[EmpireMaker]

The Giants have signed left-hander Alex Wood to a one-year contract, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. It’s a $3MM guarantee that includes up to $3MM more in performance bonuses for the ACES client, per Maria Guardado of MLB.com.

Wood, an ex-Dodger, will now reunite with Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, who was the Los Angeles general manager earlier in the southpaw’s career. Wood had some of his best seasons when Zaidi was in LA’s front office, and the 30-year-old has largely held his own since he broke into the majors with the Braves in 2013. Overall, Wood has logged a strong 3.45 ERA/3.72 SIERA in a combined 851 2/3 innings, though his drop-off over the past couple of years made him a buy-low type this offseason.
LA sent Wood to Cincinnati as part of a blockbuster deal before the 2019 campaign, and the Reds were surely expecting him to give them quality innings that year. However, nagging back issues held him out for most of the season and limited him to just 35 2/3 frames of 5.80 ERA pitching.
The Dodgers brought Wood back in free agency almost exactly one year ago (Jan. 12, 2020) on a $4MM guarantee, but the reunion didn’t go quite as planned. Wood struggled with shoulder problems in the regular season, in which he tossed 12 2/3 innings and yielded nine earned runs (mostly out of the bullpen). But Wood did rebound during the Dodgers’ World Series-winning playoff run with 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball and eight strikeouts against three walks. Four of those innings, all of which were scoreless, came during the Fall Classic against Tampa Bay.
In an ideal world for the Giants, Wood will perform more like he did in last year’s playoffs than in the regular season. Either way, it’s not all that surprising that they’re bringing him into the fold. Not only does Wood have connections to Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler, another former member of the Dodgers’ front office, but Giants GM Scott Harris made it known earlier this week that acquiring a lefty starter was a priority for the team.
The Giants lost southpaw Drew Smyly to the Braves earlier in free agency after he served as an inexpensive steal for the club in 2020, which temporarily left them with a righty-laden projected rotation. Wood should provide some balance to a Giants starting staff that figures to rely heavily on two of Wood’s former Reds teammates – Kevin Gausman and Anthony DeSclafani – as well as Johnny Cueto and Logan Webb.

[jrgum3]

The Giants have signed left-hander Alex Wood to a one-year contract, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. It’s a $3MM guarantee that includes up to $3MM more in performance bonuses for the ACES client, per Maria Guardado of MLB.com.

Wood, an ex-Dodger, will now reunite with Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, who was the Los Angeles general manager earlier in the southpaw’s career. Wood had some of his best seasons when Zaidi was in LA’s front office, and the 30-year-old has largely held his own since he broke into the majors with the Braves in 2013. Overall, Wood has logged a strong 3.45 ERA/3.72 SIERA in a combined 851 2/3 innings, though his drop-off over the past couple of years made him a buy-low type this offseason.
LA sent Wood to Cincinnati as part of a blockbuster deal before the 2019 campaign, and the Reds were surely expecting him to give them quality innings that year. However, nagging back issues held him out for most of the season and limited him to just 35 2/3 frames of 5.80 ERA pitching.
The Dodgers brought Wood back in free agency almost exactly one year ago (Jan. 12, 2020) on a $4MM guarantee, but the reunion didn’t go quite as planned. Wood struggled with shoulder problems in the regular season, in which he tossed 12 2/3 innings and yielded nine earned runs (mostly out of the bullpen). But Wood did rebound during the Dodgers’ World Series-winning playoff run with 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball and eight strikeouts against three walks. Four of those innings, all of which were scoreless, came during the Fall Classic against Tampa Bay.
In an ideal world for the Giants, Wood will perform more like he did in last year’s playoffs than in the regular season. Either way, it’s not all that surprising that they’re bringing him into the fold. Not only does Wood have connections to Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler, another former member of the Dodgers’ front office, but Giants GM Scott Harris made it known earlier this week that acquiring a lefty starter was a priority for the team.
The Giants lost southpaw Drew Smyly to the Braves earlier in free agency after he served as an inexpensive steal for the club in 2020, which temporarily left them with a righty-laden projected rotation. Wood should provide some balance to a Giants starting staff that figures to rely heavily on two of Wood’s former Reds teammates – Kevin Gausman and Anthony DeSclafani – as well as Johnny Cueto and Logan Webb.

