By participating in the three-team Mark Trumbo trade with the Diamondbacks and Angels, the White Sox hindered their cross-town rivals' hopes of dealing Jeff Samardzija, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. The Diamondbacks have been interested in Samardzija since the summer, and one of the players they dealt in the Trumbo deal, pitcher Tyler Skaggs, would have been a key component of any package strong enough for the Cubs to send Samardzija to the desert. Here are more notes from around the big leagues.
- Wittenmyer also reports that the Cubs haven't yet made an offer to Scott Baker, who worked through an elbow injury and made three late-season starts for the Cubs in 2013. They have, however, talked with his agency. Baker is represented by Octagon.
- The Blue Jays are still prefer not to sign players for more than five years, although, as Sportsnet.ca's Ben Nicholson-Smith recently noted (via Twitter), there may be signs that could be softening somewhat. Still, their reluctance removes them from the market for top-tier free agents, who usually sign for longer, MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm points out. Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos prefers to trading for high-profile players rather than signing them. "There are some players out there in trade that signed long-term contracts, and then a year or two later, they're already getting moved," he says. "That's pretty telling. I still think five years is a long period of time."
- Chisholm also reports that Anthopoulos says that prospects Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman "come up in every trade talk we probably have," due to their relatively close proximity to the Majors. "If you're trying to get a controllable starter, everyone would prefer to get the talent level that's closest," Anthopoulos says.
- Even though the the Royals didn't sign Carlos Beltran, they haven't ruled out the possibility of trading DH Billy Butler, ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets. If they do, they could end up signing Nelson Cruz.
- The Rangers, Mariners and Orioles still appear to have interest in Cruz, Stark tweets, noting that it could still be awhile before Cruz signs.
- The Orioles have also checked in on free agent starting pitcher Bartolo Colon, tweets FOX Sports' Jon Morosi.
- The Yankees, Mets and Padres have asked about Dustin Ackley of the Mariners, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman tweets. Ackley, 25, hit .253/.319/.341 in 427 plate appearances in 2013, with his time split between second base and outfield.
- Ten teams are interested in infielder Justin Turner, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes writes (via Twitter). Turner hit .280/.319/.385 in 214 plate appearances and played all four infield position for the Mets in 2013.
- Astros outfielder L.J. Hoes is now represented by MVP Sports Group, Dierkes tweets.
just wait and see. TOR will sign tomo ohka tomorrow.
Would rather have Jacob turner to Justin
I still can’t get over that Sanchez is from Barstow.
Padres say Headley is a part of the future but they’re checking in on 2B options like Ackley which suggests Gyorko moving from 2B to 3B. Very sneaky Byrnes.
I was thinkning the same thing. I’m sure even after his down year last season the Padres could get more in return than it would take to get Ackley and you never know a change of scenery might do him some good.
Yea I’m one of those guys who think they should either trade Headley now or extend him. It seems to me that there isn’t much of an advantage in not doing anything.
I’m also wondering what caused Ackley’s production to drop. Mechanics? Mentality? Maybe the Mariners put to much pressure on him since the team needed another star to help Felix.
Yea I’m one of those guys who think they should either trade Headley now or extend him. It seems to me that there isn’t much of an advantage in not doing anything.
I’m also wondering what caused Ackley’s production to drop. Mechanics? Mentality? Maybe the Mariners put to much pressure on him since the team needed another star to help Felix.
Looks like the Cubs are content with their Major League, if that’s what it is, roster.
If the Royals trade Butler to sign a more expensive Nelson Cruz it would be indicative of why the organization cannot assemble a competitive team. They’d be getting rid of a young (27) player (Butler) that is worth between 2 and 4 WAR depending on the year. For an aging (33) player (Cruz) who is only worth between 1 and 3 WAR/year. Perhaps they should devote the monies they saved by missing on Beltran, to improving a pitching staff that who’s #2-#5 pitchers all have ERAs over 4.00
Yeah, Cruz may be more expensive BUT it would show the organization is trying to keep improving the team, like they did last off-season with the aquisistions (sp?) of Shields and Davis, and with Cruz in that lineup, it would be a total upgrade to what they’ve had in RF for years upon years.