│

D-backs spread cheer at Boys & Girls Club Club donates $100K for south Phoenix facility to add new gymnasium By Katie Krause / http://m.dbacks.mlb.com/news/article/104226854/d-backs- spread-cheer-at-boys--girls-club

Diamondbacks follow off-season script: Big bat, smaller payroll, young arms By Jack Magruder / FOX Sports Arizona http://www.foxsports.com/arizona/story/diamondbacks- follow-off-season-script-big-bat-smaller-payroll-young-arms- 121614

Could be headed back to the NL West? By Jules Tompkins / ArizonaSports.com http://arizonasports.com/42/1791941/Could-Justin-Upton-be- headed-back-to-the-NL-West

Are Cubans now getting overpriced? MLB NEWS By David Schoenfield / ESPN.com December 17, 2014 • MLB.com http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/53973/are- http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news_ind cubans-now-getting-overpriced ex.jsp

Roundup: Order Among Winter Meetings Chaos; Humidor ASSOCIATED PRESS the Key to the Offseason? December 17, 2014 • Sports.yahoo.com By Ryan P. Morrison / Inside the 'Zone - ESPN.com http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/morenews http://insidethezona.com/2014/12/roundup-order-winter- meetings-chaos/ MLB TRANSACTIONS December 17, 2014 • MLB.com Are the Diamondbacks Rebuilding, Retooling, or Doing http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/transactions Something Else? By Ryan P. Morrison / Inside the 'Zona - ESPN.com http://insidethezona.com/2014/12/diamondbacks-rebuilding- retooling-else/

Best extreme stadium food offerings of 2014 By Kelyn Soong / The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early- lead/wp/2014/12/16/best-extreme-stadium-food-offerings-of- 2014/

Bryan Henry column: about making adjustments By Bryan Henry / Tallahassee Democrat http://www.tallahassee.com/story/sports/college/famu/2014/ 12/16/bryan-henry-column-baseball-making- adjustments/20495477/

1

│

declining membership," Brad Kuluris, COO of the Boys & Girls Club. "But with the help of the D-backs and MLB, we have D-backs spread cheer at Boys & Girls Club turned this club around from declining membership to filled to Club donates $100K for south Phoenix facility to add new the brim, and annually the D-backs return to celebrate with the gymnasium kids at the holiday party." By Katie Krause / Arizona Diamondbacks http://m.dbacks.mlb.com/news/article/104226854/d-backs- The D-backs' club serves an at-risk youth population in south spread-cheer-at-boys--girls-club Phoenix and is an important destination for young people in the community. A fixture in the community for more than 50 years, PHOENIX -- The D-backs played Santa for a few hundred kids the club serves more than 1,500 young people, many of whom on Monday night with their fifth annual Holiday Party at the live at or below the poverty level. MLB All-Star Arizona Diamondbacks Boys & Girls Club, Diamondbacks follow off-season script: Big bat, smaller located south of downtown Phoenix, just five miles from Chase payroll, young arms Field. However, the big surprise was an early holiday gift of By Jack Magruder / FOX Sports Arizona $100,000 from the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation for the http://www.foxsports.com/arizona/story/diamondbacks- facility to provide a new gym for the kids to enjoy for years to follow-off-season-script-big-bat-smaller-payroll-young-arms- come. 121614

Kids at the D-backs Boys & Girls Club were treated to a toy, PHOENIX -- The Diamondbacks did not make the biggest pictures with Santa, dinner provided by Raising Canes, games splash at the winter meetings last week. Chicago's teams did that, and a craft station. D-backs employees assisted kids with the both the south- and north-siders. New ' holiday decorations and each kid was able to select a toy from a president found creative ways to rework his secret toy room filled with everything from a skateboard to a unwieldy roster, also. doll from the movie Frozen.

But the D-backs were plenty busy in their own way -- sticking to "It's a fun and exciting night for us, and if we did our job right the plan laid out by chief of baseball operations Tony La Russa these kids will get exactly what they have asked for from Santa," and general . said Derrick Hall, D-backs president and CEO. "It never gets old when you see the kids march in with smiles on their faces. The D-backs made three major moves in three days in an And for a lot of these kids, this is the only gift they will get this attempt to distance themselves from an everything-that-could- Christmas because their families might not be able to afford it. go-wrong-did 2014 season. This is what the season is all about: giving, and giving in a D- backs way." The winter plan was to add a bat, shed salary and get younger

and deeper, and the D-backs made inroads on all of that by The D-backs kicked off the evening with the $100,000 check announcing the signing of Cuban free agent Yasmany Tomas, presentation to the D-backs Boys & Girls Club that will be used trading to the Cubs and adding four to convert the outdated gym into a modern multi-purpose sports controllable pitching prospects in trades that cost them court. The club received the funding as part of the Arizona Montero, and . Diamondbacks Foundation Grant program. The new sports court will be used daily for team sports, fitness Still on the radar are a catcher to pair with Tuffy Gosewisch and classes, career fairs, holiday celebrations and games. Some possibly a left-handed bat in the outfield. improvements include new flooring, paint, sound proofing and energy-efficient lighting. Stewart added to the intrigue Friday when he said that the D-

backs have discussed free agent right-handers and "As a player, you don't really realize the impact the D-backs have , the two highest profile remaining in free on the community," said J.J. Putz, a former closer for the club agent pool since signed a six-year, $155 million deal who now serves as special assistant to Hall. "But to be here and with the Cubs. see the looks on these kids' faces, knowing that they are getting a brand new gymnasium and the toys they are able to pick out, The D-backs entered the offseason saying high-end starters were these kids are going to have a great Christmas and every kid off limits, and adding Scherzer or Shields would seem to require deserves it." them to trade another higher-priced veteran such as

in order to get the payroll relief necessary. Shields is believed to The D-backs, Magical Builders and be seeking a deal worth perhaps $20 million a year; Scherzer, invested $2 million into renovations of the Boys & Girls Clubs much higher. of Metropolitan Phoenix during the 2011 MLB All-Star Game that was held in Phoenix. The renovations included a new games The D-backs have shown nimbleness by signing Tomas and room, teen center, main entry, multi-use outdoor sports field, making four other offseason deals, including one for starter outdoor baseball field, restrooms, cafeteria, kitchen, youth media , so while adding a big-money starter is center, youth computer lab and building façade. unlikely, it seems anything is possible. If the D-backs could

swing either Scherzer or Shields to put at the top of the rotation, "The D-backs are very important to us because four years ago it would seem to signal they have fast-tracked their rebuilding they renovated this club along with Major League Baseball timetable and hope to contend sooner rather than later in the during the All-Star celebration, and up until that time we had 2

