Colby Rasmus becomes the first player to accept the one year qualifying offer. He'll make $15.8M in 2016 and become a free agent again at the age of 30. He made $8M last season.
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Korean outfielder Hyeon-Soo Kim (or, alternatively anglicized, Hyun-soo Kim) has reached free agency and hopes to sign with an MLB club, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports writes. (Because he is a free agent, he will not need to go through a posting process.) The 27-year-old corner outfielder doesn’t quite have the power numbers of Byung-Ho Park, but has delivered good pop in the hitter-friendly KBO while taking walks more than he strikes out. He’s a .318/.406/.488 lifetime hitter, suggesting a nice blend of contact, patience, and pop, though he’s more of a 20 home run threat than a 40+ bomb KBO masher. Passan cites at least one scout that sees the left-handed-hitting Kim as a possible regular left fielder, and says he could have significant earning power this winter.Comment -
Wieters accepts Orioles' qualifying offer
Baltimore C Matt Wieters has accepted the team's 1-year, $15.8M qualifying offer. He joins Colby Rasmus, who signed this week with the Astros, as the only players to accept the qualify offer since it began in 2012Comment -
Boston Red Sox Verified account @RedSox
The #RedSox today acquired 4-time All-Star RHP Craig Kimbrel from SD in exchange for 4 minor league playersComment -
BREAKING: #Padres acquire prospects Manuel Margot, Javier Guerra, @TherealAsuaje20, @_LAllen26 from #RedSox for @kimbrel46.Comment -
Is Alex Gordon staying with the Royals? Lots of locals like him in KCComment -
RHP Ian Kennedy declines @Padres’ $15.8M qualifying offer; he is a free agent. #HotStove
1B/OF Chris Davis, LHP Wei-Yin Chen decline @Orioles’ $15.8M qualifying offers; both are free agents. #HotStove
SS Ian Desmond rejects @Nationals’ $15.8M qualifying offer; he is a free agent.
RHP Hisashi Iwakuma declines @Mariners’ $15.8M qualifying offer; he is a free agent. #HotStove
INF Daniel Murphy declines @Mets’ $15.8M qualifying offer; he is a free agent. #HotStove
RHP Yovani Gallardo declines @Rangers’ $15.8M qualifying offer; he is a free agent.
*** OF Alex Gordon declines @Royals’ $15.8M qualifying offer; he is a free agent.
RHP Zack Greinke declines @Dodgers’ $15.8M qualifying offer; he is a free agent.
RHP Jeff Samardzija declines @WhiteSox $15.8M qualifying offer; he is a free agent.
OF Justin Upton declines @Padres’ $15.8M qualifying offer; he is a free agent.
2B Howie Kendrick declines @Dodgers’ $15.8M qualifying offer; he is a free agent
OF Dexter Fowler declines @Cubs’ $15.8M qualifying offer; he is a free agent
RHP Jordan Zimmermann declines @Nationals’ $15.8M qualifying offer; he is a free agent
OF Jason Heyward, RHP John Lackey decline @Cardinals’ $15.8M qualifying offers; both are free agents
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LHP Brett Anderson accepts @Dodgers’ $15.8M qualifying offer.
Catcher Matt Wieters accepts @Orioles’ $15.8M qualifying offer
OF Colby Rasmus accepts @Astros’ $15.8M qualifying offer.
@BlueJays re-sign RHP Marco Estrada to two-year, $26M deal through 2017 season.
@Mets sign INF/OF Ty Kelly to Minor League deal with non-roster invite to @MLB #SpringTraining.
@Braves re-sign catcher A.J. Pierzynski to 1-year contract.
@Mariners re-sign OF Franklin Gutierrez to a 1-year contract.Comment -
Red Sox acquire closer Kimbrel from Padres
The Red Sox have made the first big move in the Dave Dombrowski era, acquiring closer Craig Kimbrel from the Padres for four prospects.Comment -
Mets, manager Terry Collins agree to two-year contract extension
By Dayn Perry | Baseball Writer
November 3, 2015 4:48 pm ET
Days after falling to the Royals in the World Series, the Mets and manager Terry Collins have agreed to a two-year contract extension. CBS Sports MLB Insider Jon Heyman has confirmed the deal, and the team is expected to make an announcement Wednesday.
Collins, 66, just completed his fifth season and first winning season with the Mets. This year, the Mets won 90 games in the regular season, fended off the heavily favored Nationals for the NL East title and won the pennant. Across those five seasons in Queens, Collins has a record of 394-416 (.486).
