Saints put franchise tag on Drew Brees - Los Angeles Times

Quarterback Drew Brees has been involved in lengthy contract talks with the New Orleans Saints. (Bill Haber / Associated Press / December 26, 2011)

The New Orleans Saints put the franchise tag on Drew Brees, giving them exclusive negotiating rights with their Pro Bowl quarterback for the next year.

Brees has been involved in lengthy contract talks with the Saints and, without the tag, could have negotiated with other teams as a free agent. Team spokesman Greg Bensel said Saturday that the Saints were notifying the NFL of the designation.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune and ESPN.com previously reported that Brees would get the tag.

In January, Brees said he would be "beyond stunned" if he and the Saints are unable to agree on a contract extension during the off-season.

In 2011, Brees set NFL records with 468 completions, 5,476 yards passing and a 71.2% completion rate. His prolific passing numbers helped the Saints set an NFL record for yards in a season (7,474).

ETC.

Federer beats Murray in Dubai

Roger Federer defeated Andy Murray, 7-5, 6-4, to win his fifth Dubai Championships title.

The second-seeded Federer didn't drop a set all week in the United Arab Emirates and kept Murray off balance much of the match. The win was Federer's fifth title in seven tournaments and his 72nd overall.

The 16-time Grand Slam champion improved to 7-8 against Murray, outplaying the 24-year-old from Scotland with a mix of powerful groundstrokes, drop shots and the occasional serve-and-volley.

Murray, who was coming off a semifinal win against top-ranked Novak Djokovic, struggled with his backhand and serve. He won 85% of his first-service points against Djokovic, but only 48% against Federer.

Taiwan's Hsieh Su-Wei reached the Malaysian Open final at Kuala Lumpur by defeating Eleni Daniilidou of Greece, 6-0, 4-6, 6-1. The semifinal between Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and Petra Martic of Croatia was suspended because of rain.

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Outfielder Cameron Maybin and the San Diego Padres agreed to a $25-million, five-year contract.

Maybin, 24, was acquired in November 2010 from the Marlins for two relief pitchers. He was selected the Padres' most valuable player in 2011 after he hit .264 with nine home runs and 40 runs batted in and stole 40 bases.

The deal includes a team option for 2017.

Maybin would have been eligible for arbitration next off-season and for free agency after the 2015 season.

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Newly acquired Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett is expected to sit out two to three months while recovering from surgery for a facial fracture, forcing the team to rearrange its plans for opening day.

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