│

NL West against the likes of the deep-pocket Dodgers and http://arizonasports.com/42/1791941/Could-Justin-Upton-be- Giants, who have won three of the last five . The headed-back-to-the-NL-West Giants are among the teams rumored to have interest in Shields. Justin Upton left the West nearly three years If the offseason has shown us one thing, it is that uber ago in a blockbuster trade between the Arizona Diamondbacks competitors La Russa and Stewart are not afraid to make a move and . and accept some risk. The D-backs have had to face him 12 times since they traded "It is difficult to go from 98 losses to 98 wins, but I don't think him east and the has torched his former team, batting you give in on the potential that sooner rather than later we can .357 with three home runs, 10 RBI and a 1.110 on-base-plus- be contenders," La Russa said at the winter meetings, giving a slugging percentage. general overview of the team's thinking. And in 2015, the D-backs may have to face Upton more than "If you have a good talent pool and they play tough and they just six times a year, as the 27-year-old may well be traded to a play well, you win extra games. We have a nice young nucleus. team within Arizona's division. There is a lot to build on. We have some quality veterans. I think what the winter is for is to create as much depth as possible." The have often been linked to interest in Upton, who last year won his second Silver Slugger award after The position player group seem set except for catcher, when the hitting 29 home runs and 102 RBI to go along with a .270 D-backs could target former Cubs starter Welington Castillo or . free agents such as David Ross or former University of Arizona catcher Nick Hundley. Ross is rumored to be heavily considering In fact, in a recent Insider story for ESPN, Jim Bowden pinned the Cubs because of his association with Lester from their days San Diego as the most likely destination for Upton, who seems in Boston. to be on the Braves' trading block.

If Tomas sticks at third base, the D-backs could start either Bowden explains why the Padres may hold interest in Upton. or David Peralta in the outfield along with A.J. Pollock and Mark Trumbo. Paul Goldschmidt, Padres rookie GM A.J. Preller is focused on improving the Tomas and Trumbo would in the middle of the order. Chris Padres' lineup for 2015 and is off to a great start in landing Owings should start at one of the middle-infield positions, Kemp. Now he's looking to add lineup protection for Kemp so paired with veteran Hill or prospect teams don't pitch around the right-handed slugger. One of his , who is considered a major league-ready defender. targets, of course, is Upton, who would be a perfect fit with Kemp in San Diego. The Padres have a strong rotation led by With Miley gone and not expected to return until Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross and Ian Kennedy and their perhaps June, the D-backs will not have a left-hander among the bullpen is one of the best in the National League, as front four in a rotation that includes Josh Collmenter and demonstrated by their 60-1 record when leading after seven newcomers , Hellickson and . in 2014. Lefties Vidal Nuno, and Andrew Chafin and righties , , and Randall And another team in the division, the defending World Series Delgado are in the mix for spots in the rotation. If nothing else, champion , are also mentioned as potential there will be no shortage of competition in March. suitors for Upton on Bowden's list. The baseball insider sees the Giants as the fifth most likely destination for Upton, who is De La Rosa and Webster were acquired from Boston in the entering his ninth season in the majors. Miley trade and Ray was added from Detroit in the three-team trade that sent Gregorius to the . With that The Giants already have lost out on Pablo Sandoval, Jon Lester group and 20-year old Jeferson Mejia, acquired from the Cubs in and Melky Cabrera, and although free agent James Shields is the Montero deal, the D-backs have a stable of young, highly their priority right now, there's no doubt they'd love to get projectable arms. De La Rosa is under team control for four another middle-of-the-order bat to replace Sandoval. years, and the others are under control for the full six years. That nucleus does not include top minor league prospects Archie As far as stadiums go, Upton has fared much better at Petco Bradley, Aaron Blair and Braden Shipley, who are likely to Park in San Diego than he has at the Giants' AT&T Park in San comprise three-fifths of the starting rotation at Class AA Mobile Francisco. At Petco, he has batted .291 with a .900 OPS in 46 next year. games, but in San Francisco, his batting average is just .226 while his OPS is a much lower .662. "It's not just adding starting pitching that can give us wins in 2015, but it's building up a group of guys that would be available At , meanwhile, Upton has a career .308 batting to pitch that we would control for years beyond 2015," La Russa average, which pairs nicely with a .942 OPS and 69 home runs in said. 1319 at-bats -- about one in every 19.

Consider it done. Could Justin Upton be headed back to the NL West? Are Cubans now getting overpriced? By Jules Tompkins / ArizonaSports.com By David Schoenfield / ESPN.com 3

│ http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/53973/are- Moncada would be projected as a top-five pick in the draft, cubans-now-getting-overpriced maybe the No. 1 overall pick. He may be eligible to sign before we learn more about Castillo and Tomas, so their performance Interesting article from Eno Sarris of FanGraphs/Fox asking, may not end up influencing the enthusiasm to sign him. "Is the market for Cuban players out of control?" The great thing about baseball is we know more than ever but so Following the success of Yoenis Cespedes, Yasiel Puig and Jose much remains unknown. We can't predict with any certainty how Abreu, the Red Sox signed Rusney Castillo last summer for good Castillo or Tomas will be; maybe the translations will prove seven years and $72.5 million and the Diamondbacks just signed correct, maybe they'll be vastly incorrect and the Red Sox and Yasmany Tomas to a six-year, $68.5 million contract. The Braves Diamondbacks will have two big stars in their lineups. I'll be made a smaller investment in outfielder Dian Toscano, at four watching with great interest. years and $7.5 million, and the Angels just signed an named Roberto Baldoquin for $8 million. While Castillo has Roundup: Order Among Winter Meetings Chaos; Humidor speed and defense elements his game, Tomas projects as a bat- the Key to the Offseason? first corner outfielder or (where the D-backs will By Ryan P. Morrison / Inside the 'Zone - ESPN.com initially give him a shot to play). http://insidethezona.com/2014/12/roundup-order-winter- meetings-chaos/ The potential problem here, as Eno points out, is that neither Castillo nor Tomas projects to be in the same class of hitter as If you’ve never given our podcast (The Pool Shot) a try, now Abreu, Puig or Cespedes: would be a really good time — Jeff and I worked our way Clay Davenport has publicly available translations of Cuban through both major trades last week, and had a ton of fun doing statistics. By looking at players who have come from it. We also hit the Oscar Hernandez acquisition through the Rule before, and looking at their numbers in both countries, his 5 draft, catching in general, and the potential weakness of having system hopes to create a Major League Baseball equivalent for a fly ball rotation pitching at Chase Field. Here’s the link to the Cuban statistics. He adds in age information to create a peak audio player, here’s the feed (if you’re on a phone, just click it), projection to account for further growth among the youngest and here’s where you can subscribe on iTunes. We’ve been players. blown away by the response so far (Episode 8 had about 8,500 plays, and the feed was accessed another 4,000 or so times The projections? during the corresponding week). We’ve gotten better at it. I think the best podcasts aren’t like taped radio shows, they’re Castillo: .232/.267/.377 more like great conversations that you can join in on. It’s been Tomas: .233/.269/.421 really fun, and I recommend it without reservation. And we really, really appreciate the questions we’ve gotten and especially Players with sub-.300 OBPs are essentially unplayable, no matter anyone who’s helped spread the word. their defensive skills or power production. Granted, projections for Cuban players are imperfect and based on a small sample size The post from Friday is a good complement to that episode, of 30 or so players who have come over here. But the numbers sorting through each of the transactions from the last six weeks suggest Castillo and Tomas could turn into busts. or so in an attempt to figure out what the D-backs’ plan is. Maybe you’ll reach some different conclusions on each of the Eno writes: transactions, maybe you won’t but you’ll still have a different Could that bust change the market? Will the market shift overall feel — I’d love to hear what you think. completely the other way if there is a high-profile, big-money bust? A few team officials thought that could happen, and soon. One thing raised but not addressed in either The Pool Shot or You could say that the same has happened to the Japanese Friday’s post: how the secrets to this offseason could be position-player market after a few high-profile misses. unlocked if the team is planning to use a humidor.

