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Free-agent pitcher Chris Young, who helped the Kansas City Royals to a World Series championship, has reportedly secured a deal to keep him in the majors for a 12th season. 

CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported on Monday morning that Young and the Royals have agreed to a two-year contract for about $11.75 million.

The New York Post‘s Joel Sherman first reported on Sunday that the Royals and Young were approaching a two-year contract in the “$10-$11 million range.”

At 36 years old, Young went 11-6 with a 3.06 ERA in his first season with the Royals. He went 1-0 in the World Series, posting a 2.57 ERA in just two games. 

Young, who was out of baseball for a year in 2013, provided a veteran presence and innings-eater near the bottom of the Royals rotation last season and will do the same moving forward if the deal is completed. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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While attention might be shifted toward college football or the NFL as we descend into winter, Major League Baseball’s offseason is staying hot as the winter meetings are set to kick off on Monday from Nashville, Tennessee. 

For four days, the landscape around the league will be changed as many players, free agents and trade targets alike, are set to find new homes. 

Let’s take a look at some of the biggest trade rumors heading into the winter meetings. 

Brett Lawrie

After just one season with the Oakland Athletics after coming over from the Toronto Blue Jays in the Josh Donaldson deal, infielder Brett Lawrie could be on his way out of Oakland, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney:

Lawrie, who started the season at third base with the A’s, was moved to second after the team acquired Danny Valencia from Toronto. 

Valencia hit .284 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI in just 47 games with the Athletics, while Lawrie hit .260/16/60 in 149 games. 

Now with the A’s acquiring second baseman Jed Lowrie from the Houston Astros on Nov. 25, Lawrie could be expendable. 

An American League executive spoke with John Hickey of the San Jose Mercury News.

“I don’t see how they don’t trade one of those guys,” he said. “That’s a logjam there, and that’s not a team that can afford logjams.”

At 25, Lawrie is younger than both Valencia and Lowrie, which makes him a more attractive target to teams that are looking for infield help. 

Shelby Miller

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Shelby Miller experienced the worst season of his career in the win-loss column with a 6-17 record. But don’t let the numbers completely fool you. 

The 25-year-old posted a solid 3.02 ERA in a career-high 205.1 innings pitched, while giving up a career-low 13 home runs. 

He’s garnering some interest on the trade market, too. According to Olney, the Arizona Diamondbacks are pushing for Miller while the Braves are looking for an outfielder. One of the names that has popped up in a proposed deal was outfielder A.J. Pollock, who put together his first All-Star season at age 28 with 20 home runs and 76 RBI. 

But according to SportingNews.com’s Alec Brzezinski, the Diamondbacks won’t be giving up Pollock any time soon. 

After signing free agent pitcher Zack Greinke as their new ace, the Diamondbacks could still use help in the middle of the rotation. Of pitchers that started 15 games or more last season, only one had an ERA under 3.60. Bringing in Miller could help add some quality depth. 

For the Braves, an outfielder with some power is a necessity. Last season they did not receive much production, seeing Nick Markakis, Cameron Maybin and Jonny Gomes, who was later dealt to the Kansas City Royals, combine for 20 home runs, as many as Pollock hit. 

Cubs Looking For Bullpen Help

The Chicago Cubs made the playoffs for the first time since 2008 with a young crop of upcoming stars. One of them, Hector Rondon, anchored the team’s bullpen, converting 30 saves during his third year in the league. 

Chicago didn’t necessarily have a struggling bullpen. They ranked 18th in the league with 19 blown saves and their bullpen had an ERA of 3.38, ranked in the top-10 in the league. 

According to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick, that doesn’t look like it’s good enough for the Cubs:

Without particular names, one cannot deduce exactly which closers the Cubs might go after, but Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal does list a few possible options:

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Mark Melancon led the league with 51 saves while the Cincinnati Reds’ Aroldis Chapman is one of the most explosive, regularly eclipsing the 100 mile-per-hour mark. However it might be difficult to trade within the division for such big-name players.

Of course, it will all come down to what each team is looking for. 

With a bevy of young talent, it remains to be unseen what products the Cubs are willing to part with in order to further bolster their bullpen.

While the talks are exploratory at the moment, they could really heat up during the winter meetings. So that is something to look out for. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Outfielder Justin Upton, now a free agent, may be on his way out of San Diego as interest in him from other teams begins to surface. 

Continue for updates.

Upton On Giants’ Radar

Saturday, Dec. 5

Compared to other outfielders like Yoenis Cespedes, it has been somewhat quiet on the Upton front so far this offseason. But Saturday, USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale tweeted that the San Francisco Giants are still looking for a power bat like Upton or Cespedes in the middle of their lineup. 

