) last season, he batted .272 (50-for-184) with nine doubles, seven homers, 29 RBI and a .341 on-base percentage. 

Milledge was the Mets' top selection (12th overall) in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft out of Lakewood Ranch (FL) High.   

The 31 year-old Schneider hit .235 with six home runs and 54 RBI in 129 games for the Nationals last season.  Drafted by the Expos in 1995, he was the longest tenured member of the organization.

Church, 29, batted .272 with 15 home runs and 70 RBI in a career-best 144 games with Washington last season.

The Detroit Tigers announced today that the club has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with lefthanded pitcher Kenny Rogers and righthanded pitcher Francisco Cruceta.

Rogers posted a 3-4 record and 4.43 ERA (63.0IP/31ER) in 2007 as he was limited to 11 starts with the Tigers due to two stints on the disabled list.  He finished 17-8 with a 3.84 ERA (204.0IP/87ER) in 34 games (33 starts) during his first season with Detroit in 2006.

...And the Tampa Bay Rays have officially signed veteran right-handed relief pitcher Troy Percival to a two-year major league contract through the 2009 season worth a reported $8 million.

Percival, 38, ranks 12th on Major League Baseball's all-time save list with 324.  A four-time All-Star, he owns a career mark of 33-41 with a 3.02 ERA in 639 games over 12 seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals. 

San Francisco Giants GM Brian Sabean joined BDD Talk Radio today to discuss the state of his team and potential moves as we head into the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings. Hear Sabean as he talks about the availability of his pitchers (including Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain), the positional needs of his team, and the state of the free agent market.

Head over to Blog Talk Radio or click on the player to the right to listen to the show or download the podcast!

Here's a little update of things to come over the next few days...

~ Later tonight, I will be posting my pre-Winter Meetings interview with San Francisco Giants GM Brian Sabean. You'll be able to hear the interview and download the podcast at Blog Talk Radio.

~ Later in the day tomorrow, I will upload a little discussion I had this week with new Pittsburgh Pirates manager John Russell.

~ On either Saturday or Sunday, I will publish an article based on my interview with Los Angeles Dodgers GM Ned Colletti. We will explore the changes in LA and analyze the differences in Ned's philosophy from one year to the next.

~ On Sunday we will resume our live BDD Talk Radio show with a preview of the Winter Meetings. We will also have a few special guests including John Burnson of Heater Magazine and Graphical Player. Be sure to join us live at 1:30 for all the action!

And don't forget to download the new version of the top prospect compilation spreadsheet. It's currently being updated at least once per day!

From ESPN via MLB Trade Rumors, the Houston Astros have reportedly signed Kaz Matsui to a 3 year contract worth approximately $15 million. Wow! Elsewhere today, Yorvit Torrealba returned to Colorado, agreeing Thursday to a two-year deal worth about $7 million with a mutual option for 2010.   more »