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AL edges NL in All-Star Game

Curtis Granderson scores the game-winner in the 8th as the AL extends the NL's winless streak in the All-Star Game to 13 years.

Phillies Sign Pedro Martinez

10:35pm: Andy Martino reports that the Phillies signed Pedro. 8:39pm: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki has confirmed that a press conference introducing Pedro as a member of the Phillies will take place tomorrow. 6:26pm: Gordon Edes, who first broke the news on Pedro's successful physical, now has a full story up on Yahoo! Sports. It's a nice roundup of the events leading towards Wednesday's press conference. 5:32pm: Martino reports the deal is worth around $1MM, with another $1.5MM in incentives. The Phillies are expected to make it all official with a press conference tomorrow. 4:41pm: Pedro Martinez passed his physical with the...

80th All-Star Game

The AL continues its dominance over the NL and secures home-field advantage in the World Series once again. See the best shots.

VIDEO: Obama throws the first pitch

If any team needs a lefty, President Obama is available. Can he bring it? Check out his first pitch from the All-Star Game.

Obama brings the big-league heat

President Barack Obama was true to his word: He didn't bounce the ceremonial first pitch at the Major League Baseball All-Star game on Tuesday. But it barely reached the plate. St. Louis Cardinals star Albert Pujols helped the president, reaching out to scoop the toss. Obama had warmed up on the White House grounds on Monday, and was determined his pitch would reach the plate on a fly.

AL rallies in 8th to beat NL, keep All-Star streak

Bay, Red Sox To Begin Negotiations

According to the Boston Globe's Tony Massarotti, contract negotiations between the Red Sox and outfielder Jason Bay are expected to pick up later this week. Bay is batting .260/.380/.527 this season with 20 home runs and 72 RBI. He has spoken openly about feeling comfortable in Boston and the club would definitely love to keep him around. He's just 30 years of age and has shown no signs of slowing down offensively. What might the outfielder command? A five-year, $50MM deal similar to the contract handed to teammate J.D. Drew? The Red Sox don't have an abundance of outfield talent...

VIDEO: Obama's All-Star pitch

Reports: Phillies close to deal with Martinez

A person familar with the negotiations says Pedro Martinez has agreed to a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Sources: Pedro to sign with Phillies on Wednesday

Pedro Martinez has passed a physical and will sign with the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, a major-league sources confirmed to FOXSports.com senior baseball writer Ken Rosenthal.

Private group looks into new stadium for Rays

A private group examining stadium options for the Tampa Bay Rays doesn't believe renovating Tropicana Field is a viable alternative to building a new home for the AL champions.

All-Star Game 2009 Open Thread

The 2009 All-Star Game is about to get underway at the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis. We're not expecting a whole lot of rumors during play, but an open thread to discuss the game and/or trade possibilities seems fitting. Will the National League finally come out on top? Can Albert Pujols rise to the occasion in front of the home crowd? Let's hear it, MLBTR community. I'll be around all night to field questions and make comments.

Roy Halladay Rumors: Tuesday

Roy Halladay will start tonight's All-Star Game, but that doesn't stop the rumors. Here's the latest: Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse adds this quote from the Blue Jays ace: "I've never been a person that had to be wooed. I know what I'm looking for. ... If things did come up, it would be a pretty easy decision." According to CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler, Halladay wouldn't reveal his list of desired destinations Tuesday, saying only that he would like to join a contender. Halladay told WEEI's Rob Bradford that a long-term extension isn't his top priority in a trade. It's more...

Stephen Strasburg Update

Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post says Stephen Strasburg hasn't heard from the Nationals since they drafted him last month. He's received nothing more than a minor league contract offer, which the Nats have to present as a formality. Though Strasburg seemed "a bit perplexed" by the slow pace of negotiations, the Nationals aren't expected to sign the first overall pick and Golden Spikes Award winner this month. Boswell says the Nats, who are now under the uncertain leadership of an interim GM and an interim manager, can't afford to "poke themselves in the eye" by making an offer that...

Rose's reinstatement application still under review

Pete Rose's application for reinstatement remains under review -- 12 years after he submitted it.

Odds And Ends: Sano, Gonzalez, Royals

Here's some more reading material for the afternoon... ESPN.com's Buster Olney runs through his first half surprises, including Ben Zobrist and the Tigers. He also says Roy Halladay and the Phillies are a perfect fit. As Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, Miguel Angel Sano's future is still up in the air. The Orioles and Pirates and the favorites to sign the Dominican shortstop, but the Twins, Rangers and a couple other teams could still be interested. Adrian Gonzalez told WEEI.com's Alex Speier that winning matters most of all to him. Gonzalez is one of the players Speier looks...

Power goes out at Home Run Derby

One guy goes homerless. Only two reach double figures in any round. Congrats, Prince. Gerry Fraley says you won a real snoozer.

Red Sox Have Interest In Rolen

The Red Sox have "some interest" in Scott Rolen, according to Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail. Mike Lowell should be able to return to Boston's lineup soon, but his health remains a concern for the Red Sox. Blair points out that Terry Francona, who managed Rolen from 1997-2000 in Philadelphia, remains a big fan of the third baseman. Rolen, 34, is hitting .320 with an .847 OPS and good defense this year. He'll make $11MM this year and the same amount next season.

Power Rankings: Eight simple words to recap first half

'Guy ranks teams, offers wry predictions sans Astros.' Larry Dobrow recaps each team's first half of the season in eight words, and examines what's in store following the All-Star festivities in his Power Rankings.

MLBTR Transactions-Only RSS Feed

Looking for a bare bones version of MLBTR? We have a new RSS feed available for those who'd like to monitor only the actual transactions and none of the rumors. This transactions-only feed resides at: http://feeds.feedburner.com/MLBTRTransactions Of course, you can still subscribe to MLBTR's all-inclusive feed here (23K subscribers and counting!): http://feeds.feedburner.com/MlbTradeRumors If you're new to RSS, consider signing up for Google Reader and adding a few feeds from your favorite blogs and websites. It's a free and easy way to be alerted to new posts minutes and even seconds after they're published.