Kuzul

The Boston Red Sox reportedly completed a blockbuster trade Tuesday, acquiring Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale in exchange for a package headlined by prized infield prospect Yoan Moncada.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports first reported the deal, and Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports confirmed the agreement was in place.

Joon Lee of The Ringer summed up the general reaction around the baseball universe:

DJ Bean of WEEI joked about the other, far less significant, potential moves:

WEEI’s Rob Bradford passed along some reaction from an AL rival:

Michael Hurley of CBS Boston found the perfect time for the iconic Vince McMahon strut:

MLB Memes provided a humorous take on the deal:

Baseball Is Fun spotlighted the Red Sox’s tendency to move prospects for proven talent:

Boston Strong also discussed president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski’s wheeling and dealing:

Sportsnet’s Tim and Sid noted the disappointment north of the border:

It’s a stark contrast from Only In Boston’s take on the Red Sox’s bolstered rotation:

Michael Schlact went with the Moneyball reference:

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell is a little worried about Sale’s potential reaction to Boston’s uniform choices following his jersey incident in Chicago last season:

The impact of the trade is wide-ranging, as left-handed-hitting Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis illustrated:

His teammate, Jose Ramirez, was amused by early declarations that the Red Sox are the clear favorites in the American League:

Even if the reigning AL champion Indians aren’t ready to hand over their crown yet, the Red Sox walk away from the deal with an outstanding rotation. Sale, David Price, Rick Porcello, Eduardo Rodriguez and either Clay Buchholz or Drew Pomeranz is tough to beat.

While Boston had to give up an impressive group of young talent, Sale is just 27 and should continue to contend for the Cy Young Award annually with the run support he’ll receive with the Red Sox. Now, the question is how their biggest rivals will try to answer during the rest of the offseason.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Chicago White Sox have taken the bold step of building for their future by trading ace starting pitcher Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

The White Sox announced they have acquired Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Luis Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz in exchange for Sale.

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal initially reported the deal.

Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com also reported the Red Sox will pay the $31.2 million remaining on Moncada’s $63 million deal. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Red Sox refused to include Jackie Bradley Jr. in any trade talk.

Boston beat out the Washington Nationals, who tried “hard” to land the ace by offering top prospects, per Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball. Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reported the Nationals weren’t willing to give up Trea Turner and that the Red Sox’s willingness to part with Moncada led to the swap.

Buster Olney of ESPN reported that a “popular theory in the industry” is that the White Sox pushed the Nationals to the brink of a deal to use as leverage to get the package they did from the Red Sox.

Ian Browne of RedSox.com and Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe provided comments from Sale on Wednesday:

Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski spoke with reporters on Tuesday, saying talks between the sides “accelerated” on Friday.

“Sale gives us a chance to win now…At this point, this gave us a really significant chance to win,” Dombrowski said.

The White Sox seemed to be moving toward dealing Sale or Jose Quintana shortly before the trade deadline this past summer.

Heyman reported on July 22 Chicago began taking calls on the pair, though he added the White Sox hadn’t “decided how seriously to shop their stars, and there’s no certainty that either will be traded, as they love both pitchers.”

Like most trade negotiations, the White Sox were waiting to get the best deal. It’s not an unreasonable position for them to take, even as they appear headed for their fifth straight losing season, because Sale’s contract is so team-friendly.

Recently retired Red Sox star David Ortiz is a fan of the move:

Sale, who is 27 years old, has one more guaranteed year on his deal at $12 million, with club options for 2018 and 2019 that total $26 million, per Baseball-Reference.com. His contract looks even better considering 43-year-old Bartolo Colon was among the top names of the available free-agent starters.

The White Sox have taken a short-term approach to fixing their roster, signing players such as Melky Cabrera and Jose Abreu and trading for Todd Frazier, yet it hasn’t worked out. It’s time for the franchise to start acquiring as many young, cost-controlled assets as possible to avoid a total collapse.

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn told reporters he thinks Moncada can play second or third base, “but at this point we’ll have him playing second base” in the minors. Hahn added that the two sides had talked about Sale for over a year.

“If a team is interested in talented, controllable starting pitchers, we do have others,” Hahn told reporters.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox get the top-of-the-rotation starter they needed. Dombrowski has not been shy about making deals to improve the team since taking over late in the 2015 season, acquiring Craig Kimbrel in a trade with the San Diego Padres and signing David Price last offseason.

