MLB - NEWS & NOTES

Nationals acquire Matt Reynolds from Mets
The Nationals acquired infielder Matt Reynolds from the Mets on Monday evening.

 

The Dodgers bring back Chase Utley

Jon Heyman reports that the Dodgers have brought back Chase Utley. He did not say what sort of a deal it was, but one presumes it’s a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.

Utley had been under consideration to be the Phillies bench coach at one point early this offseason, but he’s apparently still looking to keep his playing career going. He hit .236/.324/.405 while making 353 plate appearances in 127 regular-season games. He played in the postseason but was a non-factor. The Dodgers value his veteran presence and leadership, however, so if there’s even a small argument to put him on the roster, Dave Roberts will no doubt consider it strongly.

 

^^hoping he would've won his second WS ring last fall. Kind of sad to see his production so low after his AS days in Philly.

 

Avisail Garcia wins arbitration case against White Sox
White Sox outfielder Avisail Garcia won his arbitration case, so he'll earn $6.7 million this season.

 

Report: Orioles sign Andrew Cashner to two-year, $16 million deal
Cashner had a superficially good year last year, but posted his all-time worst strikeout rate.

 

Hosmer gets signed...

After an offseason filled with slow-churning drama, the Padres have landed their top target -- and one of the top targets on the entire market. Eric Hosmer is headed to San Diego, multiple sources confirmed late Saturday night. The 28-year-old first baseman has agreed to an eight-year contract that includes an opt-out after the fifth year, MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi reports.

The club has not confirmed the deal, which was first reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune. It is pending a physical. According to multiple reports, Hosmer's deal is worth $144 million -- $20 million per year the first five seasons and $13 million each of the final three, along with a $5 million signing bonus -- making it the largest contract in franchise history. (MLB.com)

 

pitching still out there...

 

Report: Red Sox sign J.D. Martinez to five-year, $110 million deal

Jon Morosi reports that Martinez’s contract is worth a total of $110 million and is front-loaded for the first two years ahead of his potential opt-out.

 

Report: D-backs sign Dyson to two-year, $7.5M contract

 

Chris Tillman returns to Orioles on one-year deal

 

I don't get the JD Martinez deal. front loaded with $50 mil upfront in the first 2 years and he can opt out after 2 yrs. do the sox still owe him the remaining 3 yrs? if not cool. if so, that's bad. I want a player for the full length of the deal unless he was hurt during most of it, etc.

 

No, If JD opts out after year 2, he becomes a FA again and the Sox are off the hook for the remaining 60M. Ever since ARod, most of the big FA deals come with an opt out at some point in them...since most big FA deals are lopsided toward the player (in that you're paying the biggest money for a player's decline years), while the opt out obviously appears at first blush to be primarily a boon to the players, I think most teams are fine with having a "virtual get out of jail free card" for the bad years of a contract, knowing when they sign it they could be stuck with a few bad years at the end otherwise.

 

thanks u dog. that explains it. so yeah for JD it's great as he gets $50 mil upfront and if he shits the bed or gets hurt, he can opt out and the sox walk away clean. not bad at all.

 

Well presumably if he shits the bed or gets hurt, he probably doesn't opt out, but at that point 3 years and 60M isn't a killer for the team...the team knows going in they might get stuck with that money, or even that they might have to shell out a little more in 2 years to keep him around, but I think it's usually a good bargaining tool for the teams, and probably helps hold down the AAV of the contracts a little bit by giving the player the chance to bet on themselves again in a couple years. IOW, if the Sox held the line on the opt out, then I'm sure JD would've insisted on a higher AAV, so it's a good tool for both sides even if it seems outwardly to heavily favor the player.

 

Like, the Sox gave Price an opt out after this year, and he mostly sucked last year, so now he's got a great carrot dangling in front of him to put up a huge year this year, and if he opts out and somebody else wants to pay him even more than 31M per for his age 33 and up years, I imagine the Sox will say best of luck to them (easier to do when you have Sale, though, lol)

 

I wish I was a Sox fan as they go out and get a lot of top FA talent vs my Phils who are led by a guy who couldn't manage a Dairy Queen ! Sox are going to be tough to beat in the AL East this year.

 

That's exactly why that system works. Incentives/cash money usually works... its a great motivator.

 

Report: Diamondbacks acquire Steven Souza from Rays; Yankees land Brandon Drury

This is a three-team deal also involving the Diamondbacks, per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The Diamondbacks will receive outfielder Steven Souza from the Rays and second baseman Brandon Drury will head to the Yankees. Lefty reliever Anthony Banda will go to the Rays, Piecoro adds. The Diamondbacks will also receive prospect Taylor Widener from the Yankees, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert adds that the Rays will get two players to be named later from the D-Backs.

Souza, 28, is earning $3.55 million in his first of three years of arbitration eligibility, so the Rays are presumably saving money in moving him. Last season, Souza hit a productive .239/.351/.459 with 30 home runs, 78 RBI, 78 runs scored, and 16 stolen bases in 617 plate appearances. Souza’s arrival almost certainly pushes Yasmany Tomas out of a starting gig.

Drury, 25, has played a handful of positions in his brief major league career. Last year, he played second base in Arizona, batting .267/.317/.447 with 13 home runs and 63 RBI in 480 PA.

Banda, 24, made his major league debut last season, posting an ugly 5.96 ERA with a 25/10 K/BB ratio in 25 2/3 innings. The peripherals suggest he pitched better than his ERA indicated.

Widener, 23, was selected by the Yankees in the 12th round of the 2016 draft. This past season with High-A Tampa, he pitched 119 1/3 innings and posted a 3.39 ERA with a 129/50 K/BB ratio. MLB Pipeline rated Widener as the 14th-best prospect in the Yankees’ system.

 

Chris Archer, Last Man Standing

 

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/...ats-to-honor-florida-school-shooting-victims/

MLB teams wearing caps for the Florida HS victims. This is the same HS that Cubs Anthony Rizzo and the Flyers Shayne Gostibehere attended.