RADIO
Dodgers Discussing Francisco Cervelli
12/13:The Los Angeles Dodgers have been in touch with the Pittsburgh Pirates about trading for catcher Francisco Cervelli and view free-agent Nick Hundley as a fallback option. Cervelli had a career-high 12 home runs while hitting .259/.378/.431 with 57 RBI for the Bucs in 2018. However, he played in just 104 games and has been injury-prone, never playing in more than 130 games in a season. Cervelli would be LA's primary backstop but would share playing time with Austin Barnes until one of their many catching prospects is ready for the big leagues.Source: MLB.com - Ken Gurnick
Dodgers Check In On Wilson Ramos
12/13:The Los Angeles Dodgers checked in on free-agent catcher Wilson Ramos on a one-year deal, but he is seeking more years, according to a source. Despite injury issues in his career, Ramos is one of the better hitting catchers in baseball and is very attractive on the open market. He'll certainly be relevant in single-catcher leagues no matter where he lands in free agency. The 31-year-old hit .306/.358/.487 with 15 long balls and 70 RBI in 111 games with the Rays and Phillies last season.Source: Los Angeles Times - Jorge Castillo
J.T. Realmuto's Suitors Down To Six Teams
12/13:Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto's trade suitors are essentially down to the Reds, Mets, Rays, Braves, Dodgers and Padres. With the winter meetings ending on Thursday, no trade is expected to go down on Thursday. The Mets haven't been able to work out a potential three-team blockbuster for Realmuto, but it's not out of the question. Realmuto hit .277/.340/.484 with 21 home runs and 74 RBI in 477 at-bats for the Fish last year and has become fantasy's No. 1 backstop.Source: Miami Herald - Clark Spencer
Buster Posey Expected To Resume Running In January
12/13:San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (hip) is expected to resume running at full speed in mid-January. Posey had surgery in August to fix a labrum tear in his right hip. It limited him to 105 games in 2018, and he hit .284/.359/.382 with only five home runs and 41 RBI. The All-Star catcher has seen his power numbers slowly decline in each year since 2014, so that's definitely a concern for fantasy owners, as is his hip. He's no longer the unquestioned top fantasy catcher on the board -- that distinction falls to J.T. Realmuto. There could be value in Posey this year as he falls down draft boards, but his ceiling isn't as high as it used to be either.Source: San Francisco Chronicle - Henry Schulman
Diamondbacks May Wait To Trade Zack Greinke
12/13:The Arizona Diamondbacks feel they'll get a better return for starting pitcher Zack Greinke in a trade if they wait until the deadline over the summer. Greinke has a lot of money left on his current deal and also carries a no-trade clause. Teams will likely be more desperate to take on Greinke and his big contract at midseason, so it seems Arizona will hold off. Greinke had some concerns about his velocity last year, but he still was very good with a 3.21 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 8.6 K/9 over 33 starts for the Snakes. He'll remain a strong No. 2 fantasy starter.Source: USA TODAY Sports - Bob Nightengale
Edwin Encarnacion Being Flipped To Tampa
12/13:The Seattle Mariners will send recently acquired designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion to the Tampa Bay Rays in a separate deal, according to sources. It's unclear what the return for Seattle will be. The Mariners are firmly in a rebuild after shipping first baseman Carlos Santana, who they acquired from the Phillies earlier this month, to the Indians on Thursday. E5 will be Tampa's designated hitter after batting .246/.336/.474 with 32 home runs and 107 RBI in 137 games in 2018. He'll turn 36 next month but still has notable pop in his lumber. Staying healthy will be easier if he's the full-time DH with his new squad, which is expected.Source: MLB Network Radio - Scott Miller
Rays Acquire Yandy Diaz From Tribe
12/13:The Tampa Bay Rays acquired infielder Yandy Diaz from the Cleveland Indians on Thursday in exchange for first baseman Jake Bauers in a three-team deal that also included the Mariners. It's unclear how much playing time Diaz will get in his new home, but he should have a chance to carve out an everyday role with Tampa after hitting .312/.375/.422 with a homer and 15 RBI in 39 games for the Indians last year. He's a .283 hitter but has just one long ball in 88 career big league games.Source: ESPN.com
Indians Get Carlos Santana, Jake Bauers
12/13:The Cleveland Indians are acquiring first baseman Carlos Santana from the Mariners and first baseman Jake Bauers from the Rays on Thursday in a three-team swap. The Tribe shipped designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion to Seattle and infielder Yandyread more...
