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Day 3 of the 2016 MLB winter meetings started with a bang and ended with a bang, with assorted other bangs in between.

Missed it and want to catch up? Welcome to the right place.

We’re here to take stock of the major moves and rumors that populated the baseball headlines on Wednesday. These range from Aroldis Chapman and Ian Desmond signing free-agent contracts to trades involving Wade Davis and Adam Eaton.

What else happened during the third day of action at National Harbor, Maryland? Oh, you know. This, that and the other thing.

Rather than get into all of it in brief here, we better get more in-depth with a slideshow.

Begin Slideshow

The Seattle Mariners reportedly added some pitching depth Wednesday.

According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the San Francisco Giants traded right-handed pitcher Chris Heston to Seattle. Chris Cotillo of SB Nation confirmed the trade through a source but added the return package was unknown.

Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area noted the Giants were looking to clear space on their 40-man roster for recently signed closer Mark Melancon. Pavlovic added that “at least a couple of teams had reached out” to San Francisco to see if Heston was available, with the free-agency market lacking impact starters.

The future looked bright for the 28-year-old in 2015, when Heston made 31 starts for the Giants, posting a 3.95 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP and 141 strikeouts in 177.2 innings. He threw a no-hitter while striking out 11 batters against the eventual National League champion New York Mets on June 9 of that year, and it was easy to envision his becoming an anchor in San Francisco’s rotation.

However, the Giants added Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija and Matt Moore, and Heston started the 2016 campaign in the bullpen. He made four appearances in April, struggling with a 10.80 ERA and just three strikeouts in five innings before being sent to the minors.

According to Charlie Wilmoth of MLB Trade Rumors, Heston dealt with an oblique injury in the minors, which partially explained his 4.54 ERA in 81.1 innings.

The Giants rotation is largely set, with Madison Bumgarner, Cueto, Moore, Samardzija, Ty Blach and Matt Cain as potential options, so Heston will have a better opportunity in Seattle.

Although the Mariners finished an impressive ninth in the majors in starting pitcher ERA in 2016, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports suggested they needed to add another starter in the offseason. Bob Dutton of the News Tribune noted the decision to trade Taijuan Walker to the Arizona Diamondbacks in November created that need.

The Mariners were 86-76 but missed the playoffs in 2016. If Heston can return to the form he demonstrated in 2015 as a formidable piece behind Felix Hernandez, they can challenge the reigning American League West champion Texas Rangers on the back of their starting staff.

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The Chicago White Sox weren’t done dealing when they announced they traded pitcher Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported Chicago sent outfielder Adam Eaton to the Washington Nationals in exchange for pitchers Lucas Giolito, Dane Dunning and Reynaldo Lopez.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports and Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports confirmed the deal.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Chicago was looking at Giolito’s medical records before completing the trade because he underwent Tommy John surgery in the past.

Eaton is the trade’s headliner as the established major league contributor. He played for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2012 and 2013 before joining the White Sox for the last three seasons.

Eaton appeared in a career-high 157 games in 2016, slashing .284/.362/.428 with 14 home runs and 14 stolen bases in his third straight productive year for Chicago:

He also provided a stellar glove in right field, where he was responsible for 22 total defensive runs saved above average in 980.1 innings in 2016, per FanGraphs.

According to Sports Illustrated, Eaton’s 15.4 WAR over the last three seasons ranked behind only those of Mike Trout (27.8), Mookie Betts (17.6) and Kevin Kiermaier (16.4).

Sports Illustrated also noted he is under team control through 2021, and Steve Adams and Charlie Wilmoth of MLB Trade Rumors called his contract “wildly affordable” with two club options on top of three guaranteed years at just $19.9 million.

“This deal is built around asset allocation,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told reporters. “Adam Eaton is a heck of a player with long-term control and [a] favorable contract.”

Eaton can play center field for the Nationals in 2017 but may eventually move over to right if Jayson Werth leaves in free agency next offseason.

“We need guys that come to play every day,” Nationals manager Dusty baker told reporters regarding Eaton. “This guy’s not afraid to get dirty.”

Superstar Bryce Harper seemed initially shocked by the trade but then welcomed Eaton to the team:

Washington landed a talented outfielder, but Rosenthal illustrated it still needs more pieces:

“You’ve got to give to get,” Rizzo told reporters regarding the package the Nationals parted with. “And we certainly got what we wanted in Adam Eaton.”

Rizzo also said the Nationals were dealing from a “position of depth” in that the 2016 starting rotation remains in tact.

