The Rundown: Hoyer Strengthens Bullpen, Bellinger Reportedly Available, Soto Could Sign Before Winter Meetings

Has any player been more snakebit by injuries than Brennen Davis? The outfield prospect was designated for assignment with reliever Adbert Alzolay so the Cubs could add Owen Caissie and Ben Cowles to the 40-man sister.

Perhaps the key to Davis getting his mojo back is to sign a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks. That said, if I ran the Reds front office, I’d get Davis signed as soon as possible because nobody has a worse outfield defense than that team. They’d have a diamond in the rough if they could get the athletic outfielder healthy, and Great American Ball Park boosts home run production for right-handed batters by about 26 percent.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

It’s a gloomy, Rockaway-like morning in Milwaukee, so let me leave you with this classic baseball video before continuing. You may follow that with a little Mills Brothers if you like.

Cubs News & Notes

• Jed Hoyer strengthened his bullpen with the addition of reliever Eli Morgan. The Cubs sent outfield prospect Alfonsin Rosario to the Guardians to complete the deal.
• The Cubs announced that Patrick Wisdom was designated for assignment to make room for Morgan.
• Hoyer also acquired catcher Matt Thaiss from the Angels in a deal that seems puzzling at best.
• Pete Crow-Armstrong has come a long way in 12 months. He was still hitless as a major leaguer at this time last year but finished the 2024 season with 2.7 WAR after a slow start. The sky is the limit for the young outfielder.
• Ian Happ provides a calming, consistent presence in left field.
• Shōta Imanaga finished fifth in the NL Cy Young Award race, becoming Chicago’s first rookie to earn votes in that contest.
• The Cubs, Dodgers, Red Sox, Orioles, Giants, Mets, and Yankees will be the seven teams most involved in deals for top pitchers Blake Snell, Rōki Sasaki, Max Fried, and Corbin Burnes. Fried is reportedly drawing the most interest from the Cubs.
• While rival executives say the Cubs want to trade first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger, they also note the difficulty the team likely will face ($) in pulling off such a move, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
• 2016 World Series hero Ben Zobrist is a Hall of Fame nominee for the first time.
• Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball predicts free agent reliever Jeff Hoffman will sign with the Cubs for three years and a cool $33 million.
• If the Cubs want to add some juice to the lineup, they might find a match with the Marlins for third baseman Jake Burger.

Odds & Sods

Honus Wagner has a very upright batting stance, but who am I to criticize a career .328 batter? What’s more amazing, however, is the way the catcher sets up to receive the pitch. I wonder if Christy Mathewson is pitching to Wagner here.

Rare footage of Honus Wagner hitting against the NY Giants in 1906. pic.twitter.com/wgrfoBv4ql

— Baseball’s Greatest Moments (@BBGreatMoments) November 21, 2024

Central Intelligence

• Milwaukee: The Brewers came to terms on a minor league deal this week with former top pitching prospect Deivi García.
• St. Louis: Cardinals bloggers are constructing mock trades that have St. Louis pillaging other teams’ farm systems. It’s going to be fun watching the Redbirds rebuild. Pass the popcorn.
• Cincinnati: The Reds would love nothing more than to pair Luis Robert Jr. with Elly De La Cruz in the middle of their order. That said, Cincinnati doesn’t need to add another player that lacks below-average fielding chops.
• Pittsburgh: The Pirates cost themselves an extra draft pick by keeping Rookie of the Year pitcher Paul Skenes in the minors for too long.

Thursday Stove

Chris Sale of the Braves and Tarik Skubal of the Tigers were named the National and American League Cy Young Award winners. It was the first time for both.

According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, “the feeling around the industry” is that Juan Soto will sign before the annual Winter Meetings get underway in Dallas on December 9. Teams that don’t land Soto could approach the Cubs about Bellinger, including the Yankees.

Soto’s contract is expected to exceed the $600 million mark.

Sasaki’s elite fastball will be among the fastest in the majors next season.

The phenom’s agent insists that no handshake deal exists between Sasaki and the Dodgers or any other team. He called those rumors, which were given some credence by Dallas Keuchel, “poor sportsmanship.” Keuchel played with Sasaki on the Chiba Lotte Marines.

The premium pitching market is expected to stall until Sasaki makes his decision, sometime after January 15.

Former World Series champion and two-time All-Star A.J. Pierzynski believes the Phillies are trying to trade third baseman Alec Bohm due to “underperformance and immaturity.”

Sports Illustrated’s John Conahan believes the Orioles are “ready to spend” to keep Burnes in Baltimore.

Major League Baseball will test robot umpires as part of a challenge system during spring training at 13 ballparks hosting 19 teams, which could lead to regular-season use in 2026.

Extra Innings

Nasty Boys Redux? Give me Morgan, Tyson Miller, and Porter Hodge for the win. I wanted the Cubs to trade for Devin Williams, but Morgan will do, and his acquisition was a complete surprise.

Eli Morgan comes in and gets the @CLEGuardians out of trouble! #ALDS pic.twitter.com/ad3aoeNWZA

— MLB (@MLB) October 12, 2024

They Said It

• “I would be interested in having [an automated balls/strikes system] in ‘26. We do have a collective bargaining obligation there. That’s also a term and condition of employment. We’re going to have to work through that issue, as well.” – Rob Manfred

Thursday Walk-Up Song

I’m excited about the future of Chicago’s bullpen, so this is a layup, though it is one of the most annoying songs of all time. Three Dog Night is a Blood Sweat & Tears wannabe and a poor one at that.