Collins previously managed the Angels for parts of three seasons from 1997-99 (220-237, .481) and Astros for three seasons from 1994-96 (224-197, .532). This past season was the first in which a Collins-led team made the playoffs.
After a successful 2015, Terry Collins will be back in the Mets' dugout for another two seasons. (USATSI)
His W-L is not impressive, but he does have the Mets headed in the right direction...Comment -
Phillies acquire Jeremy Hellickson
Philadelphia got the RHP from Arizona in exchange for minor league righty Sam McWilliams. Hellickson, the 2011 AL rookie of the year, was 9-12 with a 4.62 ERA in 27 starts last season for the Diamondbacks.Comment -
It's Reds vs. Mariners on Saturday, May 21.
25,000 fans in attendance will take home a Ken Griffey Jr. dual bobblehead, featuring the legendary slugger in both Reds and Mariners uniforms.Comment -
By Jamal Collier / MLB.com | November 15th, 2015
The crop of rookies across baseball in 2015 was arguably one of the best in Major League history, featuring a talented group of position players. Top prospects were promoted seemingly every week and making an immediate impact on postseason races.
The winners of the Baseball Writers' Association of America Rookie of the Year Awards in both the National League and American League will be announced Monday night at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network. The Cubs' Kris Bryant, the Pirates' Jung Ho Kang and the Giants' Matt Duffy are the three finalist in the NL, while the Indians' Francisco Lindor, the Astros' Carlos Correa and the Twins' Miguel Sano compete for AL honors.
• Complete awards coverage
Bryant enters as a heavy favorite in the NL race and his victory Monday seems to be a fait accompli. The Chicago third baseman created a stir by leading the Majors in home runs during Spring Training, but he spent a little more than week in the Minors anyway to start the season. He proved why he belonged from the moment he was promoted on April 17.
Bryant led all rookies in fWAR (6.5), RBIs (99), doubles (31) and runs (87), tied for first among NL rookies in homers (26) while batting .275/.369/.488. The only other player in Major League history to reach at least 26 homers, 99 RBIs, 31 doubles, 87 runs and 77 walks in his rookie season was Boston's Ted Williams in 1939.
• Bryant's case for NL Rookie of the Year
NL ROY Finalist: Kris Bryant BBWAA 2015 NL Rookie of the Year finalist Kris Bryant brought a lot of hype and did not disappoint, driving in a Cubs rookie-record 99 runs
Opposing him will be Kang from the division-rival Pirates, who was putting together a strong first season after coming over from the Korea Baseball Organization before he suffered a season-ending injury in September. He hit .287/.355/.461 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs. He was worth 4.0 Wins Above Replacement, the fourth-highest total on the Pirates behind Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole.
• Kang's case for NL Rookie of the Year
NL ROY Finalist: Jung Ho Kang Jung Ho Kang transitioned nicely to the U.S. with good power and on-base skills to become a finalist for BBWAA's NL Rookie of the Year Award
The biggest surprise to be on this list is Duffy, who did not appear in any top prospect lists at the start of the season but played his way into the Giants' everyday lineup as the season progressed. He hit .295/.334/.428 with 12 homers and finished with a 4.9 fWAR, second among NL rookies. Duffy batted .366 with runners in scoring position, second in the NL to Colorado's Nolan Arenado (.373) and Duffy's 91 hits after the All-Star break were also second in the NL.
• Duffy's case for NL Rookie of the Year
NL ROY Finalist: Matt Duffy Giants third baseman Matt Duffy became a steady force in the San Francisco lineup and is now up for BBWAA's 2015 NL Rookie of the Year Award
The race in the AL, however, is a topic for debate between two of the game's terrific young shortstops.
On one hand stands Lindor, an elite defender at shortstop who also helped energize the Indians' lineup.
Lindor had 10 Defensive Runs Saved, the most among all AL shortstops despite not being promoted until May 20. Among the 18 AL shortstops with at least 400 innings played, Lindor's 18.9 UZR/150 ranked first. His defense dramatically turned around the Indians, who had minus-25 Defensive Runs Saved as a team at the time of his callup and ended 2015 with 18 DRS, which ranked third in the AL.
Lindor's offense improved as the year went on as well. Following the All-Star break, he hit at an AL-best .345 clip and churned out the third-most hits (99) in the league. When it was all said and done, Lindor fashioned a 4.6 fWAR.
• Lindor's case for AL Rookie of the Year
AL ROY Finalist: Lindor Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor impressed after a midseason callup, batting over .300 to become a BBWAA AL Rookie of the Year finalist
Correa made his debut on June 8, and like Lindor quickly became one of the best shortstops in baseball.
