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Orioles Designate Jaycob Brugman, Announce Tillman Signing

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The Orioles have designated outfielder Jaycob Brugman for assignment, per a club announcement. His roster spot will go to righty Chris Tillman, whose signing was announced.

Baltimore had picked up the 25-year-old Brugman earlier in the offseason after he was designated by the A’s. He had been expected to compete in camp for a reserve role and perhaps still will if he clears waivers.

Brugman posted a .266/.346/.343 slash over 162 plate appearances last year. He also owns a .289/.353/.410 composite line across 605 total trips to the plate at the Triple-A level. Regarded as a solid corner outfield defender who’s capable of spending some time in center,

The O’s are said to be looking for a lefty-hitting outfielder, but evidently don’t expect Brugman to be their best option. It seems rather clear at this point that the club has every intention of bringing in a veteran from outside the organization.

Orioles Sign Alex Presley To Minor League Deal

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The Orioles announced that they’ve signed veteran outfielder Alex Presley to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training. Presley, a Sports Pro Services client, gives the Orioles a left-handed-hitting option to add to their outfield mix, which they’ve reportedly been seeking for much of the offseason. Given that Presley isn’t guaranteed a 40-man spot, it’s possible that the O’s could continue to explore other additions for that role as well.

Presley, 32, quietly had a very solid season at the plate with the Tigers in 2017, hitting .314/.354/.416 with three homers, 10 doubles, three triples and five steals (in five attempts). That marked his most productive stint in the Majors since a promising .298/.339/.465 showing as a 25-year-old rookie back in 2011, though it’s worth noting that last year’s output was buoyed by a .383 BABIP and 31.1 percent line-drive rate that both seem likely to come back down to Earth.

Overall, with 29 career homers and 30 steals in 1500 MLB plate appearances, Presley has demonstrated a bit of power and speed while hitting a combined .263/.306/.388 in the Majors. He’s had more power against righties but doesn’t have a huge platoon split in terms of batting average or OBP.

In the outfield, Presley has plenty of experience at all three positions, having turned in 620 innings of work in center, 690 in right and 1582 in left field. Ultimate Zone Rating is bullish on his work in left field, where he has the largest sample of data, but has given him below-average marks at the other two spots. Last season, in particular, was a rough season for Presley in the eyes of defensive metrics (-11 Defensive Runs Saved, -2.5 UZR, -2 Outs Above Average).

That said, he’s considerably more experienced in the outfield than Trey Mancini and could give the O’s a left-handed complement to Mancini, Adam Jones, top prospect Austin Hays, part-time outfielder/DH Mark Trumbo and fellow non-roster invitee Craig Gentry.

Quick Hits: Tillman, Tigers, O’s, New York, G. Torres, Tebow

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The Tigers remain on the lookout for a starter, which could lead to a Chris Tillman signing, Jon Heyman of FanRag tweets. Tillman threw for the Tigers on Saturday, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun adds (via Twitter). Both Heyman and Encina note that Tillman is deciding among three teams and likely to sign within the next day or two, and they agree that a return to the Orioles is a legitimate possibility.

More from Baltimore and a few notes on the two New York franchises:

  • The Orioles will more likely sign a left-handed-hitting outfielder than trade for one, GM Jim Duquette told Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com and other reporters Sunday (Twitter links). A move is unlikely to come today, however.
  • The Mets’ Jason Vargas signing will likely conclude their heavy lifting for the offseason, general manager Sandy Alderson suggested Sunday (via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, on Twitter). “With Jason’s signing, we’re pretty much where we want to be,” said Alderson, who has been rather active in free agency since last season ended. Vargas was the sixth big league signing of the offseason for the Mets, who previously added or re-upped Jay Bruce, Todd Frazier, Anthony Swarzak, Adrian Gonzalez and Jose Reyes.
  • The Yankees would buy themselves an extra year of control by having infield prospect Gleyber Torres spend at least 16 days in the minors this year, but that’s not going to factor into whether he earns a roster spot, according to GM Brian Cashman (via David Lennon of Newsday). “It’s not part of my evaluation process,” Cashman told Lennon. “We’re trying to win. If we feel that somebody could benefit from more time in the minors, we’ll make that decision at the end of camp. But I’ll take all the information from what I see and factor that into the evaluation. Every win for us is valuable.” Torres, one of the game’s top prospects, may well emerge as the Opening Day second baseman for the Yankees, who lack an obvious solution there. That would be especially impressive given that Torres is still just 21 and has only totaled 235 plate appearances above the High-A level. He raked over that sample size last year, with a .287/.383/.430 line between Double-A and Triple-A, before undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery on his left (non-throwing) elbow in June. Torres has fully recovered from the procedure.
  • The Mets actually have “modest expectations” that minor league outfielder Tim Tebow will eventually earn a major league call-up, Alderson revealed (Twitter link via James Wagner of the New York Times). “He’s great for baseball. He was phenomenal for minor league baseball last year,” Alderson said of the former Denver Broncos starting quarterback and ex-University of Florida football star. Prior to last season, which the 30-year-old divided between Single-A and High-A and hit .226/.309/.347 in 486 PAs, Tebow hadn’t played organized baseball since high school.

AL Notes: Moose, Royals, Rays, Dickerson, O’s, Mauer, Ellsbury

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The Eric Hosmer era is over in Kansas City, and free agent third baseman Mike Moustakas could become the next Royals cornerstone to head elsewhere. Although general manager Dayton Moore said earlier this month that Moustakas hasn’t prioritized re-signing with the Royals this offseason, it’s still possible he’ll re-up with KC, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag (Twitter link). Now that the Royals are out of the running for Hosmer, they have the funds to bring back Moustakas, Heyman notes. There hasn’t been a strong market for the 29-year-old Moustakas’ services this offseason, but if the qualifying offer recipient does leave the Royals, they would net a compensatory pick in this year’s draft. They’re already in line to receive two, thanks to the departures of Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain.

More out of the American League:

  • The Rays would’ve been the biggest story in baseball last night if not for the Hosmer news, having designated outfielder Corey Dickerson for assignment in an eye-opening move, acquired first baseman C.J. Cron from the Angels and traded righty Jake Odorizzi to the Twins. It wasn’t at all surprising that the Rays dealt Odorizzi, who had been in trade rumors for months, but it was unexpected that they only received a borderline top 30 Twins prospect (Single-A shortstop Jermaine Palacios) in return. General manager Erik Neander addressed that, telling Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times and other reporters that the Rays “probably have him valued quite a bit higher than some of the public publications.” Ultimately, with the Rays set to begin full-squad workouts on Monday, parting with Odorizzi and Dickerson was something they had to do, according to Neander. “You just don’t want a cloud of uncertainty hanging over our group,” he said. “It was time to move forward.” Even if the Rays end up cutting Dickerson and getting nothing back, they’ll justify it as essentially trading two years of control over him for three of Cron and saving money in the process, per Topkin. After parting with Odorizzi and Dickerson, the club could use its added “financial flexibility” to “reinvest” in free agency, Neander said Sunday (Twitter link via Topkin).
  • A Dickerson trade was not imminent as of last night, Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported (Twitter link), but a deal could come together with the AL East rival Orioles, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun suggests. The Orioles, who have been on the lookout for a lefty-hitting outfielder for months, “will undoubtedly inquire about Dickerson,” Encina writes. Dickerson has impressed Orioles manager Buck Showalter in the past, relays Encina, who adds that being in the same division hasn’t stopped the Rays and O’s from swinging deals at previous points (Baltimore acquired infielder Tim Beckham from Tampa Bay last season, for instance).
  • Set to wrap up his eight-year, $184MM contract this season, Twins icon Joe Mauer tells Phil Miller of the Star Tribune he and the team haven’t engaged in any extension talks. But Mauer plans to continue his career in 2019 “if I can still contribute,” and the first baseman is hopeful he’ll still be in a Twins uniform then. “This is where I want to be. This is where my family is, where my daughters are growing up,” said the St. Paul native. “I have no intention of going anywhere else. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.” The former superstar catcher enjoyed a strong year at the plate in 2017 with a .305/.384/.417 line in 597 PAs.
  • Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury was somewhat popular in the rumor mill during the winter, but he informed Jack Curry of the YES Network and other reporters Sunday that the team never approached him about waiving his no-trade clause (Twitter link). It would’ve been (and would still be) a tall order for the Yankees to move Ellsbury, who hasn’t delivered as hoped during his four-year Bronx tenure and still has another $68MM left on his contract. He’ll spend the spring trying to reclaim his old job as New York’s starting center fielder, a role Aaron Hicks usurped in 2017.