Yet things did not work out for Boston’s rotation in 2016, aside from Rick Porcello’s breakout campaign. The Red Sox finished eighth in the majors with a 4.22 ERA from the starting rotation, though, so there was upside even before acquiring Sale.

It also helps that their offense led the league in most major offensive categories last season, including runs scored, doubles, total bases, average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

Sale is the horse Boston needs to get over the hump in October after a quick playoff exit last season.

Dombrowski has been making a lot of moves involving Boston’s prospects, but it’s such a rich farm system that he can get away with it and not leave the cupboard bare.

The White Sox could afford to move Sale because they still have Quintana to build a rotation around. This move will help them secure their future and start competing for a playoff spot for the first time since 2008.

Sale did everything in his power to make the White Sox a contender, finishing in the top six of AL Cy Young Award voting in each of the last five seasons. He’s never had a chance to show off his stuff in October, but he will have an opportunity to change that with his new club.

It’s never easy to give up multiple top-level prospects, but it’s also rare when a true No. 1 starter who is under team control for more than two months becomes available. That made it easy for the Red Sox to make the call.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the Washington Nationals looking to make upgrades to their starting rotation, veteran Gio Gonzalez could potentially be available on the trade market.

Continue for updates.

Latest on Gonzalez’s Trade Availability

Tuesday, Dec. 6

According to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark, the Nats told teams Gonzalez would be on the block if they completed a trade with the Chicago White Sox for Chris Sale. However, Sale was dealt to the Boston Red Sox Tuesday, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

Jim Bowden of ESPN reported Monday that Washington and Chicago were closing in on a deal that would send Sale to the Nationals for top prospects Lucas Giolito and Victor Robles.

Gonzalez is coming off a down year, as he went 11-11 with a 4.57 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 171 strikeouts in 177.1 innings pitched. That marked his highest ERA since the 2009 campaign with the Oakland Athletics (5.75).

The 31-year-old lefty previously enjoyed a six-year streak with an ERA of 3.79 or better, and he earned two All-Star nods during that time.

Since winning 21 games and finishing third in the National League Cy Young Award voting in 2012, however, he has settled in as a middle-of-the-rotation arm, averaging 11 wins per season.

While Gonzalez is reliable in terms of taking the mound with 31 or more starts in six of the past seven seasons, 2016 was a roller-coaster ride from a performance perspective, according to Sung Min Kim of Vice Sports:

The peripheral numbers suggest Gonzalez was somewhat unlucky last season, though, as he posted a FIP nearly a full run lower than his ERA at 3.76, per Baseball-Reference.com. Gonzalez has had a lower FIP than ERA in three straight campaigns.

Washington will no longer have a need for Gonzalez if it can land another starter even after losing out on Sale, especially with Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Tanner Roark and Joe Ross in the fold.

The veteran could have value to another team in need of rotation depth, though, and he is affordable for a starting pitcher with a salary of $12 million, per Spotrac.

Provided Gonzalez’s ERA and FIP come closer together in 2017, he has a chance to provide great value for another team.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Free-agent first baseman Mitch Moreland was one of the more appealing options on the market for teams looking to add power to their lineups, but he has reportedly chosen his next team.

Moreland has agreed to a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

Prior to the deal, Moreland was also being pursued by the Cleveland Indians, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The Toronto Blue Jays were also talking to Moreland, according to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball.

Moreland, 31, had spent his entire career with the Texas Rangers, hitting 22 or more home runs in three of the past four seasons. In 2016, he hit just .233 but added 22 homers and 60 RBI. It was a bit of a down year after an impressive 2015 that saw him hit .278 with 23 home runs and 85 RBI.

Moreland can be utilized as either a first baseman or a designated hitter, though he’s best suited to a platoon in either role, given his struggles against left-handed pitching. In the past three seasons, he’s hitting .245 against lefties, with just 10 of his 47 home runs in that time frame coming against southpaws.

Boston was in the market for a designated hitter after David Ortiz’s retirement. 

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Boston Red Sox acquired relief pitcher Tyler Thornburg from the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday in exchange for a package headlined by third baseman Travis Shaw. 

The Brewers officially announced the trade, which also includes shortstop Mauricio Dubon and starting pitcher Josh Pennington joining the Milwaukee organization.

Shaw posted a message on social media about the deal:

Thornburg enjoyed a breakout 2016 campaign for the Brewers. The 28-year-old right-hander posted a 2.15 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with 90 strikeouts in 67 innings. He also racked up 20 holds and 13 saves while pitching in high-leverage situations late in games.

