Cubs Reached Out To Jake Arrieta Before Signing Yu Darvish

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports that the Chicago Cubs reached out to former Cub and free-agent starting pitcher Jake Arrieta prior to signing Yu Darvish to a six-year deal. Arrieta was one of the best pitchers during his time with the Cubs, but it appears there was no deal that both he and the […]

Yu Darvish Has Offers From Twins And Brewers

Jon Heyman reports that the Milwaukee Brewers have made free-agent starting pitcher Yu Darvish an offer in the $100 million-plus range. Heyman also notes that the Twins have offered a five-year deal to Darvish, which would likely be worth $100 million-plus. According to Heyman, there's "reason to believe" Darvish might prefer to return to one […]

Matt Wieters Expected To Be In Platoon

Washington Nationals catcher Matt Wieters is expected to be involved in more of a platoon situation behind the plate in 2018, with Pedro Severino the favorite to win the backup job. Severino must beat out Miguel Montero for the backup job in spring training, and Washington believes that Severino is ready to become a full-time […]

Zack Greinke Has Impressive Streak Going

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zack Greinke has gone 445 1/3 innings over 70 regular season starts since the last time he hit a batter. The last time he plunked a hitter was Mets outfielder Michael Conforto on July 26 of 2015. It's the longest active streak for a pitcher in the big leagues. The all-time […]

Brad Miller In The Running At Both First and Second Base

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Brad Miller could be in the running at either first base or second base. The general manager of the Rays went on the radio that they had an "open mind" when figuring out the right side of the infield. It was also noted that Miller would be in the running at either first […]

Francisco Lindor and the Indians Have Not Had Contract Extension Talks Lately

Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor and the team have not had any contract extension talks lately, according to a source familiar with the situation. The two sides were discussing a long-term deal last offseason, but it seems like those talks have been tabled for now. Rumors say Lindor turned down something along the lines of […]

Nationals Could Pursue Jake Arrieta

The Washington Nationals could pursue free-agent starting pitcher Jake Arrieta given the relationship between owner Tom Werner and Arrieta's agent, Scott Boras. The Nationals showed interest in Arrieta during the winter meetings, but there has been no indication that the two sides have been engaged in active negotiations. General manager Mike Rizzo said he'd be […]

Ronald Acuna Could Force Braves Hand

Atlanta Braves outfield prospect Ronald Acuna, who is ranked as the No. 2 prospect by MLB.com entering the year, could force the team's hand if he dazzles in spring training camp. The 20-year-old is a five-tool talent that would secure an extra season of control if he starts the year with Triple-A Gwinnett, but he […]

Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton To See Time In Left Field

New York Yankees outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton will see time in left field this spring under the tutelage of new first base coach and outfield instructor Reggie Willits. Both Judge and Stanton have predominantly played right field in their major league careers, with Stanton playing all but one big league inning in right […]

Yu Darvish's Strikeout Rate Is Impressive

Free-agent starting pitcher Yu Darvish has struck out 29.7 percent of the batters he's faced in his career, which is the highest rate in history for a starter with at least 500 innings, ahead of Chris Sale (29.2 percent), Stephen Strasburg (29.0 percent) and Randy Johnson (28.6 percent). Darvish is only behind Max Scherzer (30.4 […]

Zack Wheeler Wins Arbitration Case

New York Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler won his arbitration case and will make $1.9 million in 2018. The Mets were offering $1.5 million. With Wheeler, the story has been arm injuries, as he missed two full years following Tommy John surgery, and he was inconsistent in 2017 with more arm issues. There remains upside […]

Gregory Polanco Trained Hard In Offseason

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco took his offseason training very seriously after having the worst season of his career in 2017, in which he played in only 108 games due to shoulder, groin and hamstring injuries that caused him to land on the disabled list three separate times. Polanco trained in the Dominican Republic after […]

Lance Lynn Drawing Interest from Several Teams

Free-agent starting pitcher Lance Lynn is reportedly drawing interest from seven or eight teams. The Milwaukee Brewers and Baltimore Orioles are confirmed to be among the teams showing interest, but they are also reportedly exploring the trade market for starting pitching as well. The source mentions that the Cardinals, Lynn's former team, are "not in […]

Archie Bradley in the Mix for Closer Spot in 2018

Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Archie Bradley will compete with Brad Boxberger and Yoshihisa Hirano for the closer role in Arizona. In his first season as a reliever, Bradley posted a 3-3 record with a 1.73 ERA, 74 strikeouts and one save. He spent most of the year as the D-backs most versatile bullpen hand, pitching multiple […]

Cardinals Have No Interest In Bringing Lance Lynn Back

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the St. Louis Cardinals have shown no interest in bringing back free-agent starting pitcher Lance Lynn. After going 11-8 with a 3.43 ERA in 2017, his first season back from Tommy John surgery, Lynn has a 72-47 career record and a 3.38 career ERA. Goold mentions […]