This is a decent signing for the Giants if Alex Wood stays healthy. For some reason I've always liked him but he never stays healthy. The good news is this is a one year deal so if it doesn't work out it's not like they broke the bank to get him and he didn't work out.

[Cross]

Wood far from his all star days, but maybe a rotation filler still.

[Otters27]

Fun to see the sports card prices, unreal!

It's only the rare graded cards. Might not be a bad idea to buy unoped packs of cards like 1989 upper deck baseball or 89 score football. Might be worth something in the future. Probably still affordable

[JAKEPEAVY21]

It's only the rare graded cards. Might not be a bad idea to buy unoped packs of cards like 1989 upper deck baseball or 89 score football. Might be worth something in the future. Probably still affordable

89 score football is worth a lot. Lots of iconic cards in that set including Barry Sanders rookie. I just looked on Ebay, an unopened box is between $1500-2k.

[stevenash]

Yanks resign DJ

They had no choice.

Luke Voit begged Cashman to sign him.
“We need him” he said

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Yanks resign DJ

They had no choice.

Luke Voit begged Cashman to sign him.
“We need him” he said

6 years 90 million seems like a bargain given his numbers in NY the past couple of years. I was hoping he would tell the Yankees to kick rocks.

[stevenash]

6 years 90 million seems like a bargain given his numbers in NY the past couple of years. I was hoping he would tell the Yankees to kick rocks.

I think deep down he never really wanted to leave NY.

He's one of not too many players that can excel under the bright lights, big city mega markets.

Reggie could, Mo could, Winfield could not.

[BigSpoon]

I think deep down he never really wanted to leave NY.

He's one of not too many players that can excel under the bright lights, big city mega markets.

Reggie could, Mo could, Winfield could not.

Jays apparently offered him 4 years and $78M total.

[jrgum3]

I think deep down he never really wanted to leave NY.

He's one of not too many players that can excel under the bright lights, big city mega markets.

Reggie could, Mo could, Winfield could not.

Seems that way but I can't say I blame DJ he enjoyed some good years with the Yankees and now that they went out and signed Kluber it seems like they're just reloading for another run at the World Series.

[EmpireMaker]

9:10am: It’ll be a six-year, $90MM contract for LeMahieu when finalized, as was first reported by Pat Ragazzo (Twitter link). The $90MM overall guarantee isn’t particularly surprising, but it is indeed an eye-opener to see that sum come over a six-year term rather than five or even four years.
That LeMahieu agreed to a lengthier pact is a boost for the Yankees, as the associated $15MM luxury hit will “only” put the team at about $195MM in terms of 2021 luxury-tax obligations. That leaves the club with as much as $14-15MM of space before reaching the $210MM luxury barrier.
8:52am: The Yankees’ preference was indeed to drive down the luxury-tax hit by lengthening the contract, tweets Bowden, though the precise length of the deal still isn’t clear.
8:17am: The Athletic’s Jim Bowden tweets that LeMahieu’s contract will be more than four years in length. That makes a five-year deal seem likeliest, barring an unexpected six-year arrangement at a comparable total but lower annual rate that is designed to lessen the luxury hit for the Yankees.
7:04am: After a months-long staredown, the Yankees are closing in on a new contract with second baseman DJ LeMahieu, reports Jon Morosi of MLB.com (via Twitter). Terms of the potential agreement aren’t yet known, but the deal could be completed as soon as today, per Morosi. LeMahieu is represented by Wasserman.

