NEWSLETTER
With the CBA expiring at midnight Eastern tonight, we’ve been expecting more free agent deals (and maybe some trades and extensions) to be finalized between last night and today. The thinking has been that terms would have to be agreed to earlier than right now in order to get the t’s crossed and i’s dotted by tonight, but we might not actually hear about some of these deals until they’re more or less finalized.
Hence, more deals from last night, from overnight, and probably on into today, too. Among the recent deals we haven’t yet noted, and some discussion …
⇒ The rumors have been going around for about a week now, but the San Francisco Giants are indeed signing Alex Cobb:
Alex Cobb's deal is for two years and $20 million. Giants hold a club option for 2024.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) December 1, 2021
⇒ Cobb, 34, pitched really well for a half-season with the Angels this past season, and that was enough to get him a pretty nice deal from the Giants. He’s obviously had more success in the distant past, and the Giants have been doing quite well with signings like this, so I wouldn’t bet against it. Cobb joins Anthony DeSclafani and Logan Webb, officially, as the only members of their rotation, after DeSclafani, Alex Wood, Johnny Cueto, and Kevin Gausman all hit free agency. DeSclafani, obviously, re-signed, and there have been reports that Wood is going to as well. Gausman signed a huge deal with the Blue Jays, and Cueto might hang around the market for a minute. For as needy as we see the Cubs rotation, the Giants were about as needy as it gets. I wonder if they will be looking seriously at Marcus Stroman.
⇒ The Angels are keeping closer Raisel Iglesias around on a huge deal for a closer:
Raisel Iglesias and #Angels in agreement on 4-year, $58 million deal, source confirms. Credit to @Ken_Rosenthal and @JeffPassan for being first with the reports. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 1, 2021
⇒ Iglesias, 32 next month, has gotten better as he’s entered his 30s, and if he comes close to repeating the guy he was for the Angels in 2021, then this is an easy deal to sign. Iglesias got a Qualifying Offer, declined it, and then ultimately re-signed with the Angels. By the way, do people really still think Craig Kimbrel has no trade value on a one-year, $16 million deal?
⇒ The White Sox fans I know have been fixated, among other things, on landing a quality second baseman this offseason, and a number of them were chapped by the implications of this:
Leury Garcia White Sox deal is $16.5M, 3 years
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 1, 2021
⇒ Garcia, 30, is not a “second baseman,” though. He’s just a utility guy who can play truly anywhere, and hit a little worse than league average. That’s a valuable guy to have around, and I don’t see any issue with this deal. As for second base, having Garcia around is a hedge, at least. Probably shouldn’t have traded Nick Madrigal …
⇒ The Red Sox are signing James Paxton to a unique deal as he recovers from Tommy John surgery:
The Paxton deal could reach $35M if the two-year option for 2023-24 is picked up. https://t.co/y6PnWvdFzj
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) December 1, 2021
⇒ So, basically, they are paying $10 million to get a half season or so worth of evaluation time, and then they decide if they want him on a two-year, $25 million deal. Paxton is already 33 and is almost three years removed from a health effective season, but I like this chance for the Red Sox. It’s similar to why I want the Cubs to trade for Tyler Glasnow.
⇒ The Nationals signed second baseman Cesar Hernandez to a modest deal:
Cesar Hernandez goes to Nats. $4M plus $1M incentives.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 1, 2021
⇒ Historically, Hernandez can be a league average bat with great defense at second base. Not a bad guy to have around on a modest deal like that.
⇒ Lastly, the Dodgers are signing reliever Daniel Hudson to a one-year deal:
Right-handed reliever Daniel Hudson and the Los Angeles Dodgers are nearing an agreement on a one-year deal, sources tell ESPN. When completed, it’s expected to be for around $7 million.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 29, 2021
⇒ Hudson, 34, has mixed some really awesome years with some really down years, but he was fantastic in 2021 (at least before a midseason trade to the Padres), and he was also throwing harder than he ever has in his career, and with the best K-BB of his career. I think some of the reliever contracts signed this offseason have been strangely expensive, but this one makes sense to me. So of course it’s the Dodgers signing it.