As for the White Sox, the rebuild is underway. They landed Yoan Moncada—whom MLB.com listed as the best prospect in baseball—Michael Kopech, Luis Basabe and Victor Diaz in the Sale swap.

“This is going to be an extended process,” White Sox general manager Rick Hahn told reporters. “This is going to take some time.”

Buster Olney of ESPN The Magazine noted a rival executive said “They’re kicking some butt,” when discussing Chicago. Bob Nightengale of USA Today even talked to “several scouts and executives” who said they thought the White Sox did better in the deal with the Nationals than Tuesday’s with the Red Sox.

“Our expectations were high in these moves,” Hahn told reporters. “We expected to get strong returns for Chris and Adam.”

Hahn also said there were “mixed emotions” in the deal but noted the club was “ecstatic” about the return.

MLB.com rated Giolito and Lopez as the third- and 38th-best prospects, respectively, in its 2016 rankings, noting that “Giolito has the highest ceiling among minor league pitchers, boasting an elite fastball that sits mid- to upper-90s and a 12-to-6 curveball that he throws with power and hard, downer action.”

He made six appearances and four starts at the major league level in 2016, posting a 6.75 ERA, a 1.78 WHIP and 11 strikeouts in 21.1 innings.

“The analytical side of it was very, very positive,” Rizzo told reporters regarding the decision to part with Giolito.

Following the trade, Giolito commented on the deal in a Twitter post:

Lopez pitched in 11 games for Washington in 2016, finishing with a 4.91 ERA, a 1.57 WHIP and 42 strikeouts in 44 innings. He started six games but is also capable of coming out of the bullpen.

Dunning was not as highly regarded as the other two, but MLB.com ranked the 2016 first-round draft pick as Washington’s sixth-best prospect in its farm system.

The White Sox went 78-84 in 2016 and could be in for a couple of rebuilding seasons after shipping out their ace and a productive right fielder, but the future looks bright after their headlining moves at the winter meetings.

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San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Chris Heston has reportedly been traded to the Seattle Mariners after falling out of favor in the Bay Area.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported the deal after first reporting on word of talks between the two sides. Janie McCauley of the Associated Press (h/t The Press-Democrat) noted the Giants will receive a player to be named later.

It’s been a swift and sudden fall from grace for Heston, who was called up to the Giants during the 2015 season due to injuries suffered by Matt Cain and Jake Peavy. 

He developed into a solid option in the middle of the rotation, going 12-11 with a 3.95 ERA and headlined by a no-hitter against the New York Mets:

But the return of Peavy and Cain along with the acquisitions of Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija forced Heston to start the 2016 season as the Giants’ long man out of the bullpen, and it was a role he struggled mightily with. 

He pitched just five innings in four appearances, posting a 10.80 ERA while walking six compared to just three strikeouts before he was optioned to Triple-A in April.

He stayed there for the remainder of the season while the Giants called up Albert Suarez and Clayton Blackburn from Triple-A later in the season, per Matt Kawahara of the Sacramento Bee. 

It looks as though the Giants’ acquisition of Mark Melancon on Monday accelerated the process of sending Heston out of town.

According to Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News, the Giants needed to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for the closer, and Heston was the odd man out.

Mariners manager Scott Servais told MLB Network Radio on Wednesday that Seattle was “still looking to add pitching,” especially after the team dealt Taijuan Walker to the Arizona Diamondbacks in November. 

His departure left a void in the rotation after Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma and James Paxton for Heston to contend with if he was to be dealt to Seattle while giving him a regular gig as a starter in the majors to build off of that promising 2015 season. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. 

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Veteran catcher A.J. Ellis is off to Florida as he signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Miami Marlins on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.   

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball later confirmed Olney’s report. 

Ellis spent eight-plus season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, mostly as a reserve catcher and pinch hitter but also as a team leader and confidant for ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw.

But in August of the 2016 season, he was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies for veteran catcher Carlos Ruiz, who had spent 11 seasons in the city of brotherly love. 

While Ellis only batted .194 with the Dodgers last season, his loss was tough to take, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times:

But with free agency looming this winter, his production would have made it questionable for the Dodgers to bring him back in 2017, especially if he were looking for the same kind of money while he was playing under a one-year, $4.5 million deal, per Spotrac. 

In 11 games with the Phillies to end the 2016 season, Ellis batted .313 with a home run and nine RBI on a team that is still in the process of rebuilding toward contending in the National League East. 

Now with his third different team in two years, Ellis is expected to come off the bench behind J.T. Realmuto. 

The 25-year-old enjoyed a breakout season in 2016, batting .303 with 11 home runs, 12 doubles, 48 RBI and a surprising 13 stolen bases. 

