MLBTR Originals

A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:

• MLB Trade Rumors Podcast featured host Jeff Todd reviewing the week’s transactions and discussing with Steve Adams how the early free agent signings will affect the market going forward. A new edition of MLB Trade Rumors Podcast will drop every Thursday and can be accessed on iTunes, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.
• Tim was the first to report Pablo Sandoval had a second meeting with the Red Sox.
• Tim expects the bidding for Sandoval to top out at a six years and $114MM. Sandoval is number five on MLBTR’s 2014-15 Top 50 Free Agents list.
• Braves President John Hart told Mark Polishuk the trade of Jason Heyward was due in part to an impasse in negotiations over a contract extension. “He wanted a two-year deal and wasn’t interested in a long-term extension unless the dollars were maybe beyond where the club certainly wanted to go,” said Hart. “We had a strong feeling he was going to go on the market. That’s what he wanted to do. We wanted to protect ourselves and position ourselves better.“
  
• After the A’s signed Billy Butler to a three-year, $30MM pact, Royals GM Dayton Moore explained to Zach Links his rationale for not exercising the club’s $12.5MM option on Butler and then working out a trade. “That’s something talked about but the timing of it really didn’t allow us to do that,“ Moore said. “There was nobody really willing to do that at the time. We just finished playing [in the World Series] and three days later we had to make a decision. If we would have found a viable trade partner, it’s something we would have done, or looked at.  I don’t know if we would have done it because I’m not sure what the package would have been, but it’s something we certainly looked at.“
• Max Scherzer, MLBTR’s top ranked free agent, will receive $185MM over seven years, according to Tim.
• Steve Adams pegs Jon Lester (#2) for a six-year, $153MM contract and was right on the money with his Billy Butler (#41) prediction of a three-year deal worth $30MM.
• Charlie Wilmoth profiled Cubs left-hander Travis Wood as a non-tender candidate.
• A Major League source told MLBTR the Rangers will likely sell Jim Adduci’s rights to a Korean or Japanese club.
• Tim was the first to learn Mitch Moreland left BBI Sports Group to join Bob Garber at RMG Baseball.
• Tim broke the news of the Angels adding right-hander Danny Reynolds to their 40-man roster and the Diamondbacks signing infielder/outfielder Jamie Romak to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.
• MLBTR learned the Tigers inked left-hander Omar Duran to a minor league deal, which includes a Spring Training invite.
• Zach was first with Bret Saberhagen’s desire to return to MLB as a pitching or bullpen coach.
• Steve hosted the MLBTR live chat this week.
• Zach put together the best of the baseball blogosphere in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.