While Cespedes brings a bit more pop and flair to the lineup, Upton’s numbers were a bit more pedestrian. Here’s a look at the two players’ numbers last season:

At 28 years old, Upton is two years younger than Cespedes, and teams could be more willing to give him a longer deal. Cespedes told ESPN Deportes back in September that he is looking for a six-year deal. 

Upton, on the other hand, is coming off a six-year deal in which he made $51.5 million, according to Spotrac.com, and could be a much more affordable option for the Giants. Although, San Francisco showed on Saturday with the signing of pitcher Jeff Samardzija that it isn’t afraid to spend some money. 

For a team ranked 27th in the league in home runs, the Giants outfield has been one of their weak spots, with players like Nori Aoki, Angel Pagan and Gregor Blanco not adding much power to the lineup. The three outfielders combined for 13 home runs all of last season.

Upton, who has solid speed, could bring the same kind of play as Pagan but with a much more powerful bat. He’s hit over 25 home runs and stolen over 18 bases in five of the past seven seasons. However, he hasn’t played his best at AT&T Park, according to ESPN.com’s David Schoenfield, batting just .233 lifetime there with three home runs in 210 at-bats. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

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Free-agent slugging outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, fresh off a World Series appearance, is testing the market and beginning to garner interest. 

Continue for updates.

Tigers Considering Cespedes

Monday, Dec. 7

CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported the Detroit Tigers are “looking” at Cespedes.

Angels Could Be Cespedes Suitor

Saturday, Dec. 5

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reported the Angels may make a run at Cespedes.

Giants in Need of Power Bat

Saturday, Dec. 5

According to USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale, the San Francisco Giants are in search of a power bat, which is where Cespedes’ name pops up along with Justin Upton, another free agent who played with the San Diego Padres last season. 

Cespedes, who was traded to the New York Mets at the deadline in July, put together a monster second half on his way to a 35-home run, 105-RBI season. He hit 17 home runs in just 57 games with the Mets, helping them to a World Series appearance—their first in 15 years. 

After his four-year, $36 million deal expired at the end of the season, via Spotrac.com, Cespedes told ESPN Deportes’ Marly Rivera (h/t ESPN.com) that he is looking for a six-year contract, which could put him over the $100 million mark. 

Cespedes’ representatives are working hard to get him a big-time contract, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick:

As a prelude to the Hot Stove shopping season, Cespedes’ representatives at the Creative Artists Agency and Roc Nation distributed a coffee table-type book to a select list of teams. The book, titled “52 Reviews” (in honor of Cespedes’ jersey number), has a black-and-white cloth cover, runs about 100 pages and features laudatory comments and testimonials from managers, coaches, players, front-office executives and members of the media.

In a bow to technology, the book also has a video player embedded inside the front cover. Executives who push the “play” button are treated to an array of Yoenis Cespedes home runs, jaw-dropping throws and other highlights set to music.

The Giants are in need of some pop in the middle of their lineup. Last season, they ranked 27th in the league in home runs with 136, with shortstop Brandon Crawford leading the team with 21. 

While Cespedes might be looking for a lot of money, the Giants have already shown this offseason they are capable of flashing the cash, signing pitcher Jeff Samardzija to a five-year, $90 million deal on Saturday. 

If they acquire a big bat that is capable of turning a game on its head like Cespedes’, the Giants could take a big step toward taking back the National League West.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

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Pitcher Jeff Samardzija signed a five-year deal with the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, according to Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area.

The Giants announced the deal later Saturday, while Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported Samardzija received a limited no-trade clause. Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports reported the contract is worth $90 million.

Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle provided more financial details:

Samardzija went 11-13 last season with a 4.96 ERA for the Chicago White Sox, who finished in fourth place, 19 games behind the World Series champion Kansas City Royals, in the American League Central. Samardzija had plenty of support from the Chicago offense, as he ranked 36th in the majors with 4.19 runs per start.

San Francisco is Samardzija’s fourth team in the past two-plus seasons. 

Scott Merkin of MLB.com passed along White Sox pitcher Chris Sale’s take on Samardzija:

Whatever team gets him is going to get a steal. Really, he’s relatively young, and he’s got a strong arm with not a lot of innings on it. And he’s a competitor. Say what you want about him, he competes as hard as anybody. That’s his mentality, how he’s always been. I think the football comes out in him sometimes. You need that. If you don’t have that passion, don’t play the game, right? At the end of the day at least you know he (cares).