Edwin Encarnacion Heading To Seattle
12/13:The Seattle Mariners will acquire designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion and a compensatory Round B selection from the Cleveland Indians on Thursday in exchange for first baseman Carlos Santana in a three-team deal also involving the Rays. E5 can also play some first base, but he'll likely serve mostly as a DH in Seattle. He'll turn 36 years old next month and hit .246/.336/.474 with 32 home runs, 107 RBI and 74 runs scored last season. It's a curious move for a team that is rebuilding. Encarnacion can still slug homers but isn't getting any younger and is now moving to a team that will have a much weaker lineup in 2019. He's essentially taking the spot of Nelson Cruz, who is a free agent.Source: MLB.com
Mariners Close To Acquiring Edwin Encarnacion
12/13:The Seattle Mariners are close to acquiring designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion from the Cleveland Indians on Thursday, according to sources. The deal could be a three-team swap also involving the Rays, with first baseman Carlos Santana moving to the Indians. There could be a lot more moving parts to this deal, so stay tuned for more details on the proposed transaction. Santana was recently traded from the Phillies to the Mariners, but they have been adamant about flipping him and getting rid of some of his salary.Source: Fan Cred - Jon Heyman
Joe Kelly Agrees To Contract With Dodgers
12/13:Multiple outlets have reported that relief pitcher Joe Kelly has agreed to a three-year, $25 million deal, pending a physical. Kelly had a 4.39 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings for the World Series champions last year. Kelly will be a late-inning arm for the Dodgers and a strong candidate for holds in all formats.Source: Mark Feinsand
Jeurys Familia Agrees To Terms With Mets
12/13:Relief pitcher Jeurys Familia has agreed to a three-year contract with his former team the New York Mets. Familia spent his first six and a half years with the Mets, prior to being dealt at the trade deadline last year to the Oakland Athletics. The reliever posted a 3.13 ERA with 83 strikeouts in 72 innings this past season between the Mets and Athletics and also picked up 18 saves. Familia ranks third in Mets history for saves, but with Edwin Diaz in the picture, Familia is unlikely to get many save opportunities. Familia will be a good candidate for holds in all formats and a good handcuff to Diaz owners.Source: Jeff Passan
Orioles Willing To Move Alex Cobb
12/12:The Baltimore Orioles have made it known that they would trade starting pitcher Alex Cobb in the right deal. He has three years and $43 million left on his deal, however, so the O's would probably have to eat some of the money left. The 31-year-old right-hander was 5-10 with a 4.90 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 102 strikeouts in 152 1/3 innings. It was a tale of two halves for him, though, as he posted a 6.41 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in the first half compared to a solid 2.56 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in the second half. He doesn't strike many out and isn't attractive in Baltimore and in the tough American League East, but his fantasy outlook could look much nicer in a different uniform.Source: MASN Sports - Roch Kubatko
White Sox Pursuing Jeurys Familia
12/12:The Chicago White Sox are pursuing free-agent relief pitcher Jeurys Familia, according to a source. The White Sox are looking to boost the back end of their bullpen, as they currently have Jace Fry and Nate Jones as their top two candidates for the ninth inning. Familia had a solid season in 2018, posting a 3.13 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 18 saves and career-high 10.4 K/9 in 70 outings for the Mets and A's. Seventeen of his 18 closures came with the Mets before being traded to Oakland. He'd have a good shot at seeing ninth-inning work if he landed in Chicago, which would boost his fantasy value back up entering 2019.Source: MLB Network - Jon Paul Morosi
Mets Have Extension Talks With Jacob deGrom
12/12:The New York Mets had preliminary contract-extension talks with starting pitcher Jacob deGrom's agents this week. It's unlikely that anything happens soon, but the lines of communication are open. deGrom dazzled in 2018 and won the National League Cy Young, although he only managed to win 10 games with a bad Mets offense behind him despite posting a miniscule 1.70 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and career-high 11.2 K/9 over 32 starts (217 innings). The right-hander will be one of the first pitchers off the board in drafts next year as a result.Source: MLB.com - Anthony DiComo