AL Notes: Machado, Yanks, Tribe, Salazar, C. Santana, Rangers, Cashner

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Orioles infielder Manny Machado “wants to be a Yankee and the feeling is mutual,” Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes. The Yankees were among the teams that tried to trade for Machado over the winter, so it’s no surprise that they’re continuing to eye him a year before he hits free agency. Regarding offseason trade rumors, Machado said, “Thank God nothing went down and I was able to come back, and see my guys that I’ve been with for seven years.” Although the 25-year-old is content to be an Oriole for now, it seems highly unlikely he’ll remain with them past this year, considering the massive contract he’d land on the open market. And while the longtime third baseman plans to spend the rest of his career at shortstop, where New York has a quality starter in Didi Gregorius, the Yankees would find spots for both of them, Nightengale suggests.

More from the American League…

  • The Indians announced Friday that right-hander Danny Salazar “experienced an onset of right shoulder rotator cuff inflammation” last month during his offseason throwing program. The 28-year-old is “a couple weeks” behind the rest of the pitchers in Indians camp, per the announcement, though he has at least resumed throwing. It certainly doesn’t appear as if Salazar is presently dealing with a major injury, but the shoulder trouble isn’t entirely insignificant. Salazar missed roughly six weeks of the 2017 season due to shoulder troubles, and he has a history of right elbow issues as well. He’s also seen his name pop up in occasional trade speculation, most frequently being linked to the Brewers, though one would imagine that ongoing shoulder issues would temper some of the interest that other clubs may have in Salazar.There’s not yet any indication that Opening Day would be in jeopardy for Salazar, whom the Indians have penciled into a rotation spot alongside Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer. Josh Tomlin and Mike Clevinger are both on hand as options for the fifth spot. Injuries limited Salazar to just 103 innings last season, during which time he posted a 4.28 ERA with a gaudy 12.7 K/9 mark against 3.8 BB/9.
  • Before he joined the Phillies on a three-year, $60MM contract in November, longtime Indians first baseman Carlos Santana proposed a five-year, $75MM deal to Cleveland, the player told Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. However, “the Tribe was never seriously engaged with him at all this winter,” Castrovince tweets. Shortly after Santana left the Indians, they added replacement Yonder Alonso on a much cheaper pact (two years, $16MM).
  • Texas had interest in re-signing Andrew Cashner before he accepted Baltimore’s two-year, $16MM guarantee Thursday, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels confirmed to TR Sullivan of MLB.com. However, not only did the Orioles make Cashner a better offer, but it seems he wouldn’t have been a lock to remain a starter with the Rangers. “We talked to him and gave him a range of what we were thinking,” Daniels said. “He got a better deal. We even asked him if he would pitch in the bullpen, but he got a commitment to start, a multi-year deal, a good deal from Baltimore.” In 2017, his only year with the Rangers, Cashner paced their starters in ERA (3.40) and finished second in innings (166 2/3), though his success came in spite of a league-worst K/BB ratio (1.34).

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Orioles Notes: Machado, Schoop, Liriano

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Orioles standout Manny Machado showed up to camp Saturday and told reporters (including Bob Nightengale of USA Today, via Twitter) that he and the team have not discussed a long-term extension. Interestingly, the soon-to-be free agent added that he’d like to line up at shortstop for the rest of his career. Machado, 25, has played the majority of his career at third base since debuting in 2012, but the O’s decided to move him back to shortstop – his original position – last month. “This is where my heart has always been,” Machado said of short (Twitter link via Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com). Barring an unlikely extension before next offseason, Machado will easily be the premier shortstop option available in a star-studded free agent class. In the meantime, if he thrives at short this year, Machado will have a chance to earn a bit more than his $16MM salary. He’d make an extra $100K by winning a Gold Glove Award and $250K by taking home Platinum Glove honors, Nightengale tweets.