Correa was the youngest position player in the big leagues in 2015, playing most of the season at 20 years old. He hit .279/.345/.512 with 22 home runs, 22 doubles, 68 RBIs, 14 stolen bases and an .857 OPS in only 99 games. Among AL rookies, he ranked first in homers, slugging percentage (.512) and OPS, while ranking second in RBIs and on-base percentage (.345) and third in batting average.
• Correa's case for AL Rookie of the Year
AL ROY Finalist: Carlos Correa Astros shortstop Carlos Correa dazzled offensively and defensively after a midseason callup to become a BBWAA AL Rookie of the Year finalist
That's not to make light of the terrific season from Sano. The young slugger emerged as one of the Twins' best hitters after being promoted July 2, batting .269/.385/.530 with 18 homers, 17 doubles and 52 RBIs in 80 games. His on-base percentage and slugging percentage led all AL rookies, while his 18 homers ranked second to Correa.
• Sano's case for AL Rookie of the Year
AL ROY Finalist: Miguel Sano Twins third baseman Miguel Sano hit 18 home runs in just 80 games after being called up and is a finalist for BBWAA's AL Rookie of the Year
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I've always wondered what it would be like to be fan # 25,001 to enter the park?
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Kris Bryant won the NL ROY and Carlos Correa won the AL ROY. No surprises there, though Lindor was very impressive in the AL as well.Comment -
The Rookie of the Year ballot runs three players deep. There are 30 voters for each league and the award is based on a points system. A first place vote nets you five points, a second place vote is worth three points, and a third place vote is worth one point.
Courtesy of the Baseball Writers Association of America website, here are the voting results for the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year:
Giants third baseman Matt Duffy easily edged Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang for the runner-up spot. Mets righty Noah Syndergaard wasn't too far away from jumping into the top three. That he finished fourth in the voting shows how incredible the 2015 NL rookie class is.
Now here are the individual NL Rookie of the Year ballots. These are how the individual voters filled out their three-man ballot:
Once again, courtesy of the BBWAA website, here are the voting results for the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year race. This was much, much closer than the NL race.
Like I said, Correa narrowly edged out Lindor. Either player could have won the award and I don't think too many people would have argued. Lindor actually beat Correa in WAR (4.6 to 4.1) while Correa had the edge in power numbers. Both had tremendous seasons.
Twins third baseman Miguel Sano finished a distant third place in the AL voting. Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna wasn't too far behind him and finished fourth. Now here are the 30 individual AL ballots submitted by the voters.Comment -
nice work by Kang, considering his season was cut shortComment -
Yeah, Bryant was pretty much a lock.
Correa very deserving in the AL. I was a little surprised how close behind him Lindor was.
I thought Correa would have won it a little more comfortably.
The Rookie of the Year ballot runs three players deep. There are 30 voters for each league and the award is based on a points system. A first place vote nets you five points, a second place vote is worth three points, and a third place vote is worth one point.
Courtesy of the Baseball Writers Association of America website, here are the voting results for the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year:
Giants third baseman Matt Duffy easily edged Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang for the runner-up spot. Mets righty Noah Syndergaard wasn't too far away from jumping into the top three. That he finished fourth in the voting shows how incredible the 2015 NL rookie class is.
Now here are the individual NL Rookie of the Year ballots. These are how the individual voters filled out their three-man ballot:
Once again, courtesy of the BBWAA website, here are the voting results for the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year race. This was much, much closer than the NL race.
Like I said, Correa narrowly edged out Lindor. Either player could have won the award and I don't think too many people would have argued. Lindor actually beat Correa in WAR (4.6 to 4.1) while Correa had the edge in power numbers. Both had tremendous seasons.
Twins third baseman Miguel Sano finished a distant third place in the AL voting. Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna wasn't too far behind him and finished fourth. Now here are the 30 individual AL ballots submitted by the voters.Comment -
BOCA RATON, Fla. -- One agent was overheard to say there are a lot of "lowball" offers flying around the baseball GM meetings. But that shouldn't be taken to mean teams are low on cash. To the contrary, more nine-figure deals are expected this winter than ever before. For sure, this is just a pause before the deluge of mega deals.
Several teams are expected to be big spenders, and others won't be too far behind that, as the winter spending season is just getting under way now.
The (expected) Big Spenders
1. Angels
They have money and plenty of holes, thanks to free agency and option rejections, not to mention a history of the occasional contract whopper, often spurred by their anxious owner Arte Moreno. The Angels are pretty well set with their pitching, but they are practically barren at left field, third base and catcher, and could possibly consider reinforcements at second base, as well.