The Red Sox already feature one of the best closers in baseball, Craig Kimbrel. The newest addition will likely serve in a setup role alongside lefty Robbie Ross Jr., who accumulated a 1.69 ERA after the All-Star break last season and is especially tough on lefties (.545 OPS).

In addition, the trade appears to suggest Boston is comfortable entering the 2017 season with Pablo Sandoval as its starting third baseman. He struggled mightily after signing a monster contract in 2015 and missed almost all of last season with a shoulder injury.

He owns a clear path to the starting job with Shaw out of the picture, though. The 26-year-old Kent State product had previously beat him out at the hot corner last spring.

Now Shaw will take over at third for Milwaukee. The slugger started the 2016 season strong with seven home runs over the first two months, but he faded from there. He finished the year with a lackluster .306 on-base percentage with 16 homers.

Dubon and Pennington are both future assets. MLB.com ranked Dubon, 22, as the No. 12 prospect in the Boston organization before the trade. Pennington, 21, owns a 2.29 ERA through 20 appearances (19 starts) in the lower levels of the minor leagues.

Ultimately, the Red Sox are betting Sandoval can enjoy a bounce-back season after a forgettable first two years in Boston. If his struggles continue, then the focus will shift to seeing whether highly touted prospect Yoan Moncada is ready for prime time.

As long as either Sandoval or Moncada provides consistent production, it’s a nice deal for the AL East contenders to pick up a reliable late-inning reliever. Meanwhile, Milwaukee fills a void at third and picks up a few promising pieces for the future in the process.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter will have his famed No. 2 jersey retired by the storied organization before the team’s game against the Houston Astros on May 14, 2017. 

The Yankees made the announcement official Tuesday morning:

New York selected Jeter with the sixth overall pick in the 1992 draft and, following a rise through the minors, he proceeded to play his entire 20-year professional career in Yankee pinstripes.

The New Jersey native earned 14 All-Star Game selections and helped the team capture five World Series titles during a career that will land him in the Hall of Fame once eligible in 2020. He also won five Gold Gloves, five Silver Sluggers and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting eight times.

The May ceremony will give Yankee fans another chance to show their appreciation for a player who proved himself worthy of being the face of one of the world’s most famous sports franchises for the better part of two decades.

Fan support is something he talked about in the Players’ Tribune after he retired in 2014:

In some ways the major change this year was that it felt like I played a majority of home games. As always, the New York fans were amazing; their response was overwhelming, but not surprising. Yankees fans have been great to me. It’s the reception outside of New York that really was the biggest difference this year. I’ll never forget how the baseball fans across the country have treated me. Ballparks I used to view as enemy territory were transformed with cheers, handshakes and hat tips. If I thought baseball was part of my family before this season, I know now that it’s truly the case. And I am grateful for that.

Of course, it’s also an opportunity to bring the “Core Four” back together. Jeter along with Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada were the stalwarts during the Yankees’ run of success from the mid-1990s until their most recent title in 2009.

Jeter also holds a special place in hearts of Yankees fans because he was a top-flight player who spent his entire career with the organization, a rare accomplishment in a world with free agency. He and the Atlanta Braves‘ Chipper Jones could be among the last of a fading breed.

That’s why the team is giving the longtime shortstop his rightful place alongside a star-studded group of retired numbers that includes the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle as well as all of his buddies from the Core Four.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Four free agents came off the board on the first day of the 2016 MLB winter meetings—a tetrad highlighted by Rich Hill’s re-signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Mark Melancon’s joining the San Francisco Giants.

But those deals were somewhat overshadowed by a slew of rumors and speculation surrounding some big names, which ranged from free agents like Aroldis Chapman and Edwin Encarnacion to potential trade targets such as Chicago’s Chris Sale and Kansas City’s dynamic duo of Lorenzo Cain and Wade Davis.

What does Day 2 of the winter meetings have in store?

Keep it here for the latest chatter and analysis of all the moves, and chime in with your thoughts in both the comments section below and on Twitter (@RickWeinerBR).

Done Deals

Tuesday: Boston trades SS Mauricio Dubon, RHP Josh Pennington and 1B/3B Travis Shaw to Milwaukee in exchange for RHP Tyler Thornburg, per FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman.

