Padres could be suitor for World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg  —  Team knows it has to add players, which means a bump in payroll; could bring San Diego State alum Stephen Strasburg home  —  The Padres' cover has been blown.  —  After two offseasons of essentially sneaking up on baseball …

Brewers Decline 2020 Option On Eric Thames  —  The Brewers announced Monday that they've declined their $7.5MM club option on first baseman/outfielder Eric Thames.  He'll be paid a $1MM buyout instead.  While Thames doesn't have the requisite six years of free agency to become a free agent …

Marvin Miller gets another shot at MLB's Hall of Fame as a member of the Modern Era ballot  —  Marvin Miller — the man responsible for strengthening the players' union — is once again up for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.  Miller is among the 10 baseball figures on 2020's Modern Baseball Era ballot.

The luxury-tax implications of Aroldis Chapman's Yankees extension  —  The Yankees stayed relatively payroll neutral when it comes to the luxury tax with their extension for Aroldis Chapman.  —  Chapman could have opted out of the final two years at $30 million left on his five-year contract by midnight Saturday.

Blue Jays Acquire Chase Anderson  —  12:39pm: The Blue Jays and Brewers have formally announced the trade.  —  10:40am: The Blue Jays are sending minor league first baseman Chad Spanberger to Milwaukee to complete the deal, TSN's Scott Mitchell tweets.  —  10:23am: The Blue Jays are set …

Cubs exercise Anthony Rizzo's $16.5M option for 2020  —  CHICAGO — One day after picking up the 2020 option on pitcher Jose Quintana, the Chicago Cubs did the same with former All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo.  —  Rizzo will make $16.5 million next season, the first of two option years the Cubs hold on him.

Braves, Nick Markakis Agree To New Deal  —  The Braves have agreed to re-sign outfielder Nick Markakis to a one-year deal worth $4MM, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweets.  Atlanta held a $6MM option on Markakis with a $2MM buyout, and it seems they've handled that option in the exact same manner …

Reds Outright Four Players  —  The Reds announced Monday that infielder/outfielder Derek Dietrich, infielder Christian Colon, right-hander Jackson Stephens and right-hander Keury Mella all went unclaimed on waivers and were set outright to Triple Louisville.

Rockies 3B Nolan Arenado headlines Gold Glove winners with 7th straight  —  Nolan Arenado extended his streak of winning a Rawlings Gold Glove Award in every season of his career on Sunday, when the Colorado Rockies star captured the award for National League third basemen for the seventh consecutive year.

Phillies' Jake Arrieta exercises $20 million option for 2020  —  PHILADELPHIA — Jake Arrieta is staying with the Philadelphia Phillies, exercising a $20 million player option for 2020 on Saturday.  —  A 33-year-old right-hander, Arrieta was 8-8 with a 4.64 ERA in 24 starts this year.

Automated Strike Zone Whiffs At Arizona Fall League  —  In his start in the Arizona Fall League's annual Fall Stars Game, Royals prospect Daniel Lynch was extremely impressive.  The 6-foot-6 lefthander whiffed two hitters in a scoreless inning and showed a fastball that reached 99 mph.

2020 Top 50 Free Agents  —  Welcome to FanGraphs' top-50 free-agent rankings.  Dave Cameron had previously been responsible for this annual post; I took the reins last year.  I'm back leading the charge again, with some assistance from my colleagues.  —  In what follows …