LeMahieu, 32, has been the Yankees’ top priority all season. General manager Brian Cashman acknowledged as much a couple of weeks back, but the club has also seemingly been letting LeMahieu explore his options on the open market rather than emulating the Yankees of old and simply writing him a blank check up front. The interest between the two parties was mutual, and it’s long been apparent that the Yankees would have the opportunity to match any offer LeMahieu received elsewhere. The impending reunion will surely come at a loftier price than his initial deal, which proved to be a bargain; reports have recently suggested that LeMahieu has been looking to top Josh Donaldson’s four-year, $92MM contract — ideally on a five-year arrangement.
The focus on LeMahieu is more than understandable for the Yankees, who looked like an oddball fit for the longtime Rockies second baseman two years ago when he inked a two-year, $24MM contract to come to the Bronx. The Yankees already boasted a relatively full infield, but injuries and LeMahieu’s immediate, career-best production quickly thrust him into regular work in manager Aaron Boone’s lineup. The versatile LeMahieu logged action not only at second base but also at the infield corners, emerging not only as the Yankees’ most productive hitter in that time but as a bona fide MVP candidate in the American League.
During his two seasons in New York, LeMahieu has turned in an outstanding .336/.386/.536 batting line — including a superhuman .364/.421/.590 line in 2020’s truncated season. That .364 showing marked the second time in his career that LeMahieu has led the league in average — he won a batting title with the 2016 Rockies as well — but he’d never put together this type of power until landing in New York. Yankee Stadium proved to be the perfect fit for LeMahieu, who leads the Majors in opposite-field home runs over the past couple of seasons after fully taking advantage of his new home park’s short porch in right field.
That’s not to diminish LeMahieu’s production with the Yankees, of course. He remains one of the toughest players in all of baseball to strike out thanks to his superlative bat-to-ball skills, and LeMahieu has upped his hard-hit rate and exit velocities since his days at Coors Field. LeMahieu’s 12.7 percent strikeout rate is the seventh-lowest in all of baseball among qualified hitters over the past two seasons, and he has the eighth-lowest swinging-strike rate of any player in the Majors in that time.
A reunion with the Yankees means that LeMahieu will remain the primary second baseman, with Gleyber Torres reprising his role at shortstop. There’s been plenty of question about Torres’ ability to develop into a strong or even average defender at shortstop after a pair of seasons punctuated by miscues, but the club has publicly expressed confidence that Torres is up to the challenge.
LeMahieu and Torres, then, will be penciled in as the Yankees’ double-play tandem for the foreseeable future, with Gio Urshela and Luke Voit holding down the infield corners. That still leaves former Rookie of the Year runner-up Miguel Andujar without a clear path to everyday at-bats, though he still has a minor league option remaining and can also be worked in as an oft-used bench piece seeing time at third, first and in left field.
The fit in the lineup was always obvious, but the fit into the Yankees’ budget was another question. The Yanks, of course, have deeper pockets than just about any team in the league, but after last year’s franchise-record level of spending — the Yankees’ $108MM prorated payroll was larger than several teams’ full-season payroll would have been — owner Hal Steinbrenner has reportedly been intent on lowering the team’s payroll and dipping beneath the $210MM luxury tax threshold.
The potential free-agent departures of J.A. Happ, James Paxton, Brett Gardner and Masahiro Tanaka help to drive down that bottom line, as did Tommy Kahnle’s non-tender, but it’s been apparent for months that the Yankees weren’t going to look to replicate the aggressiveness that brought Gerrit Cole to New York on an MLB-record deal for a pitcher. Even without a single addition, the Yankees were projected just shy of $181MM in terms of luxury-tax obligations, per Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez, and adding a likely $20MM+ salary for LeMahieu will eat up anywhere from two-thirds to three-quarters of the space that separates the Yankees and that competitive balance tax threshold.
The Yankees are still in need of some rotation depth even after signing Cole last winter. Luis Severino is expected back from Tommy John surgery but will clearly have his workload monitored. The same is true of righty Domingo German, who’ll be returning from a lengthy suspension under MLB’s domestic violence policy. Jordan Montgomery, top prospects Deivi Garcia and Clarke Schmidt, righty Mike King and swingman Luis Cessa are among the other options for Boone, but it’s clear that some veteran innings would prove quite beneficial.
Barring a trade to shed some payroll, however, it’s tough to see a way for the Yankees to both retain Tanaka and limbo underneath the luxury-tax bar. That reality, and some recent comments from Tanaka himself, have fueled speculation that the 32-year-old righty could return to Japan, leaving a considerable void on the Yankees’ starting staff. There are plenty of veteran options to be had on more affordable deals and various trade options to pursue, of course, and Cashman’s focus now seems likely to shift to solving that puzzle.

[Cross]

Yankees definitely going to have a murderer’s row again this year.

[Stallion]

Once again the Jays miss out on a big free agent.

[batt33]

The Yankees and right-hander Corey Kluber have reached agreement on a one-year contract.
The deal has a base value of $11 million according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The agreement is pending a physical. ....

[stevenash]

The Yankees and right-hander Corey Kluber have reached agreement on a one-year contract.
The deal has a base value of $11 million according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The agreement is pending a physical. ....

Yanks still have a lot of question marks.