A couple more notes on Baltimore…

  • Like Machado, second baseman Jonathan Schoop may not be long for Baltimore (he’s in his penultimate year of team control). However, Schoop “would be open to an extension,” Ghiroli tweets. And while there was reportedly some frustration between him and the Orioles during the arbitration process, Schoop indicated there’s no bitterness on either end. To this point, there haven’t been any extension talks, but Schopp said he’s “not disappointed” in that (Twitter link via Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com). He’ll make $8.5MM this season after posting a career year in 2017.
  • Kubatko has the latest on the Orioles’ search for starters, writing that they’re monitoring free agent left-hander Francisco Liriano. On the other hand, the Orioles have “cooled on” free agent right-hander Trevor Cahill, whom they were interested in earlier in the offseason, per Kubatko. Fellow righties R.A. Dickey and Scott Feldman (an ex-Oriole) are options for Baltimore, Kubatko suggests, though he notes that the former may end up retiring instead of pitching in 2018.

AL East Notes: Tillman, Jays, Stroman, Betts

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Free-agent righty Chris Tillman is weighing offers and preparing to make a decision in short order, according to Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun. The Orioles are joined by the Twins and two other organizations in the picture for Tillman’s services, per the report, which also suggests that Tillman is willing to take an incentive-laden contract as he looks to return to form after a miserable 2017 season. With the Minnesota organization also said to be involved on some other hurlers, its ongoing involvement is especially interesting to note — though it’s also fair to wonder whether the team’s reported agreement with another bounceback candidate (Anibal Sanchez) will dampen its interest. We’ve seen real movement on the starting pitching market of late; with Tillman also seemingly nearing a deal, it’ll be interesting to see whether the same holds for some other free agents.

Here’s more from the AL East:

  • The Blue Jays are still in the market for pitching after signing Jaime Garcia, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports (Twitter links). With the rotation set, though, the club is now looking at the bullpen, with GM Ross Atkins saying there are still some funds available to work with. Interestingly, per Atkins, the team does not seemingly intend to use Joe Biagini in a relief role. Instead, the provisional plan seems to be for him to work as a starter through camp and remain stretched out when the season opens, even if that means working at Triple-A.
  • Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman may not have enjoyed his arbitration experience, but that doesn’t mean he’s unhappy with the organization. As Nicholson-Smith writes, Stroman expressed today a keen interest in pursuing a long-term deal. Saying he loves everything about playing for Canada’s team, Stroman indicated that he’s “hoping to have talks soon” with the front office. It’s not immediately clear how likely it is that the 26-year-old will find common ground with the organization, but clearly he’s open to the idea. As a 3+ service-class pitcher who turned in a top-quality 2017 effort, Stroman could conceivably look to last winter’s Carlos Martinez contract as a comp.
  • The feeling is a bit different for Red Sox star Mookie Betts. Per Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, via Twitter, Betts says he does not intend to discuss a contract between now and the end of the season. There’s no lingering discord over his own arbitration hearing, in which he came away with $3MM more than the team wanted to pay him. Still, Betts says he won’t consider a lengthier deal until 2018 is in the books — though indications are he might be willing to talk at that time. Of course, a big season could leave the 25-year-old with ample leverage. He’s already slated to earn $10.5MM for the coming season, setting him up for massive potential total arbitration earnings.

Free Agent Rumors: Lincecum, Hosmer, Siegrist, Tillman, Mets

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Tim Lincecum worked out for between 15 and 20 teams yesterday, per a pair of reports from Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Both reports peg Lincecum’s fastball between 90 and 92 mph at the showcase, with Feinsand noting that he touched 93 mph at one point and Divish specifying that the pitch sat in the 91 mph range for the most part.  (His fastball sat 87.7 mph with the Angels in 2016 and 87.2 mph with the Giants in 2015.) Divish spoke to an NL scout who stated that Lincecum showed “a better shape and bite to his curveball than in past years” and a better changeup, though he also suggested that the two-time Cy Young winner currently lacks a true out pitch. Feinsand notes that Lincecum didn’t personally meet with any scouts or team executives before or after the showcase yesterday, adding that he “took awhile to get warmed up,” which wouldn’t be ideal for teams interested in him as a reliever.