It's easy to see why teams have spent the money so far. Even Ignore the bullpen for now — I’m going to address that with about a half-billion spent on initial contracts to Cuban separately this week. But as was reported by several people after players since 2000, the return has been better than the free-agent a Dave Stewart conference call Friday night, there’s an early plan market. While a win above replacement costs about six to seven in place for the rotation: it’s Josh Collmenter, Jeremy Hellickson, million among Major League Baseball's free agents, Cuban Allen Webster, Rubby De La Rosa and an open competition players on rookie contracts have produced a win for every $2.8 among several guys (Chase Anderson, Robbie Ray, Vidal Nuno, million dollars in this century. Trevor Cahill, and maybe Andrew Chafin and others).

The next big Cuban import is 19-year-old infielder Yoan Chase Field was friendly to home runs last year. Its overall park Moncada, who projects as a power-hitting second or third factor was 1.152, meaning 15% more runs than the average park baseman. While MLB has declared him a free agent, he has yet were scored at Chase (it’s not derived only from D-backs stats). to receive the licensing required from OFAC (Office of Foreign That ranked second. For home runs, Chase ranked just seventh Assets Control) that allows him to sign. It's possible that won't — but you get the idea. It’s easier to hit bombs at Chase than at come until after the July 2, 2015 international signing date (and the average park: about 20% easier, according to ESPN’s park thus pushing his bonus to the 2015-2016 international bonus factors. period).

4

│

You can’t hit home runs off of ground balls… or, at least, it’s •Nick Piecoro was really on point all week, and if I linked to very hard. It’s a question of fly balls. to fly ball ratio everything great that he did, I’d run out of space. Just after the tends to vary randomly, and isn’t generally thought of as a skill Montero trade, Piecoro wrote this piece in which he talked to — that’s the reason we have xFIP as a statistic. But fly ball rate GM Dave Stewart about catching options. I feel a little shaky (and ground ball rate) isn’t random, it’s one of the few things a about anointing Peter O’Brien the future starter, but I have no can influence. The higher one’s fly ball rate, the greater reason to think my instincts there are anywhere near as good as number of home runs we should expect. the front office’s. It’s interesting that Stewart plans to resist trading from reliever depth to fill that or any hole; he’s not And it’s a fly ball rotation now. Among the 185 starters who wrong that it can get thin quickly, but I think wrong that it will, pitched at least 50 innings last season, Jeremy Hellickson ranked for this particular team. Even with the loss of Eury de la Rosa, 34th in fly ball percentage (40.9%). Josh Collmenter, 38th the team could essentially staff two entire bullpens, and the (40.0%). Allen Webster (109th, 32.6%) and Rubby De La Rosa depth the team has in relief prospects is unusual. In the same (113th, 32.1%) were much more middle of the road, but keep in piece, Stewart listed Oliver Perez as one of six possible extension mind that they’re replacing Wade Miley, whose fly ball ratio was candidates, which seems to me like a symptom of the same very low (155th, 28.0%). Also lost from last season’s rotation: problem. You don’t sign relievers like Perez to long-term deals. Brandon McCarthy (175th, 24.7%), Bronson Arroyo (165th, You trust young guys, because they’re more easily replaceable, 26.8%), and possibly Trevor Cahill (162nd, 27.3%). and you look in February or March to see if any good veterans have been passed over, just like Perez was last year. Perez can’t If we averaged the fly ball rates of the four starters already be last year’s Perez, in terms of how he was acquired. penciled in, we’d get 36.4%. Last year the D-backs were 27th in fly ball rate (31.4%), but 36.4% would put them 16th. And the •Piecoro also wrote at the end of the Winter Meetings on how identity of the fifth starter matters; if it’s Chase Anderson, the D-backs have more rotation options now — listing sixteen averaging the rotation’s fly ball rates would stay pretty steady pitchers who have a shot to start in 2015. Six is not good (Anderson ranked 78th last year, 35.6%). If it’s Vidal Nuno enough, eight is a luxury. I’m not sure what to call this. (15th, 43.4%), the rotation’s average would rise to 37.8%, which Hopefully there will be a system in place to let the cream rise — would have ranked the D-backs tied for 4th-highest in fly ball even if that means someone like Allen Webster takes a back seat. ratio. Once the Miley trade became final, Piecoro also talked with Stewart about how they targeted “power arms” in Webster and Quality trumps everything — all of us would pick a great fly ball Rubby De La Rosa. Maybe one of the Webster/RDLR/Ray pitcher over a mediocre ground baller. But if you’re picking group will be the “frontline starter” the D-backs hope, although between pitchers of the same quality, fitting them to your dedicating three rotation spots to find that out doesn’t ballpark makes a lot of sense. necessarily make the tradeoff worth it, unless the other two guys prove useful or usable. The D-backs don’t seem to be doing that. And the folks in the D-backs front office are really smart, so I think we should doubt •Would anyone mind if I started to refer to Rubby De La Rosa that they just don’t appreciate that a fly ball rotation is a terrible as “RDLR” from now on? Comment to veto. idea in a homer-friendly park. •At FanGraphs, Dave Cameron liked the Miley trade for the Red The other explanation: it won’t be a homer-friendly park. Sox, and August Fagerstrom wrote that Miley seemed to be Research by Dr. Alan Nathan and myself suggests that home underrated by the crowd. Really excellent piece by Fagerstrom, runs at Chase could be reduced by something like 37% if a which I recommend very highly. The comparison to Jeff humidor is installed. That assumes that the aren’t kept Samardzija is very telling, especially considering it takes no in any special storage right now, and are simply exposed to the allowance for Chase Field to see the similarity; the shift in Phoenix air. By the way, Dr. Nathan vetted my “average Miley’s use of the is also very eye-opening. humidity” approach, and agrees that it’s probably more telling than using afternoon humidities (since baseballs take about three •At ESPN Insider ($), Keith Law had a great, brief write-up on days to acclimate to the air). the Miley trade, with some really perceptive comments on Allen Webster and RDLR. Suffice it to say: neither is a good bet to do Installing a humidor would not turn Chase into AT&T Park well in a rotation. Sounds unnecessarily negative, but Law is (which had the lowest HR factor in the majors last year), but pretty convincing as to why. Law also wrote up the Montero even if it did, would that be so terrible? Goldy would lose some trade, and he was not quite as friendly to the D-backs. Still, it homers, but he still hits homers at AT&T. Mark Trumbo could was good to learn what another person thinks of Jeferson Mejia hit homers anywhere. Even recent acquisition Yasmany Tomas and Zack Godley. wasn’t signed up because of slightly above average power, but because of the promise of plus plus power. •Really enjoyed what Evan Altman had to say at Cubs Insider about the new Miguel Montero/Jon Lester battery the Cubs If a humidor is installed, the harm that some of the team’s fly bought last week. Good place to start if you plan to follow what ball pitchers might normally experience would be dulled, and happens next for Montero, whose plaintive tweets captured the Chase would turn into an advantage, instead of being a place that hearts and minds of all D-backs fans. makes most pitchers do so badly that they might be mistaken as mediocre. If a humidor is installed, there’s method to the ---- madness, order to the chaos. Otherwise, the plan still evades me. miguel montero -- ✔ @miggymont26

