It’s 2021, but we’m still waiting for the first major free agent signing of the off-season. Only 12 of our top 60 free agents have signed, and only five of the top 25 players. There have been some notable deals, but that includes Thursday’s biggest move to date. Here is the latest hot stove facility.
Mets acquired Lindor
The New York Mets made their biggest deal with the Steve Cohen era on Thursday afternoon with