In 2014 with the Chicago Cubs, Samardzija was one of the better pitchers in the National League despite a 2-7 record. He had a 2.83 ERA and was selected to his first All-Star team.

But before the All-Star break that season, Samardzija was dealt to the Oakland Athletics, and in the second half he went 5-6 with a 3.14 ERA—a relatively low mark for an American League pitcher. In December 2014, he was traded to the White Sox. 

Samardzija’s one-year deal worth $9.8 million expired at the end of the 2015 season. 

The Giants are getting a passionate pitcher who rarely backs down from a challenge. And although that sometimes might get him into trouble—he was one of the main culprits in the White Sox-Royals brawl in April—his competitiveness could help spark San Francisco.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Free-agent pitcher Henderson Alvarez was non-tendered by the Miami Marlins on Wednesday and is already garnering plenty of interest on the market. 

Continue for updates.

10 Teams Show Interest in Alvarez

Saturday, Dec. 5

According to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman, there have been 10 teams since Wednesday that have inquired about Alvarez. The specific teams involved were not revealed, though. 

The 25-year-old was Miami’s Opening Day starter in 2015, but he pitched in only four games due to a shoulder injury. He went 0-4 with a 6.45 ERA. This came a season after Alvarez was a National League All-Star, posting a 12-7 record with a 2.65 ERA.

Seeing him non-tendered came as a surprise to many, but ESPN’s Buster Olney helped shed some insight:

For the team that does get his signature, it’s likely that he won’t be ready for the start of the 2016 season, per NBC Sports’ D.J. Short. 

But with such a young arm that is expected to make a full recovery, Alvarez, when healthy, could bring a solid No. 2 presence to many pitching staffs around the league. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

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In a deal that sent Mark Trumbo to the Baltimore Orioles, the Seattle Mariners acquired utility man Steve Clevenger on Tuesday, per CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. 

Clevenger, a five-year veteran, has seen limited playing time with the Chicago Cubs and Orioles, having played in no more than 69 games in a single season. 

The Mariners dealt Trumbo after he struggled to regain his play from 2012 and 2013, when he hit 32 and 34 home runs, respectively. He had 22 last year, which is still productive, leading CSN’s Rob Carlin to ponder this:    

But Clevenger has spent most of his time as a designated hitter and catcher, a position the Mariners have needed some help with as of late. Last season, Seattle’s main pair of catchers, Mike Zunino and Jesus Sucre, both batted under .175. 

His .314 on-base percentage is also an improvement, as Zunino and Sucre were both .230 or under.

While he played in just 30 games in 2014, Clevenger batted .287, a drastic improvement in that respect. Providing a left-handed bat off of the bench will also be helpful. The Mariners had five starters bat left-handed but didn’t have any in reserve after the team traded Dustin Ackley to the New York Yankees. 

According to the News Tribune‘s Bob Dutton, Clevenger is not eligible for arbitration this season and is set to make around $520,000. He won’t be providing too big of a hit in the Mariners’ wallet, but if Trumbo flourishes in Baltimore while Clevenger remains a utility man with limited playing time, this deal could turn out to be a tough one for Seattle. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Left-hander J.A. Happ on Friday signed a three-year deal worth $36 million with the Toronto Blue Jays, according to MLB Roster Moves. 

It will be Happ’s second stint with the Blue Jays after he spent two-plus seasons in Toronto beginning in 2012.

With the Seattle Mariners and Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015, Happ posted a winning record for the first time since 2010, when he was with the Houston Astros. He also struck out a career-high 151 batters in 172 innings. 

The turnaround came after he was traded to the Pirates in the last few hours before the deadline. After starting the season 4-6 with a 4.64 ERA in Seattle, Happ finished 7-2 with a 1.85 ERA while donning black and gold. 

Most of the credit could go to Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage, per Travis Sawchik of TribLive.com:

Searage saw Happ using inefficient movement in his delivery. Instead of striding directly to home plate, Happ, like [Francisco] Liriano and [Edinson] Volquez, had too much rotational movement in his motion[,] which dropped his arm slot and made the ball easier to track for opposing hitters. It also negatively impacted his control.

New motion and all, Happ is a nice pickup for the Blue Jays, who are looking to build up their rotation. Toronto had a potent offense that led the league in scoring last season, but the team’s pitching prevented it from getting over the American League Champion Series hump and into the World Series.

The Blue Jays recently re-signed Marco Estrada, who at times last season was their second-best starter, and acquired Jesse Chavez in a trade with the Oakland Athletics. They also have R.A. Dickey, and Happ could step into the middle of the rotation. 