[Heltah Skeltah]

Yanks still have a lot of question marks.

Sounds like they trying trade Frazier for Castillo from Reds.
Then go and sign Brantley from today's latest news. If that actually happens then Yanks be huge favorites

[stevenash]

Sounds like they trying trade Frazier for Castillo from Reds.
Then go and sign Brantley from today's latest news. If that actually happens then Yanks be huge favorites

I’d trade Frazier for Castillo in a heartbeat.
Frazier is one of those question marks.

[Heltah Skeltah]

I’d trade Frazier for Castillo in a heartbeat.
Frazier is one of those question marks.

I would think the Yanks would have to add a prospect.
As a yankee fan I think Frazier has just started to come into his own. His bat is very live. But with that saying if you get a top sp from Cindy and back it up with Brantley I'm definitely good with that.

[Heltah Skeltah]

Yanks have the best prospect in baseball coming in a year or 2 in Jason Dominguez. Many in baseball say he is better than Trout at his age.
Sounds like a huge star on his way sooner than later

[koz-man]

Baltimore Orioles reach one-year deal with recovering Trey Mancini


BALTIMORE -- — The Baltimore Orioles agreed to a $4.75 million, one-year deal with recovering slugger Trey Mancini on Friday but haven't come to terms yet with outfielder Anthony Santander.

The Orioles and Santander exchanged salary arbitration figures Friday, with Baltimore offering $2.1 million and Santander asking for $2,475,000. The sides can still settle on a number until an arbitrator hears the case and makes a ruling next month.

Mancini missed the entire 2020 season while recovering from Stage 3 colon cancer. He signed on deadline day last January for $4.75 million — which turned into $1,759,259 prorated and was preparing for another solid season before being diagnosed with cancer. The first baseman/outfielder was voted team MVP in 2019 after batting .291 with 35 home runs and 97 RBI.

[stevenash]

Red Sox sign Perez.

They need Sale or they could be a third place team.

[EmpireMaker]

Denver native Kyle Freeland was a revelation for the Rockies in his sophomore season, posting a 2.85 ERA/3.67 FIP over 202 1/3 innings. Two years later, however, and the Rockies have yet to discuss an extension with their homegrown star, writes the Athletic’s Nick Groke. Freeland’s 2018 was an almost as a magical affair, so starved is the Rockies franchise for a cornerstone rotation piece. The bubble burst in 2019, of course, as his run prevention numbers ballooned to a 6.73 ERA/5.99 FIP. He found a middle ground over 70 2/3 innings in 2020, logging a 4.33 ERA/4.65 FIP with a 15.1 percent strikeout rate, 7.6 percent walk rate, and 51.5 percent groundball rate. Freeland agreed to a $5.025MM deal for 2021 on Friday, and he has two more seasons of arbitration before reaching free agency. Given the range of outcomes Freeland has already seen across four seasons, he’s likely to go year-to-year until reaching free agency after 2023. Let’s stay out west and check in with the Angels…

• Kurt Suzuki had offers for more money, but he signed with the Angels for $1.5MM, per the Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya (via Twitter). Suzuki was with the Braves when Angels’ GM Perry Minasian was an executive there, which certainly could have helped smooth negotiations. But Suzuki’s ties to California don’t end there. Had Suzuki any reservations, he surely could have reached out to Anthony Rendon, who bonded with Suzuki’s son while the two were teammates in Washington, writes Robert Collias of The Maui News. Not to mention, Suzuki’s a native of Hawaii, he won a College World Series playing for Cal State Fullerton, and he began his career playing in the bay for the A’s. At 37-years-old, Suzuki’s not going to be a 130-start catcher, and injuries have hampered his ability to control the run game, but he’s been an above-average bat by measure of wRC+ in each of the last four seasons. Not to mention, having been the trusted receiver of Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez the past two seasons, Suzuki no doubt has plenty of sage advice to impart to the Angels’ less experiences backstops about how to manage a ballgame.
• The Angels came to terms with five of their six arbitration-eligible players before yesterday’s filing deadline, but they’re heading to a hearing with star two-way player Shohei Ohtani. As if arbitration hearings aren’t complicated enough, Ohtani’s two-way abilities coupled with his injury history make him a particularly thorny case. Ohtani requested a $3.3MM salary, while the Angels countered at $2.5MM, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. New GM Perry Minasian says the Angels will be a “file-and-go” team, also known as “file-and-trial,” meaning they don’t plan to continue negotiations after the filing deadline. Of course, even teams with this philosophy occasionally reach an agreement between the filing date and hearing.

