MLBTR Originals

A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR the last seven days:

• Over the next few weeks, Matt Swartz will be discussing some of the higher profile upcoming arbitration cases for MLBTR.  Swartz kicked off his Arbitration Breakdown series with a look at Jake Arrieta, who enters his second year of arb coming off of a Cy Young award.  Needless to say, Arrieta is in line for a big raise from his $3.63MM salary last year.
• The hot trend of the 2015/16 offseason has been player options in large, multi-year deals.   David Price, Johnny Cueto, and Jason Heyward were among the players to receive them this winter and Swartz attempted to translate their value into a dollar figure.
• MLBTR’s Jeff Todd ran down the latest from around the league before being joined by Scott Merkin of MLB.com on this week’s MLB Trade Rumors podcast.  They discuss his experience covering new Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. in his days with the White Sox as well as the outlook of the ChiSox after a disappointing 2015 season.  A new episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is released every Thursday and can be accessed on iTunes, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.
• Padres hurler Tyson Ross had a strong season but a weak win/loss record.  While wins and losses don’t mean a ton to the modern baseball community when evaluating an individual pitcher’s performance, it still holds weight in the arbitration process. Swartz looked at Ross’ case and how his 10-12 record could change things.
• The reigning AL MVP is headed to arbitration and Swartz gave us an in-depth examination of how things might play out for Josh Donaldson.
• Recently, MLB Trade Rumors launched a brand new official Instagram account:@TradeRumorsMLB.  Each day, we’re€™ sharing conversation-inspiring images about the hottest topics in baseball.  From there, we invite you to give us a like, weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section, and even share the link with a friend.  So, what are you waiting for?  If you don’€™t have an Instagram account, this is the perfect excuse to sign up and get one.  Follow us on Instagram today!
• MLBTR was the first to report that the Royals agreed to terms with lefty David Huff on a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite.  The 31-year-old has a 5.08 ERA, 5.4 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in parts of seven big-league seasons, which he’s split between starting and relieving.
• On Tuesday, MLBTR’s Steve Adams chatted about the Diamondbacks, Tigers, Adam Eaton, and corner outfielders (among other topics).
• And on his Thursday chat, Jeff Todd addressed topics ranging from a Padres rebuild to Cliff Lee as an Indians target to expect free agent compensation for some of the remaining players.
• Last but not least, MLBTR featured the best of the baseball blogosphere in our weekly segment, Baseball Blogs Weigh In.