Both reports suggest, though, that Lincecum should have no trouble finding a big league invite to Spring Training based on yesterday’s results.

Some more free agent chatter from around the league as the weekend approaches…

  • The Padres’ personnel department has “fallen in love” with Eric Hosmer, writes Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. San Diego continues to maintain serious interest in adding Hosmer’s bat and leadership skills to its emerging core of young players — so much so that two sources indicated to Acee that the team would forgo making a big splash in next year’s free agent crop if it meant signing Hosmer this winter. Part of that likely stems from their interest in Hosmer, while some of the thinking is likely also attributable to the fact that more traditional big spenders like the Dodgers, Yankees and Red Sox (as well as possibly the Rangers and Giants) will be more aggressive next winter. It’s difficult, after all, to envision the Friars topping any of those deep-pocketed clubs in a bidding war.
  • Lincecum wasn’t the only pitcher to host a showcase on Thursday; ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports (via Twitter) that left-hander Kevin Siegrist pitched for a crowd of about 20 scouts in Florida yesterday in an effort to show that he’s healthy after a poor, injury-marred 2017 season. The 28-year-old Siegrist posted sub-3.00 ERAs with the Cardinals in 2015-16 before struggling to a 4.81 ERA last year in season during which he logged DL time for both a forearm issue and a spinal sprain. Siegrist averaged a career-worst 5.03 walks per nine innings pitched last season, and his 92 mph average fastball was down noticeably from his peak, when his heater averaged 93.7 mph. Any club that signs Siegrist for the 2018 season could control him through 2019 via arbitration, as he presently has four years, 116 days of MLB service time.
  • Free-agent righty Chris Tillman had multiple offers in hand as of yesterday afternoon, per MLB.com’s Britt Ghiroli (Twitter link), though the Orioles had not yet made him a formal offer to return at that point. Baltimore has been linked to Tillman, its longtime top starter, throughout the offseason. The Orioles still have a pair of open rotation spots even after signing Andrew Cashner to a two-year contract. Tillman, 30 in April, turned in a catastrophic 7.84 ERA in 93 innings last year in a season that was largely derailed by shoulder injuries. He’s also been linked to the Twins, Blue Jays and Phillies over the past month or so, although the Jays may be off the table now after signing Jaime Garcia to a one-year deal yesterday.
  • The Mets had interest in Jaime Garcia before he signed with Toronto on Thursday, per Mike Puma of the New York Post. The Mets are focusing their efforts on adding a starter that won’t come with draft/international forfeitures (i.e. Alex Cobb, Lance Lynn, Jake Arrieta). Puma reported yesterday that Jason Vargas remains on the Mets’ list of targets, noting that he was briefly with the organization back in 2007-08 and has spent the past four seasons working with new Mets pitching coach Dave Eiland, who formerly held that same position with the Royals.

Orioles Sign Andrew Cashner

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The Orioles have announced an agreement with free-agent righty Andrew Cashner. It’s a two-year, $16MM contract, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). Cashner is represented by CAA Sports.

Cashner will receive consecutive salaries of $5MM and $8MM, Kubatko reports (Twitter links). The remaining $3MM is a signing bonus that will be deferred to 2020 through 2022, according to Kubatko and Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (Twitter link).

There’s also a $10MM vesting option on the contract, in addition to $5MM available in yearly incentives, reports SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (links to Twitter). The option becomes guaranteed if Cashner throws 340 innings over the first two seasons of the deal. It’d become a $10MM player option for Cashner in the event that he reached 360 total innings from 2018-19. Cashner has topped 170 innings in a season only twice, making those fairly lofty goals for a pitcher with his lack of durability. He’d need replicate his career-best 2015 workload (184 2/3 innings) in consecutive years to obtain the player option.

