Top News:
Ken Rosenthal / The Athletic:
What a Canó trade might look like; D-Backs stars on the block together?; bullpen market intrigue — Dealing a potential ace such as James Paxton was not all that difficult for Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto. Neither, in a market starved for catching, was moving Mike Zunino.
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News …, Bleacher Nation, The Inquisitr, Pinstripe Alley and NESN.com
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Buster Olney / ESPN:
As Mariners rebuild, two stars might be untouchable — for now — Jerry Dipoto took over as the Mariners' general manager on Sept. 28, 2015, and since that day, he's been The Human Transaction Machine, leaving his fellow executives in the dust in volume of deals: — Mariners: 79 — Rays: 64
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Mariners “Actively” Trying To Move Robinson Cano — As the Mariners' “reimagining” of their Major League roster continues, general manager Jerry Dipoto is “actively “making an effort to trade infielder Robinson Cano, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required).
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News … and Red Reporter
Bill Plunkett / Orange County Register:
Angels' Dino Ebel expected to be among Dodgers' coaching hires — The Dodgers plan to begin filling the vacancies on their major league coaching staff in the next few days and Angels coach Dino Ebel is expected to be among the new hires. — The 52-year-old Ebel has spent the past 14 seasons …
Discussion:
DodgerBlue.com, MLB Trade Rumors and True Blue LA
David Schoenfield / ESPN:
Evaluating risk factor for top 10 free-agent relievers — Relief pitchers threw 17,422 innings in 2018 — that's up from 14,977 just five years ago. That's an average of 81.5 innings per team, so on just a pure volume level relief pitchers are more important than ever.
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Southpaw Shopping: How Cardinals will find the lefty reliever who's just right — bST. LOUIS • An area the Cardinals must address this winter is the left side of their bullpen, and in public comments made all offseason executives have not been hiding that.
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos
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Cesar Brioso / USA Today:
MLB wants $5,000 donation returned after U.S. Senate candidate Cindy Hyde-Smith's controversial comments — About that donation, senator. Major League Baseball would like it back. — MLB has requested that a Mississippi Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate return the $5,000 donation …
Discussion:
Fox News, Forbes, MLB Baseball News …, Cubs Insider and ESPN
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Popular Information:
Major League Baseball donates $5000 to Cindy Hyde-Smith — Over the past week, seven major corporations have asked for Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) to refund their contributions. Earlier this month, Hyde-Smith told a crowd at a campaign event that she would be willing to attend a “public hanging.”
Jay Jaffe / ESPN:
Baseball's front-office execs with the most to prove this winter — As the director of baseball operations and assistant general manager for the Oakland Athletics and then as the general manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Farhan Zaidi has been a major figure in assembling the rosters …
Lynn Henning / Detroit News:
Tigers still free-agent shopping as offseason market hits a lull — Some people worked during the Thanksgiving break. Any such list would include the Tigers front office, which, apart from Thursday's break, stayed by the phones, maybe trading conversation with agents or perhaps with an interested trade partner or two.
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Ashley Varela / NBCSports.com:
Report: Braves, Twins, Rangers, and Padres are in on Sonny Gray — Yankees right-hander Sonny Gray is reportedly up for grabs this season after a disappointing performance in the Bronx, and there appears to be no shortage of suitors vying for the starter's services.
Discussion:
Halos Heaven
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Mike Rosenstein / New Jersey Online:
MLB trade rumors: Market for Yankees' Sonny Gray is heating up
MLB trade rumors: Market for Yankees' Sonny Gray is heating up
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley and MLB Trade Rumors
Mike Rosenstein / New Jersey Online:
MLB rumors: Red Sox's Nathan Eovaldi to the bullpen for ‘Aroldis Chapman money’? — One of the best arms on the free-agent market this winter belongs to right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. — Yes, Eovaldi has undergone Tommy John surgery twice, with the most recent operation coming in 2016 when he was with the Yankees.
Discussion:
Over the Monster and NBCSports.com
Mike Axisa / CBSSports.com:
Trading Madison Bumgarner would be unpopular, but it's the smartest move for the Giants — The Giants need a youth infusion and Bumgarner is only one year away from free agency — Despite not making a single trade or free agent signing, the San Francisco Giants have made one of the most significant moves …