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.
Discussion:
New York Post and The Loop Sports
RELATED:
Bradford Doolittle / ESPN:
MLB stock watch: Midwinter winners and losers — The Christmas holiday marks the midpoint of the baseball offseason. In fact, given an initial spring training reporting date of Feb. 13 for pitchers and catchers, the recent Dec. 25 respite neatly splits the hot stove season perfectly in two.
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:
Baseball My Life and MLB Trade Rumors
Jeff PassanESPN / ESPN:
Steady reliever David Robertson signs two-year deal with Phillies — Free-agent reliever David Robertson has signed a two-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies that includes a third-year club option, the team announced Thursday. — Robertson will make $10 million in 2019 and $11 million in 2020, a source told ESPN.
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.
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
Justin Terranova / New York Post:
Bryce Harper pursuit murky as ever with Nationals back in picture
Discussion:
Sporting News, NBCSports.com and DodgerBlue.com
Barry Petchesky / Deadspin:
It's Time For Some Bryce Harper Game Theory
Discussion:
Federal Baseball, Sporting News, New Jersey Online, NBCSports.com and Halos Heaven
Associated Press:
Mets sign Arquimedes Caminero, Rymer Liriano to minor league deals — NEW YORK — The Mets have signed reliever Arquimedes Caminero and outfielder Rymer Liriano to minor league contracts, adding depth in two areas where New York appeared thin. — The team announced the moves Thursday …
RELATED:
Anthony Rieber / Newsday:
Terry Francona has high praise for Mets manager Mickey Callaway — When the Mets hired Indians pitching coach Mickey Callaway to be their manager, his former boss, Terry Francona, said Callaway was a “star” in the making. — Although Callaway's team went 77-85 and finished fourth …
Jeff Sullivan / FanGraphs Baseball:
David Robertson Is the Phillies' New Right-Handed Lefty Reliever — Baseball finds itself in a difficult position. On the one hand, there's a clear, increasing emphasis on bullpen usage, as starters are throwing fewer and fewer innings every year. Teams are leaning on their relievers now more than ever …
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley, baseballmusings.com, Bleacher Nation and The Good Phight
RELATED:
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Phillies Sign David Robertson
Discussion:
WEEI, NBCSports.com, Over the Monster, Lone Star Ball and CBS Boston
Carl Lisciandrello / Tampa Bay Times:
Rays reducing seating capacity at Tropicana Field to create more ‘intimate’ experience — Among the changes are reducing capacity to 25,000-26,000 and eliminating the upper 300 level, according to a news release. — Seating capacity at Tropicana Field will be reduced to about 25,000 …
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News …
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:
Bleacher Report, Brew Crew Ball, Bleacher Nation, MLB Trade Rumors, New York Post and Let's Go Tribe
RELATED:
Joel Sherman / New York Post:
Old bosses rave about Yankees picking up ‘elite’ Tulowitzki
Discussion:
Jays Journal, River Avenue Blues, Sportsnet.ca and Pinstripe Alley
Gerry Fraley / Dallas Morning News:
Rockwall-Heath's Jake Thompson, part of deal that brought Cole Hamels to Rangers, heads to Korea — Right-hander Jake Thompson, a vital piece to the deal that brought left-hander Cole Hamels to the Texas Rangers in 2015, has signed a one-year contract with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization.
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 …
Discussion:
Royals Review
Evan Drellich / NBCSports.com:
Where is Craig Kimbrel's market? — More teams should be tripping over themselves to sign Craig Kimbrel. Not at the six-year, $100 million price point that was floated in reports in December. But Kimbrel is worth a pretty penny, despite criticism around him and his love of the save.
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors, FenwayNation and Over the Monster
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