His defensive stats were just as solid, as he ranked first among all catchers in assists and tied for fourth with 28 caught potential base stealers.

Realmuto, though, will be working with some new names in the pitching staff as the Marlins brought on Edinson Volquez at the end of November as well as signing starter Jeff Locke on Wednesday, per Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. 

While Ellis won’t provide much on offense, as a veteran presence, he can help Realmuto get accustomed to a new-look rotation and provide much-needed relief when the developing star is in need of a day off. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. 

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The Chicago White Sox are continuing a fire sale on their key players, including outfielder Adam Eaton, who is on the move to the nation’s capital.

The White Sox announced they traded Eaton for pitchers Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning from the Washington Nationals.

Eaton finished last season with a .284 batting average and .362 on-base percentage. He also had 14 home runs, 14 stolen bases and a league-leading nine triples.

His performance at the plate, in the field and on the basepaths even earned him a vote for American League MVP, per Baseball-Reference.com, despite playing for the fourth-place White Sox.

The trade marks the second major deal for the organization after it dealt ace pitcher Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

The Nationals have been on the lookout for a center fielder to replace Ben Revere, who was non-tendered this offseason after producing just a .560 OPS in 103 games. The team is also interested in Pittsburgh Pirates star Andrew McCutchen, according to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball.

Eaton played mostly right field in 2016 but has played more games in center field throughout his career. Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer noted the difference between the two positions:

The 28-year-old is under contract at a reasonable cost through the 2021 season, including team options in each of the final two years of the current deal, per Doug Padilla of ESPN.com.

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Not even the defending champs can rest on their laurels.

The Chicago Cubs aren’t, clearly, as they made their first big splash of the offseason Wednesday, acquiring All-Star closer Wade Davis from the Kansas City Royals, per Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com.

It’s a simple, straight-up swap, with 24-year-old outfielder Jorge Soler going to Kansas City. That’s no small sacrifice for the Cubs, as we’ll delve into shortly.     

For now, though, let’s focus on what Chicago got: a replacement for free-agent flamethrower Aroldis Chapman and a nice dose of security at the back end of the bullpen.

Davis has been nothing short of elite since moving into a full-time relief role in 2014. During that span, he’s posted a 1.18 ERA with 11.53 strikeouts per nine innings next to just 2.91 walks per nine.

His 6.3 WAR from 2014 to 2016 ranks fifth among relief pitchers, behind only Dellin Betances, Chapman, Andrew Miller and Kenley Jansen, according to FanGraphs’ measure.

Then there’s Davis’ postseason pedigree. During the Royals’ deep runs of 2014 and 2015, Davis logged 25 mostly high-leverage innings, yielding just one earned run with 38 strikeouts and five walks. Here, check out some highlights of his six-out save in Game 4 of the 2015 Fall Classic:

If that reminds you of the work guys such as Miller, Chapman and Jansen did in the 2016 playoffs, well, it should. Davis is cut from the same cloth. He’s got the stuff and the fortitude to play the role of super-reliever.

He’s also got familiarity with Chicago skipper Joe Maddon, who was his manager from 2009 to 2012 with the Tampa Bay Rays, when Davis was mostly a starter.

As the Cubs edged close to acquiring Davis on Tuesday night, the Washington Nationals swooped in with a “late push,” per ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. 

Chicago ultimately won out by cashing in Soler. That stings. The young Cuban is under team control for four more years and is loaded with raw tools. His production has declined since an eye-opening debut in 2014, when he posted a .903 OPS in 24 games, but he has the potential to develop into a high-caliber offensive player.

The Cubs could afford to jettison him because of an outfield depth chart that features Kyle Schwarber, Ben Zobrist, Jason Heyward, Albert Almora Jr., Matt Szczur and newly signed Jon Jay, plus reigning National League MVP Kris Bryant.

For all his talent, Soler was a spare part, as ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers spelled out:

The trade really comes down to the multiple years of control with Soler versus the one year for Davis. If you’re a Cubs fan, ask yourself this: Who’s likely to have a bigger impact on the team in 2017 — a part-time outfielder or the closer on the reigning world champions? We know Davis is going to see a lot of action; we can’t say the same about Soler…

Davis comes with some risk and downside. He’ll be a free agent after next season, so he’s something of a rental, though the Cubs could try to hammer out an extension. He battled injuries last season and landed on the disabled list twice with a strained forearm. His average fastball velocity dipped slightly, from 95.8 in 2015 to 95.0.

He finished the season on a high note, however, tallying six saves and fanning 15 in his final 9.2 innings.