Beyond all that, they have to wonder about Albert Pujols, the $240-million man, who underwent serious foot surgery with $165 million and six years to go. Good luck there.
Chris Davis has been connected to the Angels, who wouldn't mind if their pickups are left-handed to balance a righty heavy lineup, though according to new GM Billy Eppler, that is said to be something short of a necessity. Lefty-swinging star outfielders Alex Gordon and Jason Heyward are two more potential fits, as is Daniel Murphy, who could play both third and second. One rival GM, in fact, predicted the Angels would sign Murphy, though he's expected to have quite a few suitors, including the cross-town Dodgers.
2. Giants
Giants people are saying they are playing things to "close to the vest," which is often a tipoff that they have big plans. Besides their three-year streak of winning the World Series in even years, there are clear holes to fill in the rotation and the outfield, which just so happens to be the two greatest areas of strength on the free-agent market.
The Giants are believed to like Zack Greinke, but it might take some kind of special pursuit (not to mention dollar outlay) to outbid the rival Dodgers, who have made Greinke their No. 1 target. The Giants have suggested to some they might actually try to sign two pitchers, which would presumably mean two below the very top group, which includes Greinke, David Price and Johnny Cueto. They've been linked to their own guy, Mike Leake, plus Jeff Samardzija. Those two together could receive about what Greinke gets by himself -- something in the $160-million range.
The Giants have been considering outfield star Yoenis Cespedes, but they are a bit concerned that his regular-year finish might cause his price tag to rise by $50 million, or more. They also have liked Justin Upton before. But in all cases, there's some suspicion they'd prefer to keep outfield pay to the range of $90 million, which is what they paid their own star Hunter Pence, who helped them win a championship before signing that deal (and two now).
3. Tigers
There is word that at a recent meeting owner Mike Ilitch, who has supported his team financially like no other owner considering their limited revenue, literally pulled out a checkbook to show how anxious he is to enhance the team after a rare off season following a strong period of success. The Tigers are concentrating on both starting and relief pitching, as both are areas of need. They probably could use two starters, and at least that many relievers, including a consistent closer.
They have been linked to Samardzija, Ian Kennedy and others, and will surely come up with a couple starters. As for the pen, they are considering a mix of free agents and trade candidates, including Pirates star Mark Melancon, free agent Joakim Soria (an ex-Tiger) and others.
They've always liked Cespedes, another former Tiger, but if the ask is close to $150 million, they'd probably be out there, too.
4. Red Sox
There is a different feel about the Red Sox in the first year under veteran baseball man Dave Dombrowski, and there's some indication they could play for one of the big pitchers, with Price, who was acquired by Dombrowski for the Tigers two years ago, and possibly Cueto linked to the Red Sox. Greinke was actually drafted by Red Sox exec Allard Baird when he was the GM in Kansas City, and after thriving with both Los Angeles teams, there is no longer a hesitation of major-market teams to pursue him. While Greinke, very honestly, explained that he picked the Dodgers last year because they offered the most money and would have gone elsewhere for a dollar, there is some belief he'd prefer the National League since he enjoys hitting and is very good at it (not to mention the bat flips).
The Red Sox have had term limits in recent years, as they've paid higher annual salaries while aiming for shorter terms, but the connection to Price has folks wondering whether there's a "sea change" this year. "I don't know if there's been a sea change," Red Sox GM Mike Hazen said. "We're just open to exploring."
Boston at the very least doesn't seem hesitant at all to spend in the first year of Dombrowski, a veteran baseball leader with a long track record for success who was the Marlins' GM for John Henry way back in the '90s, which likely gives him more cachet and even more leeway to do what he feels is necessary. Dombrowski also is endeavoring to upgrade a bullpen that needs it and is all in on a bullpen market that contains several big names. The Red Sox met with free agent Joakim Soria's people here, as was reported here first, and is also considering the long list of closers available in trade.
They are being very aggressive in their search for good pitching, and seem willing to give up good prospects in return. Aroldis Chapman of the Reds could be a match.
5. Cubs
They are primed to win now, and there's no excuse for this high-revenue team not to spend. They made it to the NLCS a year or two ahead of schedule, and the future is bright, especially with the right additions. They are expected to look at the big pitchers -- Price, Greinke and Cueto -- with perhaps particular interest in Price, who is connected through beloved manager Joe Maddon.
Positionally, they are in excellent shape but will look at the center field market. The first choice may be their own free agent Dexter Fowler, but they could also consider Denard Span, Colby Rasmus, Austin Jackson or perhaps even Cespedes or Heyward. The guess here is they are more apt to spend big on pitching since that's where the greater need lies, but in reality, they should be able to afford to do what they wish.
