MLB Trades And Free Agent News / Rumors

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Mariners re-signed RHP Hisashi Iwakuma to a one-year contract with vesting options for 2017 and 2018.
There's no word on the financials of the deal. It's a stunning turn of events for Iwakuma, who agreed to terms on a three-year, $45 million contract with the Dodgers nearly two weeks ago, only to have it fall apart due to an apparent issue with his physical.

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ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Tigers have reached an agreement with Mike Aviles.
There's no word yet on the terms of the contract, but it's presumably a major league deal. Aviles, who will turn 35 in March, hit only .231/.282/.317 for the Indians last season but played six different positions.

Pirates signed RHP Ryan Vogelsong to a one-year contract.
He'll get $2 million guaranteed, with a possible $3 million more available in incentives.

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports that Henderson Alvarez is nearing a contract with the Athletics.

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Nationals are moving on from acquiring Brandon Phillips from the Reds and are pursuing other options.

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SB Nation's Chris Cotillo reports that there's a "growing belief" Mike Leake will sign soon and that the Cardinals are a "strong contender" to land him.
The Cards are one of the clubs that's been connected to Leake for a while, and Cotillo says they're "thought of as the favorite."

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Royals, A's, Cardinals, Orioles, Astros, and Nationals are the finalists for free agent starter Scott Kazmir.

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Cardinals signed RHP Mike Leake to a five-year, $80 million contract.
Leake's contract includes a full no-trade clause and a mutual sixth-year option. He just turned 28 in November. Last season, he posted a 3.70 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 119/49 K/BB ratio across 192 innings (30 starts) while splitting time between the Reds and Giants.

FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the White Sox are showing interest in free agent outfielder Alex Gordon.
Gordon's among the last big name free agents left on the market. Rosenthal speculates that if the team's seriously gunning for Gordon, they might look to trade Adam LaRoche or Melky Cabrera. Gordon could still return to the Royals, but Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported on December 18 that there's a "sizeable gap" between the kind of hometown discount the World Series champs would want to sign him for (four years) and what he's looking for (possibly five years at a $20 million AAV).

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According to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, the Mets are officially out on Yoenis Cespedes and only offered the free agent outfielder "two or three years."
The negotiations never even got to the stage where the Mets named a price, per Heyman's source.

MLB.com's William Ladson reports that the Nationals "have had dialogue" with free agent second basemen Howie Kendrick and Daniel Murphy.
The Nationals had also previously been linked as a possible trade partner for Brandon Phillips, but those talks stalled out.

Pirates signed 1B/OF John Jaso to a two-year, $8 million contract.
Jaso slashed .286/.380/.459 with five homers, 22 RBI and 17 doubles in 185 at-bats for the Rays in 2015. Injuries limited him to just 70 games. Indeed, he hasn't appeared in more than 100 games since he played for the Mariners in 2012. While Jaso played almost exclusively at DH this past season, the Pirates have indicated that he'll be transitioning to first base for the 2016 campaign.

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The Nationals and second baseman Daniel Murphy have agreed on a three-year deal, according to ESPN's Jim Bowden.

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Yankees acquired LHP Aroldis Chapman from the Reds in exchange for RHPs Caleb Cotham and Rookie Davis, 3B Eric Jagielo and 2B Tony Renda.
The deal was first reported earlier Monday by YES Network's Jack Curry and is now official. Chapman will take over the ninth inning in New York, with Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances settling into setup duties in what promises to be a ridiculous bullpen.

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MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reports that the White Sox and Orioles are "emerging as leaders for now" in the chase for free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.

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Dodgers signed LHP Scott Kazmir to a three-year, $48 million contract.
Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reported the contract terms. Per CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, the deal includes an opt-out after one year. After watching Zack Greinke leave for the Diamondbacks and backing away from Hisashi Iwakuma due to a failed physical, the Dodgers have finally landed an arm for their rotation.

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The Dodgers and Kenta Maeda are in agreement on a contract, a source tells Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Christopher Meola, who also broke the news of Giancarlo Stanton's record-setting contract extension with the Marlins in 2014, was the first to report a deal was done. No terms of the contract were immediately available. It's been a busy few days on the starting pitcher market for the Dodgers, who also signed free agent starter Scott Kazmir on Wednesday.

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Royals re-signed OF Alex Gordon to a four-year, $72 million contract with a mutual option for 2020.
Gordon is staying home, as the deal is now official. This scenario was once very much in doubt, but it appears that both sides compromised in order to get a deal done. According to Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com, Gordon will make $12 million this year, $16 million in 2017, and $20 million in 2018-2019 while the mutual option is worth $23 million with a $4 million buyout. He'll be 35 by the end of the guaranteed portion of the contract.

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Giants signed OF Denard Span to a three-year, $31 million contract.
The deal is pending a physical. Span is coming off a hip issue that limited him to just 61 games in 2015, but the Giants obviously feel good ab

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Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports that the Blue Jays have acquired Drew Storen from the Nationals in exchange for Ben Revere.
Heyman had reported earlier in the evening that the Nationals had interest in Revere, and it appears that things progressed quickly

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Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Wei-Yin Chen's deal with the Marlins is worth around $80 million over five years.

The Rockies have agreed to a three-year deal with free agent outfielder Gerardo Parra, according to Wilmer Reina on Twitter.

FOX Sports' Jon Morosi reports that the Rockies and Orioles are engaged in "ongoing trade talks" regarding Colorado's outfielders.
With Gerardo Parra signed, Colorado is expected to cash in on their surplus and look for a deal involving Carlos Gonzalez, Charlie Blackmon, or Corey Dickerson. They will almost certainly ask for pitching in return. CarGo is owed $37 million over the next two years. Meanwhile, Blackmon is under team control through 2018 and Dickerson won't be a free agent until after 2019.