MLB Trades And Free Agent News / Rumors

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CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports that the Mariners and Nori Aoki have agreed to a one-year deal with an option for 2017.
No word yet on the exact terms involved. Aoki was shut down early this past season due to lingering concussion symptoms, but he played well for the Giants when he was healthy, batting .287/.353/.380 with 14 stolen bases over 93 games.

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Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Athletics have acquired first baseman Yonder Alonso from the Padres for left-hander Drew Pomeranz.
No official announcement yet from either team. ESPN's Keith Law first reported that the deal was close and added that Mark Rzepczynski was also expected to go Oakland while left-hander Jose Torres would go to San Diego.

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Pirates non-tendered 1B Pedro Alvarez.
Alvarez made $5.75 million in 2015 and was eligible for arbitration this winter, but it's still a surprise that the Pirates opted to let him hit free agency. He cracked 27 home runs during the 2015 campaign, the third time he's hit at least 25 in his last four seasons

Rays acquired C Hank Conger from the Astros for cash considerations.
Conger was a non-tender candidate in Houston despite producing a decent .759 OPS and 11 home runs in 73 games (56 starts) this past season for the winners of the American League Wild Card Game.

Padres non-tendered INF Will Middlebrooks.
Middlebrooks was the Padres' Opening Day third baseman in 2015, but he went on to hit .212/.241/.361 in 270 plate appearances.

Astros non-tendered 1B Chris Carter.
Despite Carter's 90 homers over the last three seasons, the Astros will be moving on from the enigmatic slugger.

Braves non-tendered LHP Mike Minor.
Minor made $5.6 million in 2015 and was headed to arbitration again this winter. Now that he's been non-tendered, he enters the free agent pool.

Royals non-tendered RHP Greg Holland.
This was a somewhat expected move, as Holland underwent Tommy John surgery in September and was eligible for arbitration. He's not expected to pitch during the 2016 campaign. While the Royals will be letting him hit the free agent market, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman has reported that it's still possible that the club will bring him back on a possible two-year, incentives-based contract.

Marlins non-tendered RHP Henderson Alvarez.
Alvarez is currently rehabbing from the season-ending shoulder surgery he underwent in July, but it's possible he'll be ready to pitch at or near the start of the 2016 season. And yet the Marlins opted to non-tender him rather than go to arbitration. When healthy, the 25-year-old right-hander has a legitimate major league arm. In his last full season (2014), he pitched to a 2.65 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 111/33 K/BB ratio over 187 innings.

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CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports that the Tigers "will have a deal in place with Mike Pelfrey soon."
Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that it's a two-year, $16 million contract. Pelfrey figures to hold down the fifth spot in the Tigers rotation after they got their bigger-ticket item in Jordan Zimmermann.

The Marlins have named Barry Bonds their new hitting coach.
Bonds will be the club's hitting coach, while incumbent Frank Menechino will move to assistant hitting coach duties.

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FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that John Lackey and the Cubs have agreed on a two-year contract worth $32 million.
The Lackey-to-Cubs rumors have been simmering and now it appears the two sides have crossed the finish line, as Rosenthal says only a physical stands in the way of it becoming official

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports that the Diamondbacks are pursuing Zack Greinke.

Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun reports that the Nationals are the clear frontrunner to sign Darren O'Day.
According to Connolly, the two sides could agree to a four-year deal as soon as Friday evening.

MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reports that the Nationals have signed Oliver Perez to a two-year, $7 million contract.

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the agreement between Zack Greinke and the Diamondbacks is for six-years and $206 million.
That would put him at an average annual value of $34.33 million, higher than any pitcher in baseball history and far greater than the $31 million that David Price is receiving per season from the Red Sox. It is rumored that the Dodgers were willing to offer a five-year deal at around $31 million per season. Rosenthal also notes that some of that money is expected to be deferred.

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Giants signed RHP Jeff Samardzija to a five-year, $90 million contract.
Alex Pavlovic of CSNBayArea.com reported the signing while Yahoo Sports' Tim Brown provided the contract details. After the Diamondbacks swooped in and stole Zack Greinke on Friday, the Giants moved on aggressively to ensure they got the next guy on their list.

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ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that Ryan Madson has agreed to a three-year, $22 million contract with the Athletics.
Madson was terrific in a bounce-back season with the Royals in 2015, putting up a 2.13 ERA and 58/14 K/BB ratio over 63 1/3 innings. That said, hoping his arm holds up for three year after he just missed the same number of seasons due to injury is quite the risk.