5

│

Any of you know where do I'm going to ? ---- “I will be absolutely brokenhearted if we don’t have a winning record next year, which is 82-80. I mean, I really believe that •At Venom Strikes, Joe Jacquez wrote up a recap of the Winter that’s realistic…” Meetings. Most of it matches up closely with Piecoro’s summary, but Jacquez has some other thoughts on the Bob Nightengale La Russa went on to caution that 82 wins does not a playoff tweet which stated that the D-backs resisted a Kemp-for-Pollock team make, but said the team’s officials “are not a patient offer, and countered with an offer of Archie Bradley for Kemp. bunch” and that a 4-5 rebuild was not going to be the approach Jacquez writes that there’s no chance that it’s true — I disagree the team would take. He’s certainly lived up to that latter strongly. One half is a Dodgers offer, that says little about the promise, but what we’ve seen thus far is something other than D-backs. But even if the Dodgers only ate as much as the Kemp what I think we expected. contract as they did in the trade with the Padres, Bradley for Kemp still makes a ton of sense, and I completely believe that So are the D-backs rebuilding, retooling, or doing something the D-backs made that offer. Sure, Bradley-type pitching different? Let’s wade through the evidence and see if we can prospects are not easy to find, but he’s far from the top pitching reach a conclusion. I’ll spare you most of the minor league prospect in baseball now, and the team believes it has acquired signings and procedural moves. other guys with similar upside (and they’re probably right). And 1.Expose/lose Will Harris: Neutral. Harris was a great part of if we’re just talking about whether or not the rumor is true, one the bullpen in 2013, but a lot less than that in 2014 — and he has to at least consider the fact that Stewart and Kemp are very didn’t have the pedigree to let us trust 2013 more than 2014. close. He’s a major leaguer, at least for one season. But rebuilding or no, he doesn’t belong with a major league team with the D- •Marc Topkin had a great, short piece on catcher Oscar backs’ relief depth, which was almost as good six weeks ago as it Hernandez go up right after the D-backs selected him first is today. At the time, Stewart said he preferred keeping Mike overall in the at the end of the Meetings. The pick Bolsinger, but couldn’t keep both. explained what Stewart meant after the Montero trade that there were things they “knew” they could do — that’s the beauty of 2.Outright Jordan Pacheco: Neutral. The team has expressed a having the first pick overall. This one is going to be interesting, desire to keep Pacheco in the fold, but he was an obvious non- and Hernandez’s chances of sticking on the Active Roster out of tender candidate. He’s in limbo now, and it may be a couple of seem 50/50 at best. There’s a way to do it, months before his situation is resolved. He had no value in 2014 though; either by entrusting a different catcher with 140+ starts and at the time of the outright, it didn’t seem like there’d be any (which few can manage), by giving up on the season, or way he could have value in 2015. That’s no longer true with the by essentially carrying three catchers, if one of them is able to acquisition of Oscar Hernandez, but I’m getting ahead of myself. help out at other positions (they could re-obtain Jordan Pacheco, for example). Regardless, the team would probably do well to set 3.Trade Justin Williams and Andrew Velazquez to Rays for up an instructional program for Hernandez for the whole Jeremy Hellickson: Win Now (more on the trade). This is one of season, so that he can still work on his hitting. Arizona has a the few puzzle pieces that seems hardest to fit. Both prospects nice little advantage there, with their spring training facilities so are legit guys who made Jeff’s Top 10 List, with Williams not close by; he can be in extended spring and on the 25-man roster. doing much to hurt or help his stock and Velazquez having a breakout three steps away from the majors. The acquisition of Are the Diamondbacks Rebuilding, Retooling, or Doing Hellickson is clearly a win-now move, since he comes with only Something Else? two years of club control (the expensive ones). He’s not a sure By Ryan P. Morrison / Inside the 'Zona - ESPN.com thing, but there are probably only a few teams for whom he http://insidethezona.com/2014/12/diamondbacks-rebuilding- wouldn’t make a rotation. This could have been a value retooling-else/ proposition, a matter of seizing an opportunity: the D-backs clearly like Hellickson (and there are things about him to like). An offseason of unusual activity in the sport has been fueled by Maybe the team thought it was selling high on Velazquez, which a significant number of teams that had a regime change in the seems very plausible. I’m not sure we can say the same thing front office, and the D-backs are no exception. What originally about Williams, but as Jeff and I were discussing recently, looked like an offseason of tweaks now looks like something moving Williams may have had a lot to do with Socrates Brito. quite different — but what is it, really? Remember, Chief This move doesn’t tell us a ton on its own, although it would fit Baseball Officer expressed confidence exactly one month ago in a retooling plan as well as a “win now” one. that the team would finish with a winning record next year. A winning record in 2015 is an attainable goal, but it’s not 4.Protect A.J. Schugel, Kevin Munson, Enrique Burgos, Will something one expects to hear from a rebuilding team. Here’s Locante: Neutral. The D-backs also added and what Tony La Russa said last month, from an excellent Nick Brito to the 40-man to protect them from the Rule 5, but it’s the Piecoro article that really addresses the team’s approach to the pitchers that matter for this exercise. The first three of these offseason: men almost definitely would have been plucked in the Rule 5 if left unprotected, as guys who could conceivably contribute in a major league bullpen next year, or at least hang. Locante was a “I don’t think that you give in on the potential that sooner rather savvy move, as LOOGY types like Patrick Schuster last year than later we could be contenders…We have a nice young have often been promoted way ahead of schedule through the nucleus so there’s a lot to build on here. We’ve got some quality Rule 5. All we really learned here is that the D-backs prize veterans.” pitching depth, and even drawing that conclusion is tough. 6