[koz-man]

Former Oakland Athletics pitcher Dave Stewart bids $115 million on share of Oakland Coliseum


Former Oakland Athletics pitcher Dave Stewart submitted a $115 million bid to buy the city of Oakland's share of the Coliseum with plans to develop the site, he told the San Francisco Chronicle.

With both the NBA's Warriors and NFL's Raiders leaving the site in recent years, the A's are the last pro team using the Coliseum. The team has undergone steps to build a new ballpark at Howard Terminal, about seven miles uptown.

The A's currently own the other half of the Coliseum.

In a Tweet on Saturday night, Stewart, who grew up in the area, said doing "right by our community" is the driving force behind the bid. He told the Chronicle he has ideas of developing the area and potentially building a new stadium there if plans for the Howard Terminal ballpark fall through.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Yankees definitely going to have a murderer’s row again this year.

They still have too many guys that strikeout a ton...

[Stallion]

The Yankees line up is going to lead the league in Home Runs and strikeouts.

[Cross]

Le Mahieu the perfect signing to help balance that lineup.

[BigSpoon]

Red Sox sign Perez.

They need Sale or they could be a third place team.

Even with Sale they might be 4th in the AL East.

[stevenash]

The Yankees line up is going to lead the league in Home Runs and strikeouts.

2021 ZIPS PROJECTIONS

Name	G	PA	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	wOBA	WAR
Aaron Judge	136	588	484	120	19	1	35	93	85	90	180	5	2	0.247	0.369	0.507	0.876	0.367	4.1
Gleyber Torres	149	644	565	152	27	1	33	89	98	66	125	6	3	0.269	0.349	0.495	0.845	0.353	3.8
Aaron Hicks	141	609	506	118	22	2	24	82	76	92	137	8	3	0.234	0.353	0.431	0.784	0.336	2.9
Giancarlo Stanton	136	588	506	127	22	1	41	89	103	69	187	4	2	0.251	0.346	0.538	0.884	0.365	2.7
Giovanny Urshela	146	630	573	153	30	1	20	74	79	42	116	3	1	0.267	0.322	0.426	0.749	0.318	2
Luke Voit	141	609	527	132	21	1	31	85	86	66	159	1	1	0.25	0.341	0.47	0.811	0.342	1.9
Gary Sanchez	97	384	336	74	12	1	24	52	60	38	113	1	1	0.222	0.309	0.476	0.785	0.327	1.6
Clint Frazier	138	595	525	128	27	2	26	76	81	56	159	6	3	0.244	0.323	0.448	0.771	0.326	1.2
Kyle Higashioka	65	256	234	51	9	0	12	30	34	16	68	1	1	0.219	0.274	0.414	0.688	0.289	1.1
Mike Ford	29	126	110	27	5	0	6	17	18	13	26	1	0	0.244	0.33	0.465	0.795	0.334	0.3
Mike Tauchman	55	238	208	50	11	1	6	28	25	25	56	5	2	0.239	0.325	0.381	0.706	0.302	0.2
Tyler Wade	23	98	88	21	4	0	2	11	10	8	24	3	1	0.235	0.305	0.355	0.659	0.286	0.1
Miguel Andujar	10	42	39	10	2	0	2	5	6	2	7	0	0	0.267	0.311	0.469	0.779	0.325	0.1
Estevan Florial	8	35	32	7	1	0	1	4	4	3	11	1	0	0.222	0.288	0.36	0.648	0.278	0
Thairo Estrada	19	84	77	18	3	0	2	9	9	4	20	1	1	0.233	0.28	0.359	0.639	0.274	0
Greg Allen	11	49	44	10	2	0	1	5	5	3	12	2	1	0.228	0.294	0.339	0.633	0.275	-0.1
Jordy Mercer	65	280	253	59	13	1	6	29	28	20	60	2	1	0.232	0.294	0.36	0.654	0.28	-0.1

[batt33]

Former Oakland Athletics pitcher Dave Stewart bids $115 million on share of Oakland Coliseum


Former Oakland Athletics pitcher Dave Stewart submitted a $115 million bid to buy the city of Oakland's share of the Coliseum with plans to develop the site, he told the San Francisco Chronicle.

