June 2012 - Baseball Wiretap

Cashman Won't Let Personal Issues Distract Him
The general manager is involved in a sensational stalking and extortion case.

Andrew Marchand/ESPN.com

Beckett Cites 'Lapses In Judgment' For 2011 Collapse
Josh Beckett added that he was "distracted" a bit last season.

Gordon Edes/ESPN.com

Ichiro Won't Say If Or When He Will Retire
Ichiro Suzuki is heading into the final year of his contract with the Mariners.

Associated Press

Mauer Ready To Begin Catching Right Away
After a series of ailments and injuries limited him to 82 games in 2011, Joe Mauer reported to Spring Training on Saturday.

Associated Press

Lohse: No One Will Feel Sorry For Cardinals
The Cardinals lost Albert Pujols, Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan this offseason, but they are coming off a World Series victory.

Associated Press

Varitek Leaning Towards Retirement
It appears as though Jason Varitek is leaning towards retirement.

Nick Cafardo/Boston Globe (via Twitter)

White Sox Could Outbid Cubs For Soler
The White Sox have lowered their payroll this offseason, which may allow them to make a big offer to Jorge Soler.

Chicago Tribune

Cain, Giants Continue To Discuss Long-Term Deal
Matt Cain would like to have a long-term contract by the end of Spring Training.

CSN Bay Area

Cubs Expect Castro To Report On Time
The Cubs expect Starlin Castro to report to Spring Training on time despite some legal issues.

Bruce Levine/ESPN.com

Barajas Thrilled To Reunite With Burnett In Pittsburgh
A.J. Burnett was 14-6 with an ERA of 3.49 in his 25 starts paired with Rod Barajas in Toronto.

MLB.com

Leyland: Cabrera 'On A Mission' To Prove He Can Play Third
A slimmed down Miguel Cabrera is motivated to prove he can make the move from first base to third.

MLB.com

Manny Works Out For A's, Rumors Intensify
It appears as though the Athletics could sign Manny Ramirez within the next week.

MLB.com

Papelbon Well Aware Of When Phillies Face Red Sox
Jonathan Papelbon faces his former teammates May 18-20 at Citizens Bank Park.

MLB.com

Phillies Showed Late Interest In Three-Team Deal For Burnett
Philadelphia would have liked to compete a three-team deal with New York that would have sent Joe Blanton to a third club.

Joel Sherman/New York Post (via Twitter)

Red Sox Hoping For Quality Prospect From Cubs
The Cubs still haven't compensated the Red Sox for allowing Theo Epstein to leave.

Gordon Edes/ESPN.com

Scott Kazmir Throws For About 10 Scouts
Scott Kazmir threw for about 10 scouts on Friday in Houston as he looks for Major League employment.

Buster Olney/ESPN.com

DeWitt Has Wednesday Deadline To Decide Future With Cubs
The Cubs designated Blake DeWitt for assignment a few weeks ago.

Doug Padilla/ESPN.com

Red Sox Awaiting Decision From Varitek
Jason Varitek is a free agent and the Red Sox won't be offering him a contract.

MLB.com

Oakland Still Pursuing Manny Ramirez
If the team does sign the veteran, it would be a one-year deal worth slightly more than the league minimum of $480,000.

Associated Press

Phillies Expected To Meet With Hamels' Agent
Cole Hamels will be eligible for free agency this November and the Phillies would like to keep that from happening.

CSN Philly

Burnett Deal Still Hasn't Received Approval
Approval was not given on Friday night because the deal was finalized too late in the day.

Buster Olney/ESPN.com

Royals Agree To Deals With Hosmer, Moustakas
Eric Hosmer will make $502,500 and Mike Moustakas will make $487,250.

Associated Press

Source: Yankees Expect To Sign Ibanez, Chavez
With A.J. Burnett likely headed to the Pirates, the Yankees expect to sign Raul Ibanez and Eric Chavez.

Andrew Marchand/ESPN.com

Romine Moves Up Ladder After Yankees Deal Montero
Austin Romine is hoping to challenge Francisco Cervelli for New York's backup catcher role.

New York Daily News

Athletics Nearing Deal For Koji Uehara
Oakland has been looking for a reliever and has been linked to free-agent Mike Gonzalez.

Joe Stiglich/Bay Area News (via Twitter)

Okajima Fails Physical With Yankees
The Yankees did not provide information as to what injury caused Okajima to fail his physical.

Wallace Matthews/ESPN.com

Santana Takes 'Huge Step' Towards Return
Johan Santana stepped on a mound for the first time since September on Friday at the Spring Training home of the Mets.

Adam Rubin/ESPN.com

Tim Wakefield Will Retire After 19 Seasons
After 19 Major League seasons, including 17 with the Red Sox, knuckleballer Tim Wakefield has decided to retire.

ESPN.com

Sources: Burnett Trade Submitted For Approval
A.J. Burnett could officially become a member of the Pirates this weekend.

Buster Olney/ESPN.com

Phillies, Yankees Pursuing Jorge Soler
The Cubs want Jorge Soler, but since he can't be signed yet the Phillies and Yankees are trying to enter the bidding.

Yahoo! Sports