NEWS
Don Sutton has passed away at the age of 75. Sutton had a 23-year MLB career and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. He spent 16 seasons with the Dodgers. He was a 4-time All-Star and was the All-Star MVP in 1977.
Hank Aaron has passed away at the age of 86. Aaron had a 23-year MLB career and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. He is the all-time leader in RBI’s (2,297) and total bases (6,856). Aaron won a World Series with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1957 and was the NL MVP the same year.
ESPN re-signs Alex Rodriguez and play by play voice Matt Vasgersian. They will continue to call Sunday Night Baseball in 2021.
Mets owner Steve Cohen announced that the team has fired GM Jared Porter after it was found out that he had harassed a female reporter in 2016 via a string of 60-plus unreturned text messages, which included unsolicited, explicit images. The Mets had just hired him on Dec. 13, 2020.
TRANSACTIONS
The Phillies acquired INF C.J. Chatham (Red Sox #14 prospect) from the Red Sox. The Red Sox will receive a PTBNL or cash considerations.
The Padres, Pirates and Mets have completed a 3-team trade. The Padres will receive RHP Joe Musgrove. The Pirates will receive OF prospect Hudson Head (Padres #7 prospect), LHP prospect Omar Cruz (Padres #17 prospect), RHP David Bednar (Padres #20 prospect), RHP prospect Drake Fellows and C prospect Endy Rodriguez (Mets #14 prospect). The Mets will receive LHP Joey Lucchesi.
The Nationals have signed LHP Jon Lester to a 1 year/$5 million contract.
The Blue Jays have signed RHP Tyler Chatwood to a 1 year/$3 million contract plus incentives.
The Blue Jays have signed RHP Kirby Yates to a 1 year/$5.5 million contract plus performance bonuses.
The Tigers signed LHP Erasmo Ramirez to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite.
The Dbacks signed LHP Ryan Buchter to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite.
The Blue Jays have signed OF George Springer to a 6 year/$150 million contract.
The Angels have signed LHP Jose Quintana to a 1 year/$8 million contract.
The Astros have re-signed OF/DH Michael Brantley to a 2 year/$32 million contract.
The Twins have signed LHP J.A. Happ to a 1 year/$8 million contract.
The Royals signed RHP Wade Davis to a minor league deal with Spring Training invite. Davis played with the Royals from 2013-16. He was a 2-time All-Star with them and won a World Series in 2015.
The Astros have signed C Jason Castro to a 2 year/$7 million contract plus incentives.
The Marlins have signed RHP Anthony Bass to a 2 year/$5 million contract with a club option for 2023.
The Cubs have signed C Austin Romine to a 1 year/$1.5 million contract.
The Padres have re-signed UT Jurickson Profar to a 3 year/$21 million contract with an opt-out clause after each of the first two seasons.
The Nationals have re-signed 1B Ryan Zimmerman to a 1 year/$1 million contract.
The Red Sox have signed UT Enrique Hernandez to a 2 year/$14 million contract.
The Red Sox have signed RHP Garrett Richards to a 1 year/$10 million contract.
The Tigers signed LHP Derek Holland to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite.
The Yankees have acquired RHP Jameson Taillon from the Pirates. The Pirates will receive 4 prospects: RHP Miguel Yajure (Yankees #15 prospect), RHP Roansy Contreras (Yankees #19 prospect), OF Canaan Smith (Yankees #21 prospect) and SS Maikol Escotto.
The Braves re-signed 3B/DH Pablo Sandoval to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite. Sandoval is a 3-time World Series champion and was the WS MVP in 2012.
The Nationals have signed LHP Brad Hand to a 1 year/$10.5 million contract.
RUMORS
DH Nelson Cruz has ongoing interest from multiple teams in both AL and NL.
The Dodgers have considered SS Marcus Semien at third base.
The Red Sox continue to be open to trading OF Andrew Benintendi.
The Twins have expressed interest in a reunion with UT Marwin Gonzalez.
The Orioles OF Anthony Santander has drawn trade interest this winter.
The Dodgers are monitoring the market for RHP Trevor Bauer.
The Tigers have been in touch with UT Marwin Gonzalez.
The Reds are among the teams interested SS Andrelton Simmons.
LHP Jake Odorizzi is seeking a 3-year deal.
The Mets have OF Jackie Bradley Jr. on their radar.
The Royals and Marlins are possibilities for OF Yasiel Puig.
The Giants are looking to add outfield help and two of the names under consideration are Jackie Bradley Jr. and Eddie Rosario.