Assuming the health issues are behind him, the $10 million he’s owed in 2017 could be a relative bargain. Mark Melancon already broke the record for a relief-pitcher contract when he got four years and $62 million with the San Francisco Giants. Chapman and Jansen will surely blow past that total when they find homes.

The Cubs have other solid arms in the pen, including Pedro Strop, Hector Rondon and Carl Edwards Jr. With Chapman out the door, though, this was one of the few areas where Chicago could upgrade.

“You’re always looking to augment bullpens,” Maddon said, per MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat. “I think every organization, after this past postseason, is looking to re-invent their bullpens in different ways based on how we utilized ours.”

Added general manager Jed Hoyer, per Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, “The more relievers you can add, the more we can add that late and have multiple weapons, the better.”

Davis is a weapon. Now, he’s in the Cubs’ holster. 

The champs, in other words, aren’t resting on their laurels. 

All statistics and contract information courtesy of FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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The Chicago Cubs traded outfielder Jorge Soler to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for closer Wade Davis on Wednesday.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today and Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported the deal was done. 

The Cubs announced the deal on Twitter by showing their fans a GIF of what Davis’ fastball can do to opposing hitters:

Soler offered a farewell to the franchise that gave him his first opportunity to play Major League Baseball:

Joel Sherman of the New York Post pondered which team will look back on its deal with the Cubs for a closer more fondly:

The Cubs needed to do something to address the back of their bullpen with Aroldis Chapman entering free agency. Since it didn’t appear as if they were going to spend the money for one of the big closers (Chapman, Kenley Jansen), Davis became an excellent fallback plan for the Cubs. 

ESPN’s Jesse Rogers likes what the Cubs did with this deal:

This is likely a calculated move by the Royals, with Dave Cameron of FanGraphs writing there are causes for concern with Davis moving forward:

Those DL stints in July were scary, especially because flexor bundle strains often are followed in the not too distant future by the words Dr. James Andrews. Davis’ strikeout rate has gone from 39% to 31% to 27% the last three years, and his wOBA allowed is driven in large part by a complete lack of home runs; he’s only given up three in the last three years, thanks to the lowest HR/FB rate in baseball. Davis has dominated, but especially more recently, it’s been more (Mark) Melancon’s kind of domination than Chapman’s or Jansen’s.

MLB Stat of the Day did counteract some of that skepticism with this nugget about Davis’ performance over the previous three seasons:

Soler, 24, hit .238 with 12 home runs and 31 RBI across 86 games this past season. He was sidelined for much of the summer, however, with a hamstring issue.

Even though Soler’s tenure with the Cubs didn’t go the way anyone hoped it would after he signed with the team out of Cuba in 2012, Christopher Kamka of Comcast SportsNet Chicago did note he bookended things nicely:

The Cubs, even after trading Soler and possibly losing Dexter Fowler in free agency, still have too many outfielders for three spots.

Ben Zobrist and Kris Bryant can play left field, but the team also has to get Kyle Schwarber back out there. Albert Almora and Jon Jay could be penciled in for center field, while Jason Heyward is capable of moving over there with Bryant in right, if that’s what manager Joe Maddon wants to do. 

Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star did note the Royals are now in a similar predicament in terms of having too many outfielders:

MLB.com’s Jane Lee reported the Oakland Athletics have had talks with the Royals about Jarrod Dyson, which would take care of Kansas City’s issue. The Royals could also use Soler at DH if they wanted to after Kendrys Morales signed with the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this offseason.

Soler never lived up to the hype in his three seasons with the Cubs. While he’s still young and has a high ceiling, he didn’t flash superstar potential in Chicago. He was excellent in the 2015 postseason, however, hitting .474 with three home runs and five RBI in seven games, so Soler could yet become an MLB star.

The Royals will hope the opportunity to provide him more playing time and at-bats will spark that ascension to stardom, especially since they are facing an uncertain future after 2017 with Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain due to become free agents. 

Soler gives the Royals some versatility as an outfielder or DH, as well as a tremendously high ceiling for a player who is still young and under team control through 2020. He knows there will be ample playing time for him now to just focus on becoming the hitter he was expected to be in Chicago.

The Cubs did what they could to turn Soler into a star, but they were also in a situation the past two years in which they were winning and needed to put their best team on the field. 

Davis gives the Cubs exactly what they need for 2017, and the front office wasn’t forced to overspend on a free-agent closer. It’s a rare trade that looks smart and necessary from both sides. 

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

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Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Alex Colome has reportedly become a coveted trade target amid an offseason in which bullpen upgrades are all the rage around Major League Baseball. 

Continue for updates.

