Top News:
Bob Nightengale / USA Today:
Manny Machado gets formal offer from White Sox; talks heat up with Bryce Harper — Maybe, just maybe, Bryce Harper won't get a dime more than the contract he turned down three-and-a-half months ago from the Washington Nationals. — Perhaps that $300 million won't be deposited into Manny Machado's bank account, either.
RELATED:
Wallace Matthews / New York Daily News:
Zach Britton is now the Yankees' focus with David Robertson gone and Adam Ottavino all but out of contention — Thursday was a great day for David Robertson. The 33-year-old reliever scored himself a two-year, $23 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Rob Bradford / WEEI:
Dissecting the Craig Kimbrel market — A year ago the Red Sox perfectly read the J.D. Martinez market and ended up with a world championship for their efforts. — Are they primed for another success story this time around? For a second straight offseason, the Sox are seemingly mastering the art of the waiting game.
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors
Associated Press:
Pitcher David Robertson and Phillies agree to $23 million, two-year contract … David Robertson got himself a new deal in a new pair of pinstripes. — The 33-year-old right-handed reliever and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a $23 million, two-year contact on Thursday.
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Phillies Sign David Robertson — 7:00pm: Robertson's deal does contain a range of incentives, per Jon Heyman of Fancred. The 33-year-old will be awarded $50K each for an All-Star appearance, Gold Glove award, or League Championship Series MVP award, and $100K if he's awarded MVP …
Discussion:
FanGraphs Baseball, NBCSports.com and Lone Star Ball
Barry Petchesky / Deadspin:
It's Time For Some Bryce Harper Game Theory — When last we left the Bryce Harper Derby ... absolutely nothing was happening, or so we were led to believe. The 26-year-old superstar outfield has been taking his time, sitting on (as far as we know) a single formal offer, $300 million over 10 years, from the Washington Nationals.
Discussion:
Amazin' Avenue, Bleacher Report, MLB Baseball News … and Phillies Nation
Chelsea Janes / Washington Post:
Rumors swirl but Bryce Harper's market remains far blurrier than Manny Machado's
Discussion:
New York Post, MLB Trade Rumors, Bleacher Nation, Cubs Insider, Federal Baseball, NBCSports.com and Phillies Nation
Jeff PassanESPN / ESPN:
Passan: Why the baseball world is waiting on Manny and Bryce
Discussion:
New Jersey Online, Chicago Tribune, MLB Baseball News …, Over the Monster, MLB Trade Rumors, 670 The Score, NBCSports.com, Bleacher Nation, Tomahawk Take, MLB Daily Dish, Phillies Nation, NESN.com, The Good Phight, South Side Sox, FenwayNation, BoSox Injection, Halos Heaven, Deadspin, Bleacher Report, DodgerBlue.com, Sportsnet.ca, Cubs Insider, Talking Chop and Yahoo! Sports
Ken Rosenthal / The Athletic:
Tulo's determination to stay at short; making sense of the Mariners' plan; the Marlins need to act; more notes — Troy Tulowitzki has bet on himself as a shortstop before — did it in the 2005 draft, in fact. — More than 13 years later, Tulowitzki is taking a different kind of gamble …
Discussion:
Brew Crew Ball, New York Post, MLB Trade Rumors and Let's Go Tribe
RELATED:
Joel Sherman / New York Post:
Old bosses rave about Yankees picking up ‘elite’ Tulowitzki — John Gibbons did not get to manage Troy Tulowitzki last year and yet the now-former Blue Jay skipper declared the Yankees took a great gamble for next season. — Dan O'Dowd was the GM for the first nine years of Tulowitzki's career …
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley, River Avenue Blues, Sportsnet.ca and Newsday
Jesse Rogers / ESPN:
Do Cubs have enough to keep up in baseball's toughest division? — CHICAGO — Search “Cubs” in any social media platform these days, and you're not going to find the same vibe that existed after the 2016 World Series. A team coming off a disappointing finish — combined with a quiet winter so far …
Discussion:
Viva El Birdos
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Sam McDowell / Kansas City Star:
The Royals turned to college pitchers in the draft. Here's the plan for them in 2019 — Dayton Moore sat inside a Las Vegas suite last month and conversed about the topic consuming the bulk of his time these days — the long-term future of the Royals. He expanded upon his reluctance …
Bobby Nightengale / Cincinnati.com:
Cincinnati Reds name Caleb Cotham as their assistant pitching coach — The Reds announced Caleb Cotham was joining their Major League coaching staff as an assistant pitching coach on Thursday. — Cotham was one of the four players sent to the Reds in the Aroldis Chapman trade with the New York Yankees.
Discussion:
redsminorleagues.com
Matthew Florjancic / WKYC-TV:
Report: Indians focused on ‘cheap roster fillers’ more than blockbuster deals — One rival executive believes the Cleveland Indians are focused on “cheap roster fillers” more than blockbuster deals involving starting pitchers Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer. — CLEVELAND — The Cleveland …