│

Basically, the only guy they really exposed was Zach Borenstein, some depth on Monday. Just bizarre. Would have subtracted and he wasn’t selected (the D-backs didn’t lose anyone). This is from a position of need and added to a position at which good just a case of the D-backs playing a situation very well (I really players are already at high risk of losing playing time. Ethier am impressed). might be slightly better at the plate in 2015 than Montero, but the gap between Ethier and who would otherwise play — let’s 5.Trade Mike Bolsinger (Dodgers) and Charles Brewer (Indians) say David Peralta — is almost definitely microscopic compared for cash: Neutral. Housekeeping. Bolsinger and Brewer were to the gap between Montero and his replacement. In terms of priorities over the likes of Harris not long before this, but the the D-backs’ offseason plan, however, this doesn’t tell us much, Hellickson trade made both expendable. There is no chance that except factor into the analysis of the actual Montero trade. a Mike Bolsinger call up — or a call up of a Bolsinger type — would happen in late April or May or anytime in 2015. The D- 10.DFA Zeke Spruill: Neutral. This move happened because the backs’ rotation depth now is just silly, and maybe even a little next one got finalized, and I only include it to point out a theme. stupid. The depth forced the D-backs’ hand with respect to The entire 40-man pitching staff is being upgraded by this front these trades, meaning we can draw no conclusions from them. office. In Arizona, no mercy, and no room for the likes of Zeke Spruill. 6.Tender contract to Cliff Pennington: Win Now. There were legitimate arguments both ways for Pennington and the next guy 11.Sign Yasmany Tomas: Retooling (more on the signing). A lot on this list, meaning finally we have more to work with. At the like the 40-man decisions referenced in #4 above, the fact that time, Pennington was on a depth chart with three other this particular move was just really damned smart means we , all four of whom had little chance of playing any can’t bank on it for this exercise. What I mean is: it’s when a second base. He is also not free, expected to make a non-trivial team makes bad moves or inefficient ones when you know $3.3M in his final year of arbitration. We can now infer that the you’re finding out exactly what the team is trying to do team was probably confident that they’d move a shortstop, (remember those days?). The D-backs made a fantastic deal here, although we don’t know they were sure it would be Gregorius. committing just $36M to Tomas over the first four years, and Even then, and even knowing that needs to prove $32.5M for the last two, which may or may not happen. It’s a his shoulder is healthy, this is some evidence that the D-backs little frontloaded with a signing bonus ($14M of the $36M is have been particularly concerned with 2015. If money is an issue, paid up front), but a lot backloaded, which is fantastic for the you don’t invest this much in a backup or a backup plan. team. I’ll pat myself on the back a bit for making the connection in early September before any public report connected player to 7.Tender contract to David Hernandez: Win Now. Like team, but the fact that the team actually followed through with Pennington, Hernandez was up for arbitration a final time, interest is something we can draw conclusions from. Tomas is which points strongly in the direction of “win now.” Unlike the perfect “retooling” acquisition: no draft pick compensation Pennington, Hernandez still has some major work to do to is/was required, and unlike with the vast majority of free agents, return from a major injury, which means he really can’t be traded Tomas’s peak won’t be at the very beginning of the deal. It’s a this winter. That makes him a more explicit investment in 2015, lot like making up for the fact that the team didn’t already have a though he may only make $2M-$2.2M in arbitration. I suppose Tomas with zero-to-two years of service time playing for the he could be an extension candidate, but that seems highly team. Again, if this was a bad deal, it would tell us more. But it’s unlikely to me. As I explored last week, the D-backs have the still very heavy evidence of retooling. equivalent of two major league bullpens. As with the Pennington tender, this is an investment to make sure the team is never 12.Trade Miguel Montero to Cubs for Jeferson Mejia and Zach scraping the bottom of the barrel in depth if something bad Godley: Rebuilding (more on the trade). Another move good happens. That’s win now. enough that it arguably doesn’t tell us much about the front office’s intentions. Chances are (but that’s not certain) that 8.Trade Didi Gregorius to Yankees; receive and Montero is already in the decline phase of his career, and his best Robbie Ray from Tigers: Retooling (more on the trade). Leyba seasons are both already behind him — in that sense, the move makes this look like a rebuilding move and both prospects are makes a boatload of sense. But this is a 2017 move, unless it’s a interesting, but we know the front office viewed Ray as the payroll-mandated move (and the Tomas signing really undercuts “key” to this deal, in a foreshadowing of the Miley move to that proposition). For the love of Pete, the D-backs were not come. You could legitimately say that the D-backs had to move hurting for relief prospects. Neither of these pitchers are trivial a shortstop, and if you believe that, you could view this as simply assets, but neither really matter in the big picture, either. This cashing out, without broader conclusions to be drawn. I don’t was about deleting Montero from the ledger. If the prospects happen to believe that, because if you were going to have one were more likely to matter, this would be a huge road sign that too many , Gregorius would be the one you’d want to said “rebuilding.” As it is, it’s just, I don’t know, a store awning keep, as he can partner with the other players much more easily or something. The D-backs will almost certainly get a lot less and effectively. No, this move was about Robbie Ray, and about production out of their catchers in 2015 now, so at the very the front office remaking the team in its image. least, this is risking 2015 for benefits down the road. That’s was turned down, but Ray fit what the D-backs wanted, rebuilding, even if the D-backs later acquire a replacement left- apparently: someone with talent, “stuff” and upside who can be handed “middle of the order” guy. in the rotation picture as soon as next year. That’s a hefty point in favor of “retooling.” 13.Reject Dodgers’ offer of Matt Kemp for A.J. Pollock; offer Archie Bradley to Dodgers for Matt Kemp: Retooling. Big, if 9.Attempt to trade Miguel Montero to Dodgers for Andre true. And that’s what USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweeted. Ethier: Neutral. This one was pretty bizarre, and I discussed it in Once again there’s a confounding factor here: you can’t blame 7

