MLB Articles - Page 843

Stephen Strasburg was the MVP of the 2019 World Series and has been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball since 2010. Anthony Rendon was an MVP finalist in 2019 and finally started to gain some of the recognition that has been long overdue. But with both players headed for free agency after rejecting […]

The Chicago Cubs enter the 2019-20 offseason with one of the highest payrolls in baseball and a host of questions surrounding the future of some of their young stars. While the trade rumors swirl, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports that the Cubs have interest in Japanese outfielder Shogo Akiyama: The Cubs have Japanese outfielder Shogo Akiyama […]

Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed pitcher Kenta Maeda was demoted to the bullpen this past year, and he isn’t happy about it. It marked the second straight season that Maeda had been relegated to bullpen duty, and Maeda’s agent, Joel Wolfe, has let it be known that his client doesn’t appreciate the way he has been […]

The Philadelphia Phillies are trying to work out a contract extension with catcher J.T. Realmuto, according to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. However, Salisbury notes that a new deal for Realmuto may take some time to complete, stating that an extension might not get done until spring training. He adds that the Phillies “very […]

The Chicago Cubs have opened contract negotiations with shortstop Javier Baez, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Wittenmyer knows that an extension with Baez is considered “much more feasible” than one with third baseman Kris Bryant, who, like Baez, hits free agency in two years. Baez is coming off a 2019 campaign in […]

The Texas Rangers are in the market for a number of marquee free agents this winter. Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports that the Rangers have “checked in” on Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon as well as Josh Donaldson and a number of tip pitchers: Texas checked in on Texas product Anthony Rendon. Also […]

Colorado Rockies right-hander Jon Gray is attracting some interest on the trade front, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network: #Rockies RHP Jon Gray is among a select group of controllable @MLB starters who could be moved via trade this offseason, and his name is a popular one this week at GM Meetings. The #Padres […]

Coming off a disappointing loss in the American League Championship Series, the New York Yankees look primed to add to their starting rotation. Despite Masahiro Tanaka having some success in the postseason and James Paxton having the occasional outing, the Yankees lacked rotational depth. Domingo German was suspended for the entirety of the postseason, and […]

The Cincinnati Reds have interest in providing a change of venue for Nicholas Castellanos as far as NL Central teams go. Castellanos finished the 2019 season with the Chicago Cubs, but the Reds are in dire need of outfield production, and they could look to add an impact bat in free agency. Indeed, Jon Heyman […]

The San Diego Padres are unafraid to hand out multi-year deals in free agency. General manager A.J. Preller signed the likes of Eric Hosmer and Manny Machado to lucrative contracts in back-to-back offseasons, and all signs point to the Padres making a run at a top free agent this winter. The Padres might be in […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers have seemingly been involved in just about every rumor thus far. After collapsing in the National League Division Series against the Washington Nationals, the Dodgers are looking to get aggressive this winter, particularly at the third base spot. They have already shown some interest in Josh Donaldson, but Los Angeles has […]

Veteran third baseman Mike Moustakas has been the victim of disappointing free agencies, as of late. Moustakas rejected a qualifying offer from the Kansas City Royals after the 2017 season only to return to the team on a $5.5 million deal. He was then traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018, and eventually re-signed with […]

Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu has accepted the $17.8 million qualifying offer ahead of Thursday’s deadline, according to Jim Bowden and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic: Abreu too… https://t.co/9EzX6GGZgN — Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 14, 2019 Abreu’s decision to sign the qualifying offer means that he will get to enter the market as an […]

Minnesota Twins right-hander Jake Odorizzi has accepted the $17.8 million qualifying offer for the 2020 season, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic: Odorizzi accepting qualifying offer, source tells The Athletic. Back with #MNTwins. — Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 14, 2019 Signing the qualifying offer means that Odorizzi will enter the market again as an unrestricted […]

Los Angeles Angels centerfielder Mike Trout won his third American League MVP Award on Thursday night in an extremely close race. Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman finished in second place after earning 13 first-place votes (Trout had 17), and Oakland Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien rounded out the finalists in third. 2019 AL MVP: Mike […]

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger was named the 2019 National League Most Valuable Player on Thursday afternoon, becoming the first Dodgers position player since Bob Gibson (1988) to win the award. Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich finished in second, while Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon placed third in the voting. 2019 NL MVP: […]

The Atlanta Braves have made the first big splash of the 2019 offseason. Atlanta agreed to terms on a three-year deal with former San Francisco Giants closer Will Smith, with a club option on a fourth year. In total, the deal is worth $40 million guaranteed: Will Smith contract with #Braves, per source: Three years, […]

The Philadelphia Phillies are in dire need of starting pitching this winter after nearly all of their starters regressed in 2019. Phillies starters ranked 23rd in baseball in fWAR last season, and supposed breakout candidates such as Nick Pivetta and Jerad Eickhoff endured subpar seasons in which they were moved to the bullpen. As such, […]

Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant has had his name frequently circulated in the rumor mill in the last few weeks, but he may be open to signing an extension with the Cubs. Scott Boras–who has an immense clientele base that includes Anthony Rendon, Stephen Strasburg and Bryant–held court at the GM meetings on Wednesday, […]

