RADIO
Indians May Decide To Keep Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer
12/15:After trading designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, first baseman Yonder Alonso and catcher Yan Gomes, the Cleveland Indians won't be as "motivated" by financial concerns to trade starting pitchers Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer. It'll be tougher for teams seeking Kluber or Bauer -- most likely the Dodgers -- to pry the two stud pitchers away from Cleveland now. Kluber is a perennial Cy Young contender while Bauer had the best season of his career before suffering a leg injury late in the second half of the season.Source: Fan Cred - Jon Heyman
White Sox Don't Intend To Trade Jose Abreu
12/14:The Chicago White Sox have no intentions of trading first baseman Jose Abreu despite acquiring first baseman Yonder Alonso from the Indians on Friday. Abreu's season ended prematurely in 2018 due to injury, and he hit .265/.325/.473 with a career-low 22 home runs, 78 RBI and 68 runs scored in a career-low 128 games. It was the first time in Abreu's five-year career that he failed to reach the 100-RBI mark on a rebuilding Chicago team, and it was just the second time in his five seasons that he didn't hit 30 or more homers. A healthier season could easily see him return to the 30-homer, 100-RBI mark, as well as an improved lineup around him.Source: USA TODAY Sports - Bob Nightengale
White Sox Acquire Yonder Alonso
12/14:The Chicago White Sox acquired first baseman Yonder Alonso from the Cleveland Indians on Friday, according to a source. It's unknown what the White Sox are sending back to the Tribe. Alonso became expendable when the Indians traded for switch-hitting first baseman Carlos Santana and first baseman/outfielder Jake Bauers just a day earlier. Santana should be Cleveland's everyday first baseman, while Bauers could be their regular left fielder. The addition of Alonso in Chicago could allow Jose Abreu to be the team's full-time designated hitter in 2019. Alonso will be 32 next April and hit .250/.317/.421 with 23 home runs and 83 RBI in 516 at-bats last season. He could be a good bet to return to 20 homers next year in a full season in a hitter-friendly park, but he's mostly a corner infield option in deep mixed and AL-only leagues.Source: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
Phillies Could Pursue Mike Minor
12/14:The Philadelphia Phillies could pursue a trade for Texas Rangers starting pitcher Mike Minor, according to sources. The 30-year-old swingman had a 4.18 ERA and 7.6 K/9 as a starter last year for Texas and was also solid for the Royals in 2017 as a reliever (2.55 ERA, 10.2 K/9). The left-hander is also signed through 2020, so he becomes even more attractive if the Phils fail to sign a left-handed free-agent starter on the open market. Minor's versatility is useful to clubs, but he's only worth using in mixed fantasy leagues if he's in a starting rotation. He's expected to be in Texas' opening day rotation if he isn't traded.Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer - Scott Lauber
Matt Chapman Undergoes Shoulder Scope
12/14:Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman (shoulder) underwent a left shoulder scope on Friday, but it was a minor cleanup procedure. The A's say that Chapman should be swinging a bat again in six weeks. Chapman is one of the better young third basemen in baseball both offensively and defensively. He hit .278/.356/.508 with 24 home runs, 68 RBI and 100 runs scored for a surprising A's team in 2018. He'll turn 26 years old next April and is quickly becoming one of the best fantasy third basemen in the game as well. Hopefully this shoulder scope won't affect him whatsoever heading into spring training.Source: MLB.com - Jane Lee
Giants Discussing Kevin Pillar
12/14:The San Francisco Giants front office has discussed trading for Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar, according to multiple sources. Pillar is 29 years old and is a Gold Glove center fielder that could potentially platoon with Steven Duggar against left-handed pitchers. San Fran is also interested in the idea of having two center fielders roaming their outfield. Pillar has more real-life value to teams for his defense and leadoff capabilities than he does for fantasy owners. He hit .252/.282/.426 with 15 home runs, 59 RBI, 65 runs and 14 stolen bases in 142 games in 2018. Pillar is useful for his speed in deep mixed and AL-only leagues if he's playing regularly, but he's not much of an offensive guy and is prone to long, dreadful slumps at the plate.Source: NBC Sports Bay Area - Alex Pavlovic
Padres Interested In Dallas Keuchel
12/14:The San Diego Padres are showing interest in free-agent starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel, according to sources. However, Keuchel's current asking price is prohibitive for the Padres right now. The left-hander is a Scott Boras client and the top pitcher left on the open market, so he isn't expected to sign until late in the offseason. Keuchel doesn't whiff many, but he's a ground-ball pitcher that could thrive at pitcher-friendly Petco Park. While it's unlikely he'd land with the Padres, it's not out of the question. Keuchel would be the team's ace if he were to sign with them, and it would boost his fantasy value as well.Source: The Athletic - Dennis Lin