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Cashner, 31, will give the Orioles some desperately needed depth for their rotation, as the only locks for starting jobs until this pickup were righties Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy. He’s made at least 27 starts in each of the past three seasons and is coming off a 3.40 ERA through 166 2/3 innings with the Rangers, albeit with less-impressive marks of 4.6 K/9 against 3.5 BB/9.

Cashner averaged 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings pitched in 2015-16 with the Padres and Marlins, but he somewhat bizarrely saw that number plummet upon signing on with the Rangers. The right-hander did significantly decrease the usage of his four-seam fastball in favor of cutter/sinker, so it’s possible that his pitch selection in 2017 played a large role in his decline in strikeouts. Cashner’s fastball velocity, after all, continued to average better than 93 mph. Still, his 6.1 percent swinging-strike rate and 4.6 K/9 mark were among the bottom two marks among all qualified starters.

Whatever the reasons behind it, the sudden lack of missed bats has to be considered somewhat of a red flag, especially moving into an AL East division that is stacked with some fairly potent lineups. Cashner should give the Orioles a more steadier option to occupy the third slot in the rotation than virtually any of the team’s internal candidates, though he currently profiles more as a back-of-the-rotation arm than mid-rotation starter. The O’s have reportedly been striving to add three starters this winter, including one lefty, so it’s quite possible that Cashner is the first of multiple additions for Baltimore in the weeks to come as Spring Training progresses.

It’s been a rather bleak scene for all free agents outside of the relief market thus far in the offseason, but while Cashner surely waited longer than he’d have hoped to land a deal, his $16MM guarantee falls pretty well within the parameters of reasonable expectations. Heading into the offseason, MLBTR listed Cashner 27th among free agents in terms of earning capacity and pegged him for a two-year, $20MM pact.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Quick Hits: Peavy, Orioles, Healy, Dombrowski

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Jake Peavy is planning to return to baseball, and is aiming to throw in a scouting showcase around May 1, Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller writes.  The timing of the showcase is due to his son Jacob’s school schedule, an example of how Peavy’s family life took priority over his career last year in the wake of a tumultuous 2016.  Peavy dealt with the dual stresses of a divorce and losing $15MM-$20MM of his money to a financial advisor who faced a lawsuit from the the Securities and Exchange Commission for misappropriating funds from Peavy and other clients.  Peavy stepped away from the game in 2017 to deal with both matters and spend time with his four children, and he is now ready to attempt a comeback to wrap up his career on a happier note.

Here’s more from around baseball….

  • Now that the Orioles have avoided arbitration with Kevin Gausman, the team has settled all its offseason arbitration business, allowing Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun to calculate how much the O’s may have left to spend this offseason.  With roughly $121.2MM now on the books for 2018, the Orioles have over $43MM in available payroll space assuming they’re willing to spend as much as they did last season.  That, of course, is no given, since the team hasn’t gotten much in return from recent big expenditures, and have now gained some financial relief now that some big contracts (i.e. Ubaldo Jimenez, J.J. Hardy, Chris Tillman, Wade Miley) have expired.  Still, the O’s have some major needs that need to be addressed, most notably in the starting rotation.
  • Newly-acquired Mariners first baseman Ryon Healy has been bothered by an offseason hand injury and received further tests today, manager Scott Servais told the Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish and other media.  The seriousness of the injury isn’t yet known, though rather the problem’s rather uncertain nature is certainly a concern to an M’s team that was positioning Healy as its first baseman of the future.  Dan Vogelbach and Mike Ford are internal options at the position, plus several free agent options are available if Healy was sidelined for a significant amount of time.
  • The Red Sox are continuing to monitor the market for outfielders, as Dave Dombrowski told reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne and NBCSports.com’s Evan Drellich), and they haven’t given any type of deadline to J.D. Martinez or other free agents for signing with the team.  Dombrowski admitted that the team intended to have more lineup options in place by this point (“From a positional player perspective, no, that wasn’t, per se, our plan“) but noted that even a normal offseason is hard to predict, and this winter’s free agent freeze has made things particularly unusual.  The lack of free agent activity has led to more trade talks, Dombrowski said, as teams are trying to prepare themselves if and when any of these free agents eventually come off the board.
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