│

Dave Stewart for going after former client Kemp, even if that meant stretching the D-backs’ plan a bit. Maybe it did, maybe it I think the answer is similar to the answer for the Miley trade. didn’t — but I think we can derive less information from this It’s hard to escape the impression that the new front office is exchange than you might think at first blush. It doesn’t seem like breaking up the team to rebuild it in their own image. They want Stewart and the FO crew like Ender Inciarte enough to give him to be competitive in 2015, enough to sell tickets and keep a full time job, so trading Pollock would mean there’d have to be everyone engaged — and if the team is within striking distance a follow-on move here — which could have been fantastically in July, we might see the team push in chips for a title run next difficult for the team financially if it had just taken on a hefty season. The eyes are on a 2016 prize, maybe, but the team is not portion of the money owed Kemp (off topic: the Dodgers waiting. kicking in money to trade Kemp to Stewart would have been hilarious). Conversely, no follow-on acquisition would be made I think we can also safely conclude that the team is not done. If necessary by trading Bradley, given the ridiculous number of it’s about re-making the team, there’s work left to do. But even starters the D-backs have in the majors and on the way. more than that, the decisions above may not make a whole lot of Nonetheless: turning down the Pollock offer points away from sense right now because we’re only up to, say, step 5 of a 15-step “win now,” and offering Bradley points toward it. Retooling is process. There was a full rotation already, and there were four the common thread. pitchers (Archie Bradley, Patrick Corbin, Daniel Hudson, Bronson Arroyo) poised as reinforcements throughout the 14.Select C Oscar Hernandez in the Rule 5 draft from Rays: season. Now we have three new additions in Webster, De La Rebuilding. Or not. The D-backs had the first overall pick in the Rosa, and Ray; this is so much depth it’s ridiculous. Trading one Rule 5; it would have been stupid to not use it at all, especially or more of these almost-starters would make everything make since selections can immediately be traded (with the same caveat sense. And the team won’t have any patience for guys who don’t that if they aren’t on the Active Roster long enough to get a second as long-term assets, meaning Trevor Cahill is probably service year, they have to be offered back to the original club for out. half the draft fee). The D-backs did something very useful here. Your classic Rule 5 selections are who can hang as Things like the Pennington tender and the accumulation of fifth guys for a full season and relievers, especially lefty relievers. rotation and bullpen pieces are what championship teams do. The D-backs are quite full in those departments, thank you. But They’re what the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers do in order to Hernandez? That’s pretty cool. After the Montero trade, Stewart make sure that when the inevitable bad things happen (injury, said it wasn’t something they would have done if they didn’t big-time slumps), they’re poised to handle it without skipping a know there were things they could do to replace him. I guess beat. The Orioles did this in a different way in 2014, and it paid part of that certainty was having the #1 pick. How Hernandez off: they didn’t lose wins in the margins with crappy players. actually fits is a tough question, because his bat is a very long Maybe this team will be the Orioles. Maybe stacking up this way away and regardless of whether he looks like he can hang depth is about competition, about La Russa and/or others once he plays in spring training, he’s not going to be the starter. thinking that by making their players compete, the cream will This can still work, either by starting a different catcher for 140+ rise. games (not easy), or by having three guys on the Active Roster who can play catcher. That latter thing? That makes me wonder No matter what, though, it doesn’t give the team a look of a if Jordan Pacheco is still in the plans. Alas, Pacheco is not a guy rebuilding or even retooling club. It’s like cooking three the D-backs will want to carry all year, and there aren’t many promising dinners simultaneously: you’ve got a much greater part time catchers with good bats out on the market. This would chance of one of them turning out well, and you only have to eat be fun, and if the D-backs stick with Hernandez, it would be one of them. But no one does that, because it doesn’t make nice to see him set up with some kind of extended spring sense to do it every night. More moves may be coming. If not, training regimen to continue his hitting development (that’s an we’ll just have to see if the D-backs’ recipe is a recipe for 2015 advantage Arizona has that many teams don’t have). This is a success. rebuilding move, though. It’s possible that the D-backs will only keep Hernandez if they think he can handle significant duties Best extreme stadium food offerings of 2014 right away, and that would point toward retooling — but that By Kelyn Soong / The Washington Post seems like a pipe dream. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early- lead/wp/2014/12/16/best-extreme-stadium-food-offerings-of- 15.Trade Wade Miley to Red Sox for Allen Webster, Rubby De 2014/ La Rosa, and probably a minor leaguer: Retooling. This is the hardest one to fathom, and it’s what prompted this piece. I Gone are the days where concessions at sporting arenas would covered this not-quite-deal in depth yesterday. Basically: this only offer hot dogs, popcorn and beer. In 2014, you had the really doesn’t make sense as an integral part of any of strategies option of ordering an 18-inch, $25 corn dog, a 14-patty burger we’re trying to pick from. Either it was a matter of the D-backs or alcohol-infused cupcakes. taking advantage of Miley’s value being higher than they thought it should be, or there are moves coming that will help this make Here is just a sample of the best concessions offerings that were sense. It most closely resembles retooling, even though that’s introduced during the 2013-14 sports season, in no particular being pretty liberal. order:

Ok. Only a couple of things that look like rebuilding. A few look The Hangover Burger like “win now,” but not the more recent ones. Many look like retooling. So are they retooling? 8

│

What is it? Two quarter-pound patties made with a mix of Chessie ground beef and ground bacon topped with American cheese, lettuce, onions a fried egg and sauce made from sriracha, What is it? A monster-sized 1.5-pound soft pretzel topped with ketuchup, mayo and cornichons back fin crab dip and melted cheese

Location sold: ’ Target Field (for the All-Star Location sold: University of Maryland’s Byrd Stadium Game) Price: $17.50 Price: Not listed online Fun fact: Maryland increased its Chessie production after it sold Fun fact: Fans were only able to indulge on this burger at the out at the football season opener. All-Star Game. Three-pound banana split Choomongus What is it? Two bananas and twelve scoops of vanilla, chocolate What is it? Two-feet long Korean beef sandwich with spicy slaw and strawberry ice cream, topped with caramel, strawberry sauce, and Sriracha chocolate syrup, whipped cream and cherries

Location sold: ’ Globe Life Park Location sold: Chicago White Sox’s U.S. Cellular Field

Price: $26 Price: $17

Fun fact: It is named after Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, Fun fact: It weighs three pounds and is “north of 4 or 5,000 who is South Korean. calories.”

D-Bat Dog Poutine hot dog

What is it? An 18-inch corn dog filled with bacon, cheese and What is it? Frank with french fries, cheese curds and beef gravy jalapenos with a side of fries Location sold: ’ Comerica Park Location sold: Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field Price: $7 Price: $25 Fun fact: There were three other $7 specialty hot dogs offered at Fun fact: Diamondbacks President and Chief Executive Derrick Comerica Park this year, including Late Night Dog, Park & Hall said the team sold 9,517 D-Bat Dogs. Beans and Slaw Dog.

Toxycakes What is it? Half-pound crab cake sandwich topped with mango and pineapple coleslaw and smothered in a chipotle ranch cream What is it? Alcohol-infused gourmet cupcakes sauce

Location sold: Atlanta Falcons’ Georgia Dome Location sold: Lakewood BlueClaws’ FirstEnergy Park

Price: $37.50 – $40 per each order of 12 cupcakes Price: $13.75

Fun fact: “I have been either selling out or have very few Fun fact: The C won the 2014 Food Fight challenge for cupcakes left after I have to cease selling [at the end of the third ’s best ballpark concession item. quarter],” Delights by Dawn owner Dawn Belisle told the Post in an email. Belisle added that she sells between 240 to 280 Fan vs. Food Burger cupcakes per game and that the most popular cupcake has been the Red Velvet Chocotini with the Chocolate Vodka. What is it? Two pounds of burger, four slices of American cheese, half pound of bacon and one pound of french fries What is it? Burger with eight pounds of meat (14 patties), cheddar, bacon, lettuce and mushrooms Location sold: ’

Location sold: Charlotte Hornets’ Time Warner Cable Arena Price: $30

Price: ~$75 Fun fact: The team offered two free tickets and a T-shirt to fans who could finish the burger with a pound of fries. SB Nation’s Fun fact: The burger is named after the team’s mascot, Hugo, Marc Normandin attempted the daunting task but fell short. who is played by the person who used to be the Washington Wizards’ mascot. Compiling this list made me really hungry. I’m not sure what that says about me. 9

│

does is opens some doors for other guys to step up and create a Also, did we miss anything on this list? Please let us know in the role for themselves. As a competitor, all you are looking for is a comments. chance, an opportunity to prove that you can be successful.

Bryan Henry column: Baseball about making adjustments Now that is what each one of these guys is going to have. Just By Bryan Henry / Tallahassee Democrat because we have one guy penciled in as the closer right now http://www.tallahassee.com/story/sports/college/famu/2014/ does not mean he will be the closer when the season is over. 12/16/bryan-henry-column-baseball-making- Those will be the adjustments we make during the season to adjustments/20495477/ help put us in the best position to win baseball games.

Playing the game of baseball is all about making adjustments. I think these guys will be up to the challenge. I know I am The guys who do not make adjustments do not play very long. looking forward to it.