Nats Showing Interest in Colome

Wednesday, Dec. 7

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported Wednesday the Washington Nationals have spoken to the Rays about a potential deal for the closer.

Colome is coming off a dominant year pitching the ninth inning in Tampa. He posted a 1.91 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 71 strikeouts in 56.2 innings across 57 appearances en route to 37 saves. While his career numbers aren’t that great, he still sports a 3.10 ERA in 108 games.

The 27-year-old Dominican Republic native came through the Rays system as a starter, and he enjoyed moderate success in that role early in his major league career. But his combination of a mid-90s fastball and wipeout slider always gave him more potential as a high-leverage bullpen weapon.

Tampa committed to him in that role to open 2016, and the results spoke for themselves.

Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com spoke with Colome in June following a strong start that eventually earned him a selection to the All-Star Game, and he stated there wasn’t any preference about how he’s used:

I really can’t say how they saw me in the minor leagues as a reliever or a starter because before you get to the big leagues, you don’t know what a team has planned for you. They gave me the opportunity as a reliever and they saw how I worked. But what has always been my focus is having faith and show up every day when I was given the chance, whether that’s as a starter or a reliever, to show what I can do.

While his success makes it no surprise teams are checking on his availability, the Rays would likely be looking for a king’s ransom in return. Not only is he coming off a terrific year, but he’s still under team control for another four years, according to Spotrac.

Add in the fact seemingly every contender is looking to improve its bullpen after the success the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians enjoyed in that area en route to the World Series, and Tampa should be able to land a nice haul of young talent if it decides to trade Colome.

In that regard, the Nationals make a lot of sense. They need pen help to pair with their formidable starting rotation, and Baseball America ranked their farm system among the five best to open 2016, a status that could hold going into 2017 barring a blockbuster deal.

The question is whether Washington would be willing to part with a couple of key pieces from that group in order to bet on Colome remaining a top-tier option next season and beyond.

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The Kansas City Royals shook up their bullpen Wednesday after trading All-Star closer Wade Davis to the Chicago Cubs for Jorge Soler.  

The Cubs announced the deal after Bob Nightengale of USA Today first reported the agreement. Soler took to Twitter after the announcement to thank Chicago’s fans for his time with the club before commenting on his move to Kansas City:

Davis had been an instrumental part of Kansas City’s recent resurgence. He was a middling starter after coming up with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009 and during his first year with the Royals in 2013, but a move to the bullpen turned his career around. 

In 2014 to 2015, Davis put up numbers that were as good as any reliever in Major League Baseball over that span. 

He remained strong in 2016 with a 1.87 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 43.1 innings, but his walk rate (3.3 per nine innings) was his highest since 2013. He also had two stints on the disabled list with a flexor strain in his right forearm.

The Royals are in a difficult spot heading into 2017. Several core members from the 2015 championship team are entering the final year of their contracts, including Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas. 

Davis was also in that group, but now that he’s gone, it creates financial flexibility for the upcoming season in Kansas City. His contract will pay him $10 million in 2017, per Spotrac.

The Royals still have Kelvin Herrera to close games. 

Its two-year playoff run in 2014 and 2015 briefly altered the way Kansas City does business, with Cot’s Baseball Contracts estimating its payroll last season at $131.5 million. That’s not a level this franchise can consistently operate on, so trading a reliever and adding an impact asset it controls through 2020 is the right move. 

The Cubs will happily take advantage of the Royals’ transition phase. They have a solid bullpen, even with the possible loss of Aroldis Chapman to free agency, as Hector Rondon has 77 saves since 2014. 

However, adding an impact arm to the team’s crop of relievers gives Cubs manager Joe Maddon depth and versatility—areas in which the defending World Series champions were lacking. 

In return, the Cubs deal from a crowded position group. The potential loss of free agent Dexter Fowler takes away one option, but they can still use some combination of Ben Zobrist, Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward, Albert Almora Jr., Jon Jay and Kris Bryant in the outfield. 

Soler has never been able to put it all together since signing with Chicago in 2012, due to injuries and inconsistent performance. He started to look like a future star in the second half last season with a .258/.348/.515 line in 36 games. 

That’s a small sample size; though, at 24 years old, Soler is still young enough to develop into a star right fielder.

Moving Davis now, while painful for Kansas City fans, represents the Royals’ best opportunity to have financial flexibility in the offseason and keep adding young, cost-controlled talent who can help them return to glory next season. 

Davis comes with risk after his injuries last year, but the Cubs are a franchise with the financial resources and depth to take on his contract with the hopes he can return to his 2014-15 levels when he was the best reliever in baseball. 

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