Tuesday: Boston trades OF Luis Alexander Basabe, RHPs Victor Diaz and RHP Michael Kopech and IF Yoan Moncada to Chicago in exchange for LHP Chris Sale, per Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Boston Red Sox won the American League East in 2016 under John Farrell, and the organization decided Monday to keep the manager around a bit longer. 

The Red Sox announced they exercised the club option on Farrell’s contract for the 2018 season.

Travis Lee of WMTW noted the Red Sox had already told Farrell he would return for the 2017 season. Monday’s news ensures the manager won’t have to worry about serving as a leader with lame-duck status as the team looks to win a second World Series title under his watch.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Monday at the winter meetings that Farrell’s “solid presence” and the fact the “players played hard for him” ultimately contributed to the decision, per Scott Lauber of ESPN.com.

The 2017 campaign will be Farrell’s fifth as manager of the Red Sox. The team is 339-309 under him in four years.

Things started as well as he could have possibly hoped with an American League East crown and World Series championship in 2013. However, there was a significant drop-off the following two seasons before a bounce-back effort in 2016:

Farrell also managed the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011 and 2012 and accumulated a 154-170 record before Boston hired its former pitching coach with one year remaining on his Toronto contract. The Red Sox sent infielder Mike Aviles to the Blue Jays as compensation (and received pitcher David Carpenter), per ESPN.com.

Boston was swept by the eventual American League champion Cleveland Indians in the divisional round of the 2016 playoffs, but Monday’s news means there will be continuity in the dugout for a club that has a number of young building blocks, including 24-year-old Mookie Betts, 26-year-old Jackie Bradley Jr. and 24-year-old Xander Bogaerts.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Although Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper is under team control for the next two seasons, speculation is already running rampant as to his future in the nation’s capital beyond the 2018 campaign. 

Continue for updates.

Latest on Negotiations Between Harper, Nationals

Monday, Dec. 5

On Monday, USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale reported Harper is looking to get a deal for 10-plus years worth more than $400 million—terms the Nationals are unwilling to meet at this stage.

Harper’s agent, Scott Boras, refuted the report, per Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan: “I have had no discussions with the Nationals regarding Harp and a long-term contract.”

Harper’s request for a contract totaling over $400 million wouldn’t be all that surprising. An MLB star is bound to cross that threshold sooner or later after Giancarlo Stanton re-signed with the Miami Marlins for $325 million over 13 years in 2014.

Harper, who turns 26 in two years, will be in the prime of his career, thus sitting in a position to demand one of the richest deals in baseball history, whether it’s with the Nationals or another team.

By his standards, Harper is coming off a disappointing 2016. A year after winning the National League‘s MVP award, he batted .243 with 24 home runs and 86 RBI. His slugging percentage dropped from .649 in 2015 to .441.

Despite his issues at the plate, Harper would likely be able to name his price in free agency should he rebound in 2017 and 2018.

Nationals principal owner Ted Lerner has shown a willingness to spend to make the team a World Series contender. Washington sent a message when it signed Jayson Werth for seven years and $126 million in 2010, and it has subsequently handed out contracts worth a combined $485 million to Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Ryan Zimmerman.

Still, re-signing Harper will be a major challenge for the Nationals. He has little incentive to agree on an extension before hitting free agency, and should he hit the open market, there’s no telling how high his price tag could climb.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The World Baseball Classic confirmed Monday the participation of 30 players, highlighted by a list of 24 MLB All-Stars, according to MLB Communications.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Danny Duffy also confirmed to Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star that he planned to participate for Team USA.

“Definitely excited to wear those colors,” Duffy said in a text message.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman confirmed as well that he would play for Team USA on Twitter:

Stroman was eligible to represent Puerto Rico, since his mother is of Puerto Rican descent.

Other players who were on the preliminary list but have not yet been confirmed for the United States include Noah Syndergaard, Jake Arrieta, Kris Bryant, Eric Hosmer, Ian Kinsler, Corey Kluber, Jonathan Lucroy, Andrew Miller, David Price, Giancarlo Stanton, Justin Verlander and Christian Yelich, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post in early November.

As Sherman noted, players on the list can still pull out of consideration, while those not on the list—like Mike Trout or Bryce Harper, arguably the two biggest superstars who could feature for the United States—can still be named to the final roster.

The Dominican Republic is the defending champion, winning the 2013 edition. The World Baseball Classic will be played in Miami, San Diego and Los Angeles in March 2017.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com