The Rundown–12/5/16: Holliday to Yanks, Nats Looking to Trade for Cutch and Sale, Otani Updates, and More
Here are today’s headlines for the Cubs and around the MLB:
- The Yankees signed Matt Holliday to a one- year deal worth $13M to (I assume) be their DH.
- This is actually a great spot for Holliday, who can now get rid of his mitt and just hit.
- The Marlins are willing to throw out a bunch of money and lose their 1st round pick to sign Kenley Jansen. Ken Rosenthal has the Fish willing to spend $80M over 5 years for the former Dodgers closer, while also losing their 14th pick.
- I must say, of all the closers on the market, Jansen is the one I would most like to see the Cubs splurge on. I know it isn’t really the style of this front office to pay big money for a closer, but either they pay now with just money or they overpay with prospects at the trade deadline.
- It appears that the changes to the CBA in regards to free agent compensation have made the Royals take a long look at their team and come to the conclusion that it may be better to trade some of their players that could walk after 2017 instead of holding onto them for another run.
- This could make Danny Duffy, Wade Davis, Lorenzo Cain, and more available on the trade market.
- I would love me some Davis or even Lo Cain for that matter, but not sure how the latter would fit into an already crowded OF picture.
- Either way, this week is going to get even more interesting if these guys are available too.
- The Nationals are wanting to trade for Andrew McCutchen AND Chris Sale and they feel like they have enough prospects to do both.
- I’m sure they do have enough, but these two moves would gut a decent system.
- It kind of feels like the Nats want to win at least one before Bryce Harper is free to leave in two years and these moves would definitely improve their chances. Sale is an absolute monster and would give the Nationals a great rotation on paper (if they all can stay healthy, looking at you Strasburg).
- The Dodgers are willing to move some of their starting pitching in deals this winter. They have made Brandon McCarthy and Scott Kazmir available.
- The Cubs have been attached to Kazmir in recent history and were kicking the tires on him in a trade with the A’s, but I don’t see a fit here for either one. Both have big injury question marks and neither one is what fits the mold of young, controllable pitching.
- In possibly exciting to Cubs fans news, Shohei Otani might be headed to MLB after the 2017 season if a report out of Japan is to be believed.
- Still in question is how his signing would be impacted by the newly agreed-upon CBA and limits on international signings, but whenever he does get posted you can count on the Cubs being heavily involved in the bidding.
That is it for now, but things are just heating up and I assume there will be action at some point soon, so stay tuned!