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Free-agent relief pitcher Darren O'Day has agreed to a four-year, $31 million deal to return to the Baltimore Orioles, sources confirmed to ESPN on Sunday.


The deal is pending a physical.

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The Royals are close to bringing back Joakim Soria on a three-year deal, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reported.
The contract is expected to include an option for 2019 and guarantee Soria about $25 million.

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reports that the Tigers are closing in on a two-year deal with free agent right-hander Mark Lowe.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that the Dodgers and Hisashi Iwakuma have agreed to a three-year contract.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Dodgers are in talks to acquire closer Aroldis Chapman from the Reds.
The Dodgers would be sending prospects back to the Reds in the deal. The Dodgers have long claimed that Julio Urias is untouchable in trades, so it'll be interesting to see what type of return package the Reds are able to secure in the deal.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that Dodgers deal for Chase Utley is believed to be for one-year and $7 million.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Royals and Chris Young are close to completing a two-year contract in the $10-11 million range.

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According to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers have acquired Aroldis Chapman from the Reds for two prospects.
The two sides were said to be close to a deal on Sunday night, and they finally put the right puzzle pieces together on Monday morning -- the first day of the MLB Winter Meetings in Nashville.

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Mariners acquired LHP Wade Miley and RHP Jonathan Aro from the Red Sox for RHP Carson Smith and LHP Roenis Elias.

Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that the Rangers "covet" Jonathan Lucroy.
The Brewers are listening to offers on most players, but Haudricourt isn't sure how likely it is that Lucroy will be moved, saying it "would have to be a huge return." That the Rangers are a club which has interest in him isn't a surprise, as they could use an upgrade at catcher.

MLB.com's Mark Sheldon says the trade sending Aroldis Chapman to the Dodgers has not been completed and other teams could still be in the mix for the star closer.
OK then. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported Monday morning that Chapman had been dealt to Los Angeles, but there's been no word on the return package in the hours since and the Reds are apparently still accepting offers from clubs for their fireballing Cuban closer.

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Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Cubs are expected to focus on Jason Heyward for their next free agent pursuit.
Wittenmyer says that, after landing John Lackey "for a fraction of the dollars and years that went to top-name free agent pitchers," the Cubs "are focusing the money they saved" on trying to get Heyward.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the starter the Cubs may want in a Javier Baez trade with the Rays is Alex Cobb.

Tim Brown and Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports report that Aroldis Chapman was involved in an alleged domestic incident with his girlfriend at his home in October.
The incident -- which occurred on October 30 at Chapman’s home in Florida -- involved Chapman firing eight gunshots in his garage and allegedly choking and pushing his girlfriend against a wall after the two had an argument about something she saw on his phone. No arrests were made in the incident "due to conflicting stories and a lack of cooperation from all parties involved," the police report states. Still, Major League Baseball plans to investigate and it's possible Chapman could face a suspension. Not surprisingly, Brown and Passan say that the revelation has held up and could ultimately nix a trade that would send Chapman to the Dodgers.

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Rockies signed RHP Chad Qualls to a two-year contract.
No word yet on the terms involved. Qualls, 37, is coming off a 4.38 ERA and 46/9 K/BB ratio over 49 1/3 innings this past season

Rockies signed RHP Jason Motte to a two-year, $10 million contract.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the White Sox are shopping veteran slugger Adam LaRoche.
The White Sox are hoping to clear LaRoche's salary in order to pursue a big bat, but moving him is going to be a challenge.

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FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi report that the Cubs are discussing a trade that would send Starlin Castro to the Yankees.
Unloading Castro would allow the Cubs to go after Ben Zobrist, which might have been their plan all along. It's unclear who the Yankees might send to the Cubs in the deal, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post says it's not Brett Gardner, who Chicago had shown interest in.

Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Indians are discussing a one-year contract with an option with Rajai Davis.

FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the Dodgers have discussed involving a third team in order to satisfy the Marlins' trade demands for Jose Fernandez.
Leave it up to Dodgers president Andrew Friedman to get creative as he tries to pull off a blockbuster. The Marlins have said that they're not shopping Fernandez, but there's been way too much smoke to dismiss the possibility of them trading their ace.