Some of these adjustments can be game-to-game or even level- The first adjustment I am going to make is to clear my head. I to-level. For example, when I played ball in am working a camp this weekend in Tampa, so we are going to the Arizona Diamondbacks organization in the California make it a family road trip. There is no better place to clear your Advanced League, hitters chased high consistently. I head than Disney World. threw high fastballs over and over with two strikes to get hitters out. We are going to make a quick pit stop there on the way down to Tampa to let Andrew enjoy some Christmas festivities at the When I was promoted to the -A Southern League, hitters most magical place on earth. He had such a good time when we no longer chased that pitch. I had to adjust the way I tried to get went a month ago that we could not help but go again. Don’t hitters out. I used the up to set up the breaking ball worry, I have made adjustments in this area as well. I will be down. If I had not made adjustments from league to league, I wearing much more comfortable shoes and I will not be taking may never had made to Triple-A. As a batter, if a pitcher gets the heavy duty stroller. I am going to go with the smaller, agile you out away, you need to make an adjustment your next at-bat. stroller this time. It’s a cat and mouse side of baseball that takes place every pitch and every at-bat. I am really looking forward to getting down to Tampa for the camp. It works out perfectly that a majority of our family lives in Like I said, players who do not adjust do not play long. Tampa. We will get to see grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins while we are down there and I know they are looking The reason I bring that up is because I am learning that coaching forward to seeing Andrew. is the same way. You have to be able to adjust. Whether they are game adjustments or adjustments before the season even starts, Once we get back to Tally, it will be back to the drawing board adjustments have to be made. to create another pitching schedule for when practice starts. Playing the game of baseball is all about making adjustments. Last week, we (Florida A&M coaches) spent a majority of time organizing our pitching schedule for when players return from the holiday break. We started to place our pitchers at in roles that we think will give the team the best chance for success. Some guys may want to start but will help us out more out of the bullpen. Or a bullpen guy may be better off as a starter based on his pitches.

All of that will have to be adjusted again heading into the spring because of injuries and grades.

We had a staff of 15 pitchers, with one guy coming back off of arm surgery, so 16 total pitchers to start the fall. With semester grades being submitted, plus the combination of a couple injuries, that number is now down to 11. Don’t you worry though. With a couple of adjustments we will be just fine. We are expecting one of the guys rehabbing to step in and help us out once the season starts. And we have a couple position players who logged innings last year that can step back into similar roles this season.

Instead of looking at this in a negative way, we have to focus on the positives.

All the guys we have available are quality arms and will give us a chance to win. What’s done is done and there is nothing we can December 17, 2014 • sports.yahoo.com/mlb/morenews do now to change it. One positive note is all that this situation http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/morenews 10

│

 Marlins complete deal: two years, $16 December 17, 2014 million 7:23 pm EST (NBC Sports)  probably won’t be the Mets  Could Cubs have signed Jon Lester without hiring Joe starter 9:46 am EST (NBC Sports) Maddon? 7:18 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Chicago)  Matsui to team up with Jeter for baseball charity in  McCarthy and Dodgers finalize 4-year contract 7:08 pm Japan 9:21 am EST (The Associated Press) EST (The Associated Press)  No, it’s not crazy to pay a free agent for what you think  Descalso and Rockies agree to $3.6 million, 2-year he’ll do in the future. That’s the bleedin’ point 9:00 am contract 6:58 pm EST (The Associated Press) EST (NBC Sports)  White Sox have high hopes after big offseason 6:57 pm  The NFL in Dodger Stadium? 8:40 am EST (NBC EST (The Associated Press) Sports)  Jeff Samardzija riffs on Cubs vs. Sox, AJ Pierzynski  Meanwhile, on Dan Shaughnessy’s Hall of Fame ballot 6:57 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Chicago) 6:56 am EST (NBC Sports)  the latest target in Dodgers’ offseason  Things to know about most recent MLB moves 3:36 overhaul 6:45 pm EST (Yahoo Sports) am EST (The Associated Press)  Rays reliever Jake McGee undergoes left elbow surgery  Shaughnessy: Making sense of Sox being favored to 6:45 pm EST (The Associated Press) win A.L 1:39 am EST (Comcast SportsNet New England)  AP source: Morse agrees to $16M, 2-year deal with  The dinner that may have changed everything for the Marlins 6:32 pm EST (The Associated Press) White Sox 12:40 am EST (Comcast SportsNet Chicago)  Padres, Rays, Mariners discussing trade involving 6:19 pm EST (NBC Sports) December 16, 2014  Yankees GM Cashman: A-Rod now a full-time DH  Dodgers “talking to teams about” 6:08 pm EST (The Associated Press) 11:30 pm EST (NBC Sports)  Morales finalizes deal with Royals 5:40 pm EST (The  Report: Giants sign RHP Partch to minor league deal Associated Press) 11:28 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Bay Area)  Nats announce date pitchers and catchers will report to  Jeff Samardzija shoots the puck after White Sox Viera 5:39 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic) introduction 11:23 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Chicago)  Capuano, Yankees agree to $5 million, 1-year deal 5:26  2015 Category Sleepers: SB 11:13 pm EST (Rotoworld) pm EST (The Associated Press)  Nats GM Mike Rizzo explains trading Detwiler; talks  Gavin Floyd agrees to $4 million, 1-year deal with prospects 10:58 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic) Indians 5:21 pm EST (The Associated Press)  Celebratory mood as White Sox introduce new trio to  Shortstop Jed Lowrie returns to 5:16 pm EST fans 10:56 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Chicago) (The Associated Press)  Minihane: Do Sox deserve to be favorites to win A.L.?  White Sox welcome Cabrera, Robertson, Samardzija to 10:50 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet New England) town 5:09 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Chicago)  Garrett Jones reportedly drawing trade interest 10:41  Blue Jays sign Daric Barton 4:49 pm EST (NBC Sports) pm EST (NBC Sports)  Pearce thinks Orioles have pieces to replace what they  Padres sign free agent Morrow to 1-year deal 9:40 pm lost 4:45 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic) EST (The Associated Press)  It is perfectly clear that A-Rod is the Yankees’ DH. At  Giants ink Curtis Partch to minor league deal 9:27 pm best. So there will be no drama, right? 4:30 pm EST EST (NBC Sports) (NBC Sports)  Melky Cabrera 'probably' could have received fourth  Indians sign Gavin Floyd 4:16 pm EST (NBC Sports) year elsewhere 8:45 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Chicago)  Callaspo, Braves finalize $3M, 1-year deal 3:38 pm EST  Rangers sign Japanese reliever Fujikawa 8:25 pm EST (The Associated Press) (The Associated Press)  Dodgers cut Brian Wilson and his $9.5 million salary  Former A's 1B Barton signs minor league deal with 3:05 pm EST (NBC Sports) Blue Jays 8:24 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Bay Area)  Dodgers designate Wilson, $9.5 million salary for  Morse sends farewell message to Giants fans 8:21 pm assignment 3:02 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Bay Area) EST (Comcast SportsNet Bay Area)  Rays pitcher Jake McGee had elbow surgery 3:00 pm  Orioles sign reliever Wesley Wright to one-year EST (NBC Sports) contract 8:15 pm EST (NBC Sports)  Jon Lester, Cubs' World Series odds make Sports  Report: White Sox sign Brad Penny to minor league Illustrated cover 2:51 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet deal 8:05 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Chicago) Chicago)  Orioles in agreement on one-year deal with Wesley  Guilty plea in smuggling of Dodgers' Yasiel Puig 2:49 Wright 8:00 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic) pm EST (The Associated Press)  Dodgers send Cuevas to Rockies to complete trade  Nationals react to Detwiler and LaRoche leaving this 7:43 pm EST (The Associated Press) offseason 2:46 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic)  Angels get from Rays for 7:27  Cabrera signs with White Sox 2:43 pm EST (AFP) pm EST (The Associated Press)  Angels acquire Matt Joyce from Rays for Kevin Jepsen 2:40 pm EST (NBC Sports) 11

