What is the story about?
Good
morning.
- A few months after the Diamondbacks traded right-hander Merrill Kelly to Texas, Arizona signed the free agent to a two-year, $40 million deal.
- The Royals traded left-handed reliever Angel Zerba to the Brewers for outfielder Isaac Collins and right-handed reliever Nick Mears.
- Keith Law thinks the Royals got the better end of this deal. (The Athletic sub. req.)
- The Mets signed free agent infielder Jorge Polanco to a two-year, $40 million deal.
- Gabe Lacques wonders where Polanco will play for the Mets.
- The Cardinals have signed free agent right-hander Dustin May to a one-year deal.
- The Yankees re-signed utility man Amed Rosario re-signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal.
- The Tigers have signed reliever Kenley Jansen to a one-year, $11 million deal. Jason Beck reports.
- Michael Baumann looks at what Jansen still has left in the tank.
- Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield evaluate and hand out grades for several of these signings. They like the Brewers end of the trade with the Royals.
- Ben Clemens evaluates what the Braves are getting in free agent signing Mike Yastrzemski.
- The Rangers signed three free agents on Friday: catcher Danny Jansen, left-hander Tyler Alexander and right-hander Alexis Díaz. Jansen got a two-year, $14.5 million deal. Jeff Passan reports.
- Davy Andrews looks at two minor outfield free-agent signings—Lane Thomas to the Royals and Akil Baddoo to the Brewers.
- The Royals and third baseman Maikel Garcia have agreed to a five-year, $57.5 million contract extension with lots of incentives and a club option. The deal buys out Garcia’s arbitration years and at least one year of free agency.
- Gabe Lacques goes into first baseman Pete Alonso’s decision to sign with the Orioles.
- Dayn Perry has the ten biggest remaining questions of the offseason.
- Manny Randhawa has 12 remaining power-hitting free agents.
- Brian Murphy has the pros and cons of seven starting pitcher trade candidates.
- A roundtable discussion on whether the Diamondbacks will trade second baseman Ketel Marte and where he might end up.
- Ken Rosenthal, Dennis Lin and Will Sammon report on the rumors of trade talks between the Mets and Padres that might include names like Nick Pivetta and Mason Miller. (The Athletic sub. req.)
- Gabe Lacques has some ideas about ways to get the Hot Stove moving this winter.
- Tyler Glasnow says that the Dodgers have told him that he will not be traded over the winter.
Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru reports. - David Adler explains how this year’s class of free agent pitchers succeed without elite velocity.
- Mike Petriello has some ideas for teams that need an upgrade.
- Katie Woo reports that the Mariners and Giants have emerged as frontrunners in trade talks for Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan. (The Athletic sub. req.)
- Will Leitch has ten older free agents who still have something to contribute.
- Jeff Passan notes that MLB managers are underpaid compared to their equivalents in other major sports.
- Brooks Peck estimates how much the sports collectables featured in the 1990 film Home Alone would be worth today. (The Athletic sub. req.)
- And finally, Benjamin Hill looks at the minor league Altoona Curve’s annual promotion—“Awful Night”—where everything is awful.
