MLB Trades And Free Agent News / Rumors

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The Chicago Cubs and infielder Ben Zobrist have agreed to terms on a four-year contract through the 2019 campaign. Zobrist, 34, has earned a pair of American League All-Star honors during his career spanning all or part of 10 seasons with Tampa Bay (2006-14), Oakland (2015) and Kansas City (2015). He is a career .265 hitter with a .355 on-base percentage and .431 slugging percentage, good for a .786 OPS. Zobrist has averaged 36 doubles, five triples, 17 homers, 77 RBI, 82 walks and 87 runs per 162 games of his major league career.


The Cubs also acquired right-handed pitcher Adam Warren and a player to be named from the New York Yankees in exchange for infielder Starlin Castro. Warren, 28, went 7-7 with three holds, one save, a 1.16 WHIP and a 3.29 ERA in 43 appearances with the Yankees last season, splitting time between the bullpen (1-1, 2.29 ERA in 26 appearances) and the starting rotation (6-6, 3.66 ERA in 17 starts).

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FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the Diamondbacks have acquired Shelby Miller from the Braves, pending a review of medical records.
The D'Backs will also get Gabe Speier, and the Braves will receive Ender Inciarte, Aaron Blair and Dansby Swanson in return, which is a heck of a haul.

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FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the Mariners are close to acquiring Adam Lind from the Brewers.

MASN Sports' Roch Kubatko reports that the Orioles' offer to Chris Davis is believed to be in the neighborhood of $150 million and includes some deferred money.

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes that the Astros are "still trying to pry" closer Ken Giles away from the Phillies.
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported the Astros' interest a week ago and they are still trying for the hard-throwing right-hander. It's unclear who Philadelphia would receive in return, but Heyman said some of Houston's top prospects would be involved.

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Mariners acquired 1B Adam Lind from the Brewers for RHPs Daniel Missaki, Carlos Herrera and Freddy Peralta.
All three prospects involved are under 20 years old.

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Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Mets and Pirates have agreed to a trade involving Neil Walker and Jon Niese, pending a medical review.
It's believed to be a simple one-for-one swap. The Mets lost out on Ben Zobrist, but they quickly moved on to their next target at second base. Walker only requires a one-year commitment and should provide similar production as Daniel Murphy.

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Fox 26's Mark Berman reports that, pending physicals, the Astros have acquired Phillies closer Ken Giles in exchange for Vince Velasquez, Brett Oberholtzer and Derek Fisher.
The up-and-coming Astros have possibly found their closer for the future. Assuming all the physicals shake out, the reported deal would see Houston part with three players in exchange for the hard-throwing 25-year-old right-hander.

MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo reports that the Mets are finalizing a contract with free agent shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera.
Per Cotillo, the deal will be of the two-year variety with a team option. Further reports have indicated that the contract will be worth $18.5 million once the shortstop's passed his physical. Cabrera hit .265/.315/.430 with 15 homers and 58 RBI in 505 at-bats with the Rays in 2015.




The New York Post's Joel Sherman reports that the Nationals and free agent right-hander Yusmeiro Petit have agreed to a one-year contract pending a physical.

White Sox acquired 3B Brett Lawrie from the Athletics for RHP J.B. Wendelken and LHP Zack Erwin.

Tigers acquired LHP Justin Wilson from the Yankees for RHP Luis Cessa and RHP Chad Green.
It's an interesting move on the Yankees' part, given that Wilson's a hard-throwing left-hander who's still just 28 years old. The Tigers gave up a pair of prospects to acquire him.

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Alex Pavlovic of CSNBayArea.com says the "sense around" the Winter Meetings is that Jason Heyward will choose a team by the end of the day Thursday.
"Or very soon," if not on Thursday, tweets Pavlovic. The finalists in this pursuit are believed to be the Cardinals and Cubs -- two longtime rivals -- with the Angels maybe serving as a darkhorse.

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Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that infielder Yunel Escobar has been traded to the Angels.
FOX Sports' Jon Morosi was first to mention that the two teams were talking. Escobar can either fill the Angels' hole at second base or third base. He posted a cool .314/.375/.415 batting line with nine home runs and 56 RBI in 139 games this past season for the Nationals and is owed just $7 million in 2016.

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Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that "multiple sources indicate" Jason Heyward has chosen the Cubs over the Cardinals and Nationals.
CBS Sports' Jon Heyman and FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal have confirmed the report. There's no word on what the contract will be, but the Nationals reportedly bid around $200 million so it figures to be more than that.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports that the Cardinals "now have sights set" on Alex Gordon.
The Cards have bowed out of the Jason Heyward sweepstakes, so they're turning their attention to Plan B. Gordon makes a lot of sense, as he's essentially an older version of Heyward and can be had at a fraction of the price.

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ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that the Royals have had trade discussions with the Rockies about Carlos Gonzalez, Charlie Blackmon and Corey Dickerson.
The Royals haven't given up hope of re-signing Alex Gordon, but they're preparing a variety of Plan B options. The asking price for Gonzalez is reportedly sky-high, which is understandable after he hit .271/.325/.540 with 40 home runs and 97 RBI last season.

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Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reports that the Mariners have agreed to a two-year contract with closer Steve Cishek.
Financial terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed. New general manager Jerry Dipoto has been incredibly active this offseason remaking the Mariners roster, and now he has a terrific one-two punch at the back of the bullpen with Cishek and Joaquin Benoit.

Phillies acquired RHP Charlie Morton from the Pirates for RHP David Whitehead.

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ESPN's Buster Olney reports that Johnny Cueto has agreed to a contract with the Giants, pending a physical.
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says the deal is for six years and $130 million and contains an opt-out clause after the 2017 season. The Giants also have a club option for a seventh year.

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FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the Indians have signed Mike Napoli to a one-year contract, pending a physical.
CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports the deal is worth $7 million, with $3 million in additional incentives.

White Sox acquired 3B Todd Frazier in a three-team trade with the Reds and Dodgers.
There was some debate about which direction the White Sox would go after a disappointing 2015 season, but it's safe to say they are all in. The price tag was reasonable, as they sent right-hander Frankie Montas, outfielder Trayce Thompson and infielder Micah Johnson to the Dodgers in the deal.

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According to Jiji Press in Japan, the Dodgers have backed away from their agreement with Hisashi Iwakuma following the right-hander's pre-signing physical.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweeted 11 days ago that Iwakuma and the Dodgers had linked up on a three-year, $45 million free agent deal, but there had been silence from all of the involved parties ever since that initial report. Now we know why. Iwakuma missed all of May and June with a strained lat, but he seemed to be well past the issue in the second half. There should be more information to come. The 34-year-old right-hander is again a free agent.

Indians signed OF Rajai Davis to a one-year, $5.25 million contract.
The agreement was reported on Wednesday evening and then officially announced Thursday after Davis passed his pre-signing physical.

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The Reds have agreed to a deal to send Brandon Phillips to the Nationals, but the Nationals continue to negotiate with Phillips on waiving his no-trade clause, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Rosenthal said Phillips, who lives year-round in Cincinnati and accepted deferrals to sign a long-term contract with the Reds, would require "financial adjustment" to agree to a move to the Nats.

Hisashi Iwakuma is still negotiating with the Dodgers, per Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles.
His reported three-year, $45 million pact was pulled off the table after a failed pre-signing physical, but Iwakuma is clearly still interested in heading to Los Angeles and the Dodgers apparently still want him at will surely be a lower rate.