"It's a new phase for Cubs ownership. It's a championship phase, it's not a rebuilding phase," agent Scott Boras proclaimed.
6. Cardinals
St. Louis has been very prudent in its free agent signings, with a near-perfect record among its biggest signings and only mistakes on the ledger for the far smaller stuff. And while the Cardinals haven't been ones to go crazy with spending (their biggest contract is the $120-million deal for Matt Holliday almost seven years ago), they have been linked to some big-ticket items this winter and seem likely to break their own record. With their latest injury, the loss of Lance Lynn, GM John Mozeliak said, "Maybe it's time to be more aggressive (on the market)."
They'd like to keep Heyward, who may get close to $200 million (though not if he stays) and have also been tied to Davis, who may get somewhat similar money on a higher annual rate.
They likely will have no choice but to consider free-agent options for the rotation. With John Lackey, who outperformed his salary like almost no one else last year, a free agent, there seems to be no other option but to peruse that steep list and reel in an impactful starter.
7. Dodgers
Of course the $300-million team had to make this list. While their ultimate goal is to blend in more kids and win through development, the immediate concern is re-signing Greinke, or replacing him. Greinke is the top choice but they also very much like Price.
Meantime, they need to replace free agent second baseman Howie Kendrick, and they lean toward a lefty swinger such as Murphy, who will probably get a four-year deal, or perhaps the more cost-efficient veteran Chase Utley, who may be more in the $6-million, one-year range. They like Utley for the tone he sets, though his productivity is obviously slipping.
Medium Spenders
8. Orioles
They may need to replace Davis a year after not really replacing Nelson Cruz, so either they bite the bullet and pay almost double what they originally allotted for him or find someone else to approximate the production. The Orioles still need outfield help, anyway, so they could look at Gordon, their own Gerardo Parra, who they liked last year, and others. They also might also re-consider a trade for Rockies star Carlos Gonzalez, who sources say is available again.
9. Blue Jays
The Jays spent their really big bucks last winter, and then again at the deadline, as they reached the playoffs for the first time in 22 years, breaking the longest dry spell in the sport. But they can't be completely done, as they will likely need to figure out how to replace Price and perhaps also Marco Estrada, who was a revelation in 2015, in the rotation. They could look at other free agents, but they will likely wind up moving one of their young back-end bullpen pieces, either Roberto Ozuna or Aaron Sanchez, to the rotation, and instead replacing them with one of many bullpen options available, perhaps in trade.
10. Diamondbacks
Traditionally in the bottom third in terms of payroll, their baseball people may get a bit more leeway after a 15-game improvement in 2015. They seek a closer, and have talked about Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman, Craig Kimbrel, Melancon and others. And they also seek to bolster the rotation with a starter or two. They have touched base with free agent Yovani Gallardo but are expected to cast a wide net below the top three guys.
11. Yankees
GM Brian Cashman has made effective use of trades over the last year, and the Yankees aren't expected to play seriously for the biggest of the free-agent starters (they probably liked Max Scherzer better than anyone from this year's crop, and ultimately, they didn't play for him). The issue seems to be their 50 percent luxury tax, which is obviously quite high. Instead, the Yankees may target Samardzija or Wei-Yin Chen, who will get big deals but very likely something below the $100-million mark.
12. Mets
Cespedes and Murphy carried them through the last few months of the regular season (Cespedes) and then in the playoffs (Murphy), but the team seems disinclined to pay big bucks to keep either player at present. More likely the Mets will seek to "lengthen the lineup" by importing a shortstop or center fielder, or both. Ian Desmond will be investigated, as well a few different center field options, including Fowler and Parra.
13. Royals
The World Series winners will seek one starting pitcher and one or two outfielders this winter, which isn't that different from a year ago when they imported Alex Rios, Kendrys Morales and Edinson Volquez. They were three mid-range buys that all worked.
They could try to keep the beloved Gordon but are seen as likely to try a three- or perhaps four-year deal when he should be able to pull in at least five elsewhere. In any case, added revenues from their fantastic season should mean they don't have to shop at the bargain basement.
14. Padres
GM A.J. Preller isn't a rebuild kind of guy. Besides, they like their nucleus, and with a few alterations they could become competitive. They have tried to see what it would take to acquire Braves star shortstop Andrelton Simmons, but assuming the price tag is high, could instead look into Desmond, as they seek to fill the shortstop hole they never filled a year ago.Comment -
madden won NL manager of the yearComment