Indians Sign Stephen Fife

The Cleveland Indians signed pitcher Stephen Fife to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. Fife is 31 and hasn't pitched in a major league game since he underwent Tommy John Surgery in 2014. He spent 2017 with the Marlins organization and with the Seibu Lions in Japan. He's organizational depth, at […]

J.D. Martinez Discussing Deals With Arizona

Free-agent outfielder J.D. Martinez, who has a five-year offer of at least $120 million from the Red Sox, has discussed short-term and long-term deals with the Arizona Diamondbacks as well. With the free-agent market moving like molasses and although the Red Sox have been the favorites to land Martinez all along, the D-backs may remain […]

Noah Syndergaard Focusing On Lean Workouts

New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard, who missed four months in 2017 with a torn lat muscle, is doing a vastly different workout routine this year that is focused on athleticism instead of bulking up. "I'm trying to become more athletic overall and doing the right kind of lifts," said the leaner Syndergaard. "It's […]

Rangers Trade Russell Wilson To The Yankees

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that the Texas Rangers traded Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson today to the New York Yankees in exchange for future consideration. It might surprise some that Wilson actually played nearly 100 games in the Colorado Rockies system after being drafted in the 4th round of the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft. Wilson […]

Cubs Appear Best-Positioned To Land Yu Darvish

MLB.com is reporting that the Chicago Cubs are in the best position to land free-agent starting pitcher Yu Darvish. Among the teams still in on Darvish, aside from the Cubs, are the Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins. Darvish has been rumored to be holding out hope that the Dodgers or […]

J.D. Martinez Still In Negotiations With Red Sox

Free-agent outfielder J.D. Martinez is not "fed up" with the Boston Red Sox, per earlier reports. "J.D. is involved in multiple negotiations and is pleased with the participants and the good-faith process," Scott Boras, Martinez's agent, reportedly said. "Suggestions otherwise are not accurate." The Red Sox have been viewed as the favorites to land Martinez […]

Orioles Re-Sign Craig Gentry

The Baltimore Orioles re-signed outfielder Craig Gentry to a minor league deal that will pay him $900,000 if he's on the major league roster. The deal includes an invite to spring training. Gentry hit .257 with two home runs, 11 RBI and five steals in 101 at-bats for the O's in 2017 while seeing time […]

Twins Still Interested In Jaime Garcia

The Minnesota Twins continue to show interest in free-agent starting pitcher Jaime Garcia, according to multiple sources. Garcia won his only start with Minnesota last summer before being flipped to the Yankees. Between three teams, including the Braves, Garcia went 5-10 with a 4.41 ERA in 27 starts in 2017. At this point in his […]

Eugenio Suarez Loses Arbitration Case

Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez lost his salary arbitration case and will make $3.75 million in 2018. Suarez showed real growth at the plate in 2017, hitting .260 with 26 home runs and 82 RBI in 156 games. That could be his ceiling, but his improved walk rate (13.3 percent) could mean that he […]

Luis Severino Prepared For Another Big Workload

New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino worked with Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez in the Dominican Republic this offseason and is ready for another big workload in 2018 after he threw 193 1/3 innings during the regular season and another 16 in four playoff starts. Severino tossed 151 1/3 innings in 2016. "That was […]

Ervin Santana Has Surgery, Out 10-12 Weeks

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Ervin Santana (finger) underwent surgery on the middle finger of his right hand and will be out 10 to 12 weeks from Tuesday. This will obviously put a serious dent in Santana's fantasy value, as he will now miss the start of the regular season. The veteran right-hander was an All-Star […]

Pirates Sign Daniel Nava

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed free-agent outfielder Daniel Nava on Tuesday, according to a source. The expectation is that he could become part of a left field platoon situation. Nava landed on the disabled list three times in 2017 for the Phillies and has played in just 134 games in the past two seasons. When he […]

Todd Frazier Agrees To Terms With Mets

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that free-agent infielder Todd Frazier has agreed to a two-year, $17 million contract, with the New York Mets. It is a nice deal for Frazier, who aside from home runs, has struggled in recent years. This past season, the 31-year-old hit .213 with 27 home runs and 76 RBI […]

Blue Jays Not Talking Josh Donaldson Extension Yet

The 2017-2018 MLB offseason has been a slow grind in terms of free agent signings, and many believe that is in-part due to the monster free agent class that will hit the market next year. Toronto Blue Jays third basemen Josh Donaldson is one of those players, and as of now, he seems primed to […]

Marlins, Nationals Continue Not Making Progress On J.T. Realmuto Deal

Jon Morosi of the MLB Network reports that the Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals have made no progress in a deal involving catcher J.T. Realmuto. The Marlins are said to be asking for either Victor Robles or Juan Soto, two of the Nationals prized prospects. Realmuto is likely to be the next Marlin moved, but […]