│

 Fan response gives White Sox confidence to flex Matt Signed to a Minor League payroll muscle 2:22 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Chicago) Tuiasosopo Contract  Kuiper: Morse 'was a really good Giant' 2:19 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Bay Area) Chicago White Melky Signed as Free Agent, ( 2015-

 Rockies sign Daniel Descalso to two-year contract 2:14 Sox Cabrera 2017)(three-year contract) pm EST (NBC Sports)  Busy White Sox add outfielder Melky Cabrera 2:09 pm Nick Designated for Assignment EST (Reuters) Maronde  White Sox GM says Melky did the time for his crime, Signed as Free Agent, ( so lay off 2:05 pm EST (NBC Sports) Cleveland Indians Gavin Floyd 2015)(one-year contract)  Report: Morse agrees to two-year deal with Marlins 1:18 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Bay Area) Daniel Signed as Free Agent, ( 2015-  The White Sox sign Brad Penny to a minor league deal Descalso 2016)(two-year contract) 1:14 pm EST (NBC Sports)  Showalter comments on O's approach to free agents Kansas City Moises Sierra Designated for Assignment 12:58 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic) Royals  Yankees re-sign Chris Capuano for $5 million 12:42 pm Signed as Free Agent, ( 2015- EST (NBC Sports) Kansas City Kendrys  Ian Desmond goes 1-on-1 with Mark Zuckerman at 2016; Opt 2017)(two-year Royals Morales Nats Fest 12:26 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic) contract)  Zuckerman on the Nats and 's contract Traded From from Rays, settlement 12:14 pm EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Los Angeles Matt Joyce Tampa Bay (for RHP Kevin Atlantic) Angels Jepsen)  Astros designate Gregorio Petit for assignment 11:50 am EST (NBC Sports) Los Angeles  Theo Epstein: “I was ready to soak myself in urine” for Brian Wilson Designated for Assignment Dodgers Jon Lester 11:19 am EST (NBC Sports)  might become the Orioles hitting Los Angeles Brandon Signed as Free Agent, ( 2015-

after all 11:03 am EST (NBC Sports) Dodgers McCarthy 2018)(four-year contract)  White Sox make Melky Cabrera's three-year deal official 10:57 am EST (Comcast SportsNet Chicago) Milwaukee Bryan Signed to a Minor League

 Astros sign Dan Johnson 10:47 am EST (NBC Sports) Brewers Petersen Contract  Article Testing for NBCSports 10:42 am EST (Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic) New York Chris Signed as Free Agent, (

Yankees Capuano 2015)(one-year contract)  Sox to introduce Samardzija, Robertson, Melky on CSN 10:38 am EST (Comcast SportsNet Chicago) Brandon Signed as Free Agent, (  The “Selig Experience” was inspired by an Abraham San Diego Padres Morrow 2015)(one-year contract) Lincoln exhibit. Obviously 10:30 am EST (NBC Sports)  Giants look likely to trade for Pablo Sandoval’s San Francisco Signed to a Minor League Curtis Partch replacement 10:15 am EST (NBC Sports) Giants Contract  County goes DIY route to fix Reds stadium seats 10:03 am EST (The Associated Press) Traded From from Angels,

 The seats at Great American Ballpark are falling apart, Tampa Bay Rays Kevin Jepsen Los Angeles (for OF Matt but ex-inmates are fixing them 9:50 am EST (NBC Joyce) Sports) Signed to a Minor League  The Padres have signed Brandon Morrow to a one-year Texas Rangers Tommy Field Contract deal 9:31 am EST (NBC Sports)

Texas Rangers Ben Rowen Designated for Assignment

Texas Rangers Scott Barnes Designated for Assignment December 17, 2014 • MLB.com http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/transactions Toronto Blue Andrew Signed to a Minor League

Jays Albers Contract Last updated: Wed, December 17, 2014, 03:34 EST Toronto Blue Signed to a Minor League Daric Barton Tuesday, December 16, 2014 Jays Contract

Team Player Transaction Monday, December 15, 2014

12

│

Team Player Transaction Josh Designated for Assignment Lindblom Arizona Ben Signed to a Minor League

Diamondbacks Francisco Contract Francisco Signed as Free Agent, ( 2015- Pittsburgh Pirates Liriano 2017)(three-year contract) Arizona Signed to a Minor League Danny Worth Diamondbacks Contract Trayvon Signed to a Minor League San Diego Padres Robinson Contract Alberto Signed as Free Agent, ( Atlanta Braves Callaspo 2015)(one-year contract) San Francisco Mark Teahen Retired Giants Anthony Atlanta Braves Designated for Assignment Varvaro Kyuji Signed as Free Agent, ( 2015; Texas Rangers Fujikawa Opt 2016)(one-year contract) Gus Signed to a Minor League Atlanta Braves Schlosser Contract Signed to a Minor League Texas Rangers Kyle Blanks Contract Signed to a Minor League Luke Montz Signed, ( 2015-2016)(two- Contract Washington Bryce Harper year extension, avoids Nationals Signed as Free Agent, ( 2015- arbitration)

Chicago Cubs Jon Lester 2020; Opt 2021)(six-year contract) Washington Clint Signed to a Minor League

Nationals Robinson Contract Chicago White Signed to a Minor League Zach Phillips Sox Contract Saturday, December 13, 2014

Signed to a Minor League Team Player Transaction Cleveland Indians Brett Hayes Contract Signed to a Minor League Baltimore Orioles Chaz Roe Signed to a Minor League Contract Cleveland Indians Contract Los Angeles Signed to Play in Korea, Brooks Raley Signed to Play in Korea, (SK Angels (Lotte Giants) Colorado Rockies Jason Pridie Wyverns) Chris Minnesota Twins Designated for Assignment Signed to a Minor League Parmelee Dan Johnson Contract Signed as Free Agent, ( 2015-

Signed as Free Agent, ( 2015- Minnesota Twins Ervin Santana 2018; Opt 2019)(four-year

Houston Astros Jed Lowrie 2017; Opt 2018)(three-year contract) deal)

Gregorio Houston Astros Designated for Assignment Petit

Kansas City Casey Designated for Assignment Royals Coleman

Kansas City Signed as Free Agent, ( Yohan Pino Royals 2015)(one-year contract)

John Signed as Free Agent, ( Mayberry 2015)(one-year contract)

Gonzalez New York Mets Designated for Assignment Germen

New York Chase Signed as Free Agent, ( 2015-

Yankees Headley 2018)(four-year contract)

New York Signed to a Minor League Cole Figueroa Yankees Contract

13