MLBTR Originals

Here’s the roundup of original content from the MLB Trade Rumors writing staff over the last two weeks…

• It’s already been a notable winter for major trades, and Jeff Todd lists the offseason’s top 60 possible trade candidates that could still be in new uniforms coming Opening Day.
• Arguably the biggest name on that top-60 list is Orioles third baseman (or shortstop?) Manny Machado, who has been the subject of heavy trade speculation over the last week.  Steve Adams examined the market for potential Machado trade partners, evaluating all 29 teams on the likelihood that Machado will be wearing their uniform come Opening Day.
• Live from the Winter Meetings, Steve Adams attended Giancarlo Stanton’s introductory press conference as a Yankee, which included Stanton’s discussions of talks with the Giants and Cardinals over waiving his no-trade protection, his excitement at joining the Yankees, and his displeasure at the constant management controversy and lack of on-field success that marked his time with the Marlins.
• MLBTR’s Free Agent Profiles series examines the winter’s top names on the open market, outlining their strengths and weaknesses while trying to identify teams that could be interested in a signing.  Recent entries include Carlos Santana (by Kyle Downing), Yu Darvish and Mike Moustakas (both by Mark Polishuk).  Since Kyle’s piece, of course, Santana was already taken off the board by a surprising suitor — the Phillies reached agreement with the veteran slugger on a three-year, $60MM deal.
• The Angels have been the talk off the offseason, keeping Justin Upton out of the free agent market via an extension, and then adding Shohei Ohtani, Zack Cozart, Ian Kinsler to the roster.  Still, with several question marks remaining, Connor Byrne asked the MLBTR readership if they felt the Halos had enough for a return to the postseason in 2018.  (At the time of this posting, 61.64% of those polled felt the Angels will indeed make the playoffs.)