The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has said his team’s 2007 payroll will be in the range of $25 million.
…the buzz from baseball suggests that Marlins LHP Dontrelle Willis can expect to earn roughly $8 million next season through arbitration, while OF Miguel Cabrera can expect to earn close to $4 million…
…at a total of [...]

In a column for USA Today, Bob Nightengale asked Scott Boras, who represents Barry Zito, among others, “to identify baseball’s next great franchise, the one that could dominate the next 10 years.”
Boras’s response…
“The New York Mets will be a juggernaut.  They have so much money coming with their new TV deal, they could have the [...]

For a column at ESPN.com, Jerry Crasnick surveyed 20 general managers, assistant GMs, and assorted scouts and personnel for their takes on six noteworthy hot stove topics.
Asked to choose between free-agent LHP Barry Zito and Japanese RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka, 13 of Crasnick’s subjects chose Matsuzaka, while five selected Zito and two were undecided.
Of the following [...]

Bob Klapisch, of the Bergen Record and ESPN.com, talked about a variety of Hot Stove topics in a segment on WFAN this morning.
According to Klapisch, there is a 98 percent chance that Tom Glavine will return to the Mets. 
Meanwhile, though the Mets would prefer to bring on free-agent LHP Barry Zito with a four-year deal, if [...]

Mets 3B David Wright and Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols are in Bristol, Conn, today filming a ‘This is SportsCenter” commercial for ESPN.
…thanks to, well, you know who you are, for the info…
…if this ad deals with anything other than wright and mr. met stealing albert’s world series ring, i will be disappointed…

A reader in the comments section recently asked the following…
“Is Lastings Milledge playing Winter Ball this year?  Last I heard he was still “thinking about it.”

…from what i understand, milledge will not play winter ball at all this off-season, much to the disappointment of the mets…

Joe Girardi has been named the 2006 National League Manager of the Year.  The Marlins fired Girardi at the end of the season.  He recieved 18 of 32 first-place votes. 
…man, florida looks so foolish right now…
Willie Randolph finished second in the voting with eight first-place votes, while Bruce Bochy finished third with five first-place votes.
…fair [...]

At his blog for Newsday, David Lennon posts the official team release announcing the swap of Royce Ring and Heath Bell for Ben Johnson and Jon Adkins, complete with a statement from Mets GM Omar Minaya.
Lennon and Roger Rubin will be at Borders on Wall Street in Manhattan at 1 pm tomorrow signing copies of [...]

…the buzz from the arizona fall league is that Mets OF Fernando Martinez is making quite a name for himself, with many scouts taking notice of just how talented he is, especially since he is the youngest player in league history…i have heard him compared to a young Alfonso Soriano, i’ve heard references to how ‘the [...]

The Mets have traded LHP Royce Ring and RHP Heath Bell to the Padres for RHP Jon Adkins and OF Ben Johnson, reports Ken Rosenthal at FOXSports.com.
…bell is what he is, and while i once thought he could be a pretty good closer, he has shown he is a one-dimensional pitcher who will always excel [...]

The Mariners and SS Rey Ordonez have agreed to a minor-league contract.  Ordonez has not played since 2004.
According to Bill Madden in the Daily News, Ordonez is friend’s with an M’s scout, who says the former-Mets shortstop is worth a ‘look-see’ to Seattle.
…sure, until he insults their fans and they boo him out of town…
Ordonez, speaking [...]

Newsday’s David Lennon is the co-author of The Great New York Sports Debate. 
Lennon, and co-author Roger Rubin, of the Daily News, will appear tomorrow, Thursday, November 16, at the Borders on Wall Street in Manhattan at 1 pm to sign books, meet fans and talk about Hot Stove baseball.
Lennon was kind enough to talk [...]

In the New York Post, Joel Sherman writes that Mets GM Omar Minaya has considered ways to trade for Blue Jays OF Vernon Wells, who will earn roughly $6 million next year, at which point he is eligible for free agency.  However, according to Heyman, the Mets had not yet broached the idea with the Blue Jays.
…the buzz [...]

During a conference call with reporters yesterday from the GM Meetings in Naples, FL, Mets GM Omar Minaya explained that he is weighing a variety of trade options, which could come to fruition sooner than later.
According to the New York Times, the Mets have had talks with the White Sox and are interested in Sox RHP Freddy [...]

The Mariners have been in contact with free-agent OF Cliff Floyd, reports Ken Rosenthal at FOXSports.com.
Rosenthal also comments on the market for relief pitching, on free-agent RHP Adam Eaton, who may command a four-year deal, and on the wild off-season plan for the Cubs, which could include eventually moving Julio Lugo to center field.
At his blog [...]