Mets Discussing Nick Castellanos
12/14:The New York Mets have talked to the Detroit Tigers about trading for outfielder Nick Castellanos, according to sources. The Tigers asking price is high, according to multiple teams who have spoken with them. Castellanos has just one year left on his deal, but he had a career-high .298 average, 23 home runs, 89 RBI and 88 runs scored on a bad Tigers team last year. The 26-year-old has had two very good seasons in a row and has 30-home run power if everything falls his way.Source: Detroit Free Press - Anthony Fenech
Padres Agree With Ian Kinsler
12/14:The San Diego Padres agreed on a two-year, $8 million deal with free-agent second baseman Ian Kinsler on Friday, according to sources. The deal comes with a club option for a third year. Kinsler will turn 37 next June and is coming off a season with the Angels and Red Sox in which he hit .240/.301/.380 with 14 home runs, 48 RBI, 66 runs scored and 16 stolen bases in 128 games. He's no longer the stud power-hitting second baseman he was with the Rangers earlier in his career, but represents an upgrade both defensively and offensively for the Friars at the keystone. He's had double-digit steals in each of his 13 years and can provide modest numbers across the board, although pitcher-friendly Petco Park isn't a good place for his power numbers. Kinsler will be a decent middle infield option in deep mixed and NL-only leagues.Source: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
Nationals Interested In Dallas Keuchel
12/14:The Washington Nationals are interested in free-agent starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel, but they are wary of giving him the five- or six-year deal that he's looking for, according to a source familiar with the team's thinking. Anibal Sanchez, Wade Miley and Jeremy Hellickson would be more affordable. It's especially hard to see the Nats landing Keuchel after they already gave big money to Patrick Corbin, another lefty. A Keuchel addition would no doubt make Washington's rotation the best in baseball. The left-hander doesn't post big strikeout numbers but is rather a ground-ball artist that remains useful in mixed leagues because of his pinpoint control.Source: MASN Sports - Mark Zuckerman
Alex Reyes' Role To Be Determined
12/14:The St. Louis Cardinals may decide to use pitching prospect Alex Reyes in a high-leverage bullpen role in order to protect his innings. Their long-time top prospect has been limited to four innings in the majors the last two years due to elbow and shoulder surgeries,read more...
Yankees Meet With Andrew Miller
12/13:New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has already met with the representatives for free-agent relief pitcher Andrew Miller. They are also interested in re-signing lefty reliever Zach Britton. Miller has been one of the most dominant left-handed relief pitchers in the game in recent seasons, but 2018 was not one of them. The southpaw dealt with injuries that caused him multiple trips to the disabled list, and he posted an un-Miller like 4.24 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 34 innings. Miller spent a year with the Yanks in 2015 and would be returning as a setup man to closer Aroldis Chapman.Source: New York Daily News - Kristie Ackert
Wilson Ramos A Top Target For Angels
12/13:Free-agent catcher Wilson Ramos is the Los Angeles Angels "primary target" right now, according to a source. Ramos is attracting plenty of interest from other teams as well, as he is one of the better hitting backstop options in baseball aside from his injury concerns. Ramos hit .306/.358/.487 with 15 home runs and 70 RBI in 111 games between the Rays and Phillies last year. Jose Briceno and Kevan Smith are the only Angels catchers currently on roster, so they could certainly use an upgrade at the position.Source: ESPN.com - Jerry Crasnick
Jon Gray Of Interest To Teams
12/13:Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jon Gray, who had a bad and unlucky 2018 campaign, was a popular request in trade talks at the winter meetings this week, according to multiple baseball sources with knowledge of the team's trade talks. Teams were also receptive to discussing first baseman/outfielder Ian Desmond, who is guaranteed $40 million. The right-handed Gray is a definite bounce-back candidate in 2019 if things go his way, and he'd be much more attractive as a value pick if he wasn't pitching in Colorado.Source: MLB.com - Thomas Harding
Daniel Murphy On Colorado's Radar
12/13:Free-agent second basemen Daniel Murphy and Neil Walker and free-agent first baseman Logan Morrison are on the radar of the Colorado Rockies. However, the Rockies wouldn't want more than a short-term deal with any of them so it doesn't alter their plan to give increased playing time to left-handed hitting Ryan McMahon. McMahon played mostly first base in his rookie season but received high marks for his work at the keystone. Murphy turns 34 in April and missed valuable time with a knee injury last season, but he still hit .299/.336/.454 for the Nationals and Cubs and would be a lot more attractive in Denver.Source: MLB.com - Thomas Harding