If Toronto is able to sign David Price, whom it traded for at the deadline, and the young Marcus Stroman puts together a full season, the Blue Jays rotation could be one of the American League’s stronger units.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Not even a month removed from the end of the World Series and it has already been a busy offseason in Major League Baseball.

With plenty of rumors and speculation flying around on which big names are on the trade market, this winter is going to be a hot one. 

Here are some of the latest rumors that are dominating the headlines around the league. 

Yankees Could Be Interested in Castro

With a bevy of young talent within the Chicago Cubs roster, somehow 25-year-old three-time All-Star infielder Starlin Castro has become expendable, according to the New York Daily News’ Mark Feinsand on Friday. 

Castro’s name is popping up around the Yankees, but it won’t be for veteran outfielder Brett Gardner, who has become a hot commodity during the offseason.

Feinsand reported the Yankees have discussed a possible deal including Gardner with a number of teams and will pull the trigger if the right offer comes through—even though trading him isn’t certain. 

Gardner, now 31, finished off his second consecutive season with over 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 2015 on his way to his first career All-Star appearance. 

The Cubs could do with a player like Gardner in the outfield, too. Playing a majority of his games in left field, Gardner has a decent arm and good glove. Chicago rookie Kyle Schwarber’s fielding in left cost the Cubs dearly in the playoffs, including his drop on Yoenis Cespedes’ fly ball as seen below at the 0:57 mark:

Schwarber came up as a catcher and should stay behind the plate, while a player like Gardner could be used to shore up the outfield with Dexter Fowler and Jorge Soler. But the Cubs would have to deal starting pitching to New York if they wanted a legitimate shot to acquire Gardner, per Feinsand. 

Castro, who moved to second base after the Cubs called up top prospect Addison Russell, could assume the same position in New York. Last season, the Yankees worked with Dustin Ackley and Rob Refsnyder at second down the stretch. 

Ackley could assume left-fielding duties if the Yankees deal Gardner elsewhere, while Castro would provide a steady bat with some pop that could flourish even further in the hitter friendly Yankee Stadium. 

Jose Fernandez

Things are just rotten in Miami. According to 940-AM WINZ’s Andy Slater, player sources told him that Fernandez had asked the organization multiple times for a trade throughout the 2015 season. 

His actions and attitude has seen him fall out of favor with some in the Marlins clubhouse, as another source told Slater: “There were times this season where, not all, but some players and coaches hoped Jose would go out on the mound and get shelled. We thought it would get him to be more humble.”

Apparently it is difficult to be humble when you’ve tasted nothing but success. In his first three years in the majors, which was derailed at one point by injury, Fernandez is 22-9 with a 2.40 ERA. 

While he is one of the best young arms in the majors, it looks like Fernandez’s time in Miami is drawing to a close, per Sirius XM’s Craig Mish:

While it hasn’t been reported if a certain team has contacted the Marlins about dealing for Fernandez, whoever will look to make a move is going to need a bevy of young prospects to pry him from Miami and, further down the road, money to keep Fernandez on their roster.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the first team that comes to mind, but only if Zack Greinke leaves in free agency. They could deal the likes of Corey Seager and other prospects for Fernandez, and with their payroll, they could hold on to him. What a one-two punch that would create with Clayton Kershaw. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

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The Houston Astros announced on Thursday they have traded infielder Jonathan Villar to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league pitcher Cy Sneed. 

Villar, who appeared primarily at third base and shortstop last season, completed just his third year in the majors in 2015. The 24-year-old batted .284 with two home runs, 11 RBI and seven stolen bases in 53 games. 

But with American League rookie of the year Carlos Correa at shortstop and 25 home run hitter Luis Valbuena at third, Houston’s left side of the infield looks set for some time, making Villar a trade option.

According to the Houston Chronicle‘s Jose de Jesus Ortiz, Villar’s time with the Astros just ran out:

Milwaukee, though, was in need of some infield help. With shortstop Jean Segura possibly on the trade block, per NBCSports.com’s Craig Calcaterra, and the Brewers not getting much from the third base position last season—as they started four different players—Villar’s acquisition could turn out to be a crucial get. 

The Astros will receive right-hander Cy Sneed, who pitched in two different levels of A-ball and held a 2.58 ERA despite a 6-11 overall record, per MiLB.com. 

He’s already trying to acclimate to his new home:

While Villar might be seeing regular playing time next season, possibly starting at third base, Sneed most likely won’t be making the jump to the majors any time soon. But dealing an expendable piece of the infield for a young arm that is still impressionable certainly won’t hurt the Astros. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

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