Top News:
Jeff Passan / ESPN:
Jose Martinez part of Cardinals' package for Rays lefty prospect Matt Liberatore — MLB, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays — The St. Louis Cardinals are trading outfielders Jose Martinez and Randy Arozarena to the Tampa Bay Rays for left-handed prospect Matt Liberatore …
Discussion:
DRaysBay and Let's Go Tribe
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Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cardinals finalizing deal to send Jose Martinez, Arozarena to Rays for top pitching prospect — For most of the winter the Cardinals have entertained interest from other teams in their plethora of outfield bats in hopes that a trade would not just offer them talent but also clarity for their roster, and room to maneuver.
Discussion:
DRaysBay, Bleacher Nation, MLB Baseball News …, Viva El Birdos and Lone Star Ball
Derrick Goold / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Cardinals trade Jose Martinez, Arozarena to Rays for standout lefty prospect, and leave open other options — Matthew Liberatore, a 6-foot-6 lefthander, delivers a pitch for the Bowling Green (Ky.) Hot Rods of the Class A Midwest League during the 2019 season. (Photo by Austin Anthony/Bowling Green Daily News)
Discussion:
baseballmusings.com
Jeff Todd / MLB Trade Rumors:
Cubs Avoid Arbitration With Kris Bryant — The Cubs have avoided arbitration with third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). He'll earn $18.6MM in 2020. — That's right on the projected valuation produced by the MLBTR/Matt Swartz model, which pegged Bryant at $18.5MM.
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News …, Sports Illustrated and Bleed Cubbie Blue
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Connor Byrne / MLB Trade Rumors:
Angels, Max Stassi Avoid Arbitration — The Angels and catcher Max Stassi have avoided arbitration with an $800K agreement, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets. That's the exact salary MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected for Stassi a few months back. — Stassi didn't hit much in 2019 …
David Haugh / Chicago Tribune:
Column: Cubs fans need to be patient. …
Column: Cubs fans need to be patient. …
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News …, Bleed Cubbie Blue, Cubs Insider, Bleacher Nation and Associated Press
Ken Rosenthal / The Athletic:
With four superstars on the trade market the hot stove is still sizzling, and more notes — All but four of Jim Bowden's top 35 free agents are signed, but the Hot Stove season isn't close to over. Not when four high-profile clubs (the Cubs, Cardinals, Red Sox and Dodgers) remain largely inactive.
Discussion:
MLB Trade Rumors, Purple Row, USA Today, Cubs Insider, Bleacher Nation, Halos Heaven and Chicago Sun-Times
Brendan Kuty / New Jersey Online:
In bizarre lawsuit, Yankees' failed prospect says Derek Jeter ruined his career — In a rambling, conspiracy-laced lawsuit, a failed prospect, who never played above High-A and had a career batting average of .244, sued the Yankees for $34 million and blamed Yankees legend Derek Jeter …
Discussion:
Pinstripe Alley, Royals Review, MLB Baseball News …, New York Post, Bluebird Banter and DRaysBay
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
White Sox Announce Edwin Encarnacion Signing, Designate Kodi Medeiros — The White Sox have formally announced their previously reported one-year contract with slugger Edwin Encarnacion, designating left-hander Kodi Medeiros for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News … and South Side Sox
Jeff Todd / MLB Trade Rumors:
Brewers Extend Craig Counsell — The Brewers have announced a new contract with manager Craig Counsell, as first reported by Robert Murray (Twitter link). It's said to take the skipper through the 2023 season. — Counsell, 49, was already under contract through the 2020 campaign under the extension he reached in the fall of 2016.
Discussion:
Brew Crew Ball and MLB Daily Dish
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Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Diamondbacks To Extend David Peralta — The Diamondbacks and outfielder David Peralta are in agreement on a three-year extension that'll guarantee the Onyx Sports Management client a total of $22MM, reports USA Today's Bob Nightengale (Twitter links). He can earn another $1.25MM annually via incentives.
Discussion:
MLB Baseball News …, AZ Snake Pit and MLB Daily Dish
Connor Byrne / MLB Trade Rumors:
Astros Acquire Austin Pruitt — The Astros have acquired right-hander Austin Pruitt from the Rays in exchange for outfielder Cal Stevenson and righty Peyton Battenfield, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Robert Murray first reported Stevenson was headed to the Rays.
Discussion:
Over the Monster, DRaysBay, baseballmusings.com and FanGraphs Baseball
Nick Piecoro / Arizona Republic:
Sources: Arizona Diamondbacks nearing deal with reliever Hector Rondon — (Photo: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports) — The Diamondbacks added another power arm to their bullpen, agreeing to terms with reliever Hector Rondon on a one-year deal with a club option for 2021, sources said Wednesday.
Discussion:
FanGraphs Baseball, AZ Snake Pit, MLB Trade Rumors, Over the Monster and MLB Baseball News …
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Yankees To Sign Chris Iannetta — 12:16pm: The Yankees and Iannetta are in agreement on a minor league deal, tweets MLB Network's Jon Heyman. — 11:50am: The Yankees and veteran catcher Chris Iannetta are close to finalizing a minor league contract WFAN's Sweeny Murti reports (via Twitter).
Discussion:
Sports Illustrated and Pinstripe Alley