With both the NBA's Warriors and NFL's Raiders leaving the site in recent years, the A's are the last pro team using the Coliseum. The team has undergone steps to build a new ballpark at Howard Terminal, about seven miles uptown.

The A's currently own the other half of the Coliseum.

In a Tweet on Saturday night, Stewart, who grew up in the area, said doing "right by our community" is the driving force behind the bid. He told the Chronicle he has ideas of developing the area and potentially building a new stadium there if plans for the Howard Terminal ballpark fall through.

That's pretty cool, Hopefully it works out!

[jrgum3]

Even with Sale they might be 4th in the AL East.

Agreed the Red Sox are going to be terrible again. I can't see them finishing ahead of anybody in the AL East with the exception of the Orioles.

[Cross]

Dave Stewart sounds like a savvy dude out in Oakland.

[EmpireMaker]

Despite all of the trade speculation swirling around Andrew Benintendi, the Red Sox haven’t “reached a point of no return in trade talks,” The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier writes, and “there’s a solid chance, though not a guarantee” that Benintendi won’t be moved. One of the obstacles preventing a deal is the number of quality left field options remaining in free agency, so a team in need at the position might prefer to just sign a longer-term answer, rather than swing a trade with the Sox for a player who is only under team control for two more seasons. Speier notes that the Red Sox themselves could be such a team looking for a longer-term outfielder, and could explore the free agent market themselves if Benintendi is indeed dealt.
More from around the AL East…

• Since over half the league sent scouts to watch Corey Kluber’s showcase event, it isn’t surprising that there was some significant money on offer for the veteran righty, who ended up signing with the Yankees on a one-year, $11MM deal. Several teams made eight-figure offers, according to SNY.tv’s Andy Martino, and the Yankees’ offer wasn’t the most expensive contract on the table.
• Kluber drew plenty of interest from elsewhere in the AL East, as Martino writes that the Blue Jays were one of the clubs “bidding aggressively.” Speier sheds a bit more light on Kluber’s situation, noting that he “seemed most interested in a clean one-year deal” rather than a one-year contract with a 2022 option attached — a structure that would have perhaps been more appealing to the Red Sox, another team with legitimate interest in Kluber’s services.
• The Rays also “made a very strong run” at Kluber, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. With Kluber now off the board, Chris Archer is still under consideration as the Rays continue to look for veteran rotation help.
• Also from Topkin, he provides health updates on Yonny Chirinos (Tommy John surgery) and Brendan McKay (shoulder surgery). Chirinos has started to play catch, despite only undergoing his TJ procedure back in August. While the early progress is a good sign, it would still be a surprise if Chirinos was able to pitch at all in 2021 given the usual timeline for Tommy John recovery. McKay’s timeline isn’t as clear, as it was estimated last August that his labrum issue would keep him sidelined through at least the start of the spring. However, Topkin reports that McKay is expected to “soon” start playing catch, which could give both the star prospect and the Rays a better idea of when McKay will be ready for the 2021 season.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Le Mahieu the perfect signing to help balance that lineup.

I think they need a couple of more hitters like him to even out all the whiffs.

[koz-man]

For Any Reds out there...........

Cincinnati Reds reach deals with Michael Lorenzen, five others



CINCINNATI -- The Reds reached one-year deals with all six of their arbitration-eligible players on Friday, agreeing with pitcher and outfielder Michael Lorenzen at $4,437,500 and with right-hander Luis Castillo at $4.2 million.

Cincinnati also agreed with outfielder Jesse Winker at $3.15 million, right-hander Tyler Mahle at $2.2 million, left-hander Amir Garrett at $1.5 million and right-hander Noé Ramirez at $1,175,000.

With Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer expected to sign elsewhere and depending on other offseason moves the Reds make, Lorenzen could be a candidate for the starting rotation. The 29-year-old righty is 22-21 with a 3.97 ERA in five seasons with Cincinnati. He can also play outfield and pinch hit. He was 3-1 with a 4.21 ERA in 18 games in 2020. He collected $1,379,630 from a prorated $3,725,000 salary.

[stevenash]

I think they need a couple of more hitters like him to even out all the whiffs.

Yeah, you're going to see a lot of ball NOT put in play this season at Yankee Stadium.
(HR's are not considered 'balls in play')