Including the St. Louis Cardinals, outfielder Marcell Ozuna looks to have around seven teams that are looking to secure his services for 2020 and beyond, according to Jon Heyman. With the offseason just about ready to ramp up, it remains to be seen which players will be able to finally cash in and secure big-money […]

Milwaukee Brewers catcher Yasmani Grandal is sure to be one of the most coveted free agents on the market. The switch-hitting backstop slashed .246/.380/.468 with 28 homers, and he is regarded as possibly the best framer in the game. According to Baseball Prospectus, Grandal was the second-best framer in 2019 while leading the MLB in […]

Brandon Morrow’s tenure with the Chicago Cubs was anything but enjoyable. The right-hander was one of the best closers in baseball during the first half of the 2019 season, but then… he hit the shelf indefinitely. Morrow did not pitch in the second half of 2018 due to a bicep issue, then had elbow surgery […]

The Kansas City Royals declined their $23 million mutual option on outfielder Alex Gordon, but the signs point to the two sides working out a new deal, according to James Woolridge of the Kansas City Star. Woolridge writes that although Gordon has contemplated retiring, Kansas City’s decision to hire Mike Matheny to be their new manager […]

Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander was named the American League Cy Young Award winner on Wednesday by the slimmest of margins, capturing the award for the second time (2011–with the Detroit Tigers) in his career: 2019 AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander. Full voting details: https://t.co/0WA6GQzf4T — BBWAA (@officialBBWAA) November 13, 2019 Verlander earned 17 first-place […]

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom captured his second consecutive National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday night after earning 29 of 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America: 2019 NL Cy Young: Jacob deGrom. Full voting details: https://t.co/x2Hbeatvt6 — BBWAA (@officialBBWAA) November 13, 2019 Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu was […]

The Miami Marlins find themselves in an interesting position heading into this winter. They are undeniably one of the worst teams in baseball, and most of their most effective players are entering the latter half of their 20s, making these players potentially expendable in the trade market. However, the Marlins are said to have serious […]

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina may only have one year left on his contract, but that doesn’t mean he plans on retiring. According to Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Molina’s representatives have informed the Cardinals that the veteran plans on playing beyond 2020, and St. Louis seems to have interest in bringing […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been a rumored destination for superstar third baseman Anthony Rendon, but it appears that they also have interest in another star at the hot corner. Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports that the Dodgers are among the teams expected to pursue former Atlanta Braves third baseman Josh Donaldson: One option […]

The Toronto Blue Jays are showing interest in free-agent right-handed pitcher Jake Odorizzi, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. The Blue Jays met with Odorizzi’s representatives at the GM meetings on Tuesday. Odorizzi has a $17.8 million qualifying offer on the table from the Minnesota Twins, one that he is expected to turn down. This […]

Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg may be the two biggest fish available on the starting pitching market this offseason, but let’s not forget Madison Bumgarner, a wily left-handed veteran who has more playoff chops than both Cole and Strasburg combined. While the New York Yankees are expected to be in on both Cole and Strasburg […]

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has played a combined nine games in each of the last two years due to a plethora of knee issues, but it looks like the former MVP could be returning to the field in 2020. According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, Red Sox executives Chaim Bloom and Brian […]

Ten teams have already shown interest in free-agent right-handed starting pitcher Kyle Gibson, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Gibson is coming off of a 2019 campaign with the Minnesota Twins in which he went 13-7 with a 4.84 ERA, allowing 175 hits while striking out 160 batters over 160 innings of work. Those […]

Many have operated under the assumption that Zack Wheeler leaving the New York Mets is a foregone conclusion, but that may not be the case. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Mets are interested in bringing Wheeler back on a multi-year deal. Heyman notes that if New York can’t re-sign the righty, it […]

The Cincinnati Reds have expressed interest in signing free-agent outfielder Marcell Ozuna, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Ozuna is coming off of a 2019 campaign with the St. Louis Cardinals in which he slashed .241/.328/.472 with 29 home runs and 89 RBI over 549 plate appearances. The 29-year-old originally signed with the Florida […]

Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts plans on testing the free-agent market next offseason, and with the Red Sox deep into the luxury tax with no relief in sight, there has been some speculation that they could trade Betts this winter. However, if you were expecting your favorite team to make a push for the […]

The Philadelphia Phillies finished just 17th in the majors with a 4.53 ERA this past season, so it would certainly behoove them to add some pitching this winter. According to Jayson Stark of The Athletic, that is exactly what the Phillies are going to attempt to do, as Stark notes that Philadelphia is looking to […]

The Texas Rangers have posted losing seasons each of the last three years, and they are apparently looking to address that problem this offseason. According to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, the Rangers are interested in signing right-handed ace Gerrit Cole and third baseman Anthony Rendon this winter, two of the top players […]

The Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies have both expressed interest in signing free-agent third baseman Josh Donaldson, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Donaldson is coming off of a 2019 campaign with the Atlanta Braves in which he slashed .259/.379/.521 with 37 home runs and 94 RBI over 659 plate appearances. The 33-year-old signed a […]

The New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has confirmed that the club will be pursue both Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg in free agency this offseason, according to Andy Martino of SNY. Given that the Yankees are in dire need of a frontline starter and that Cole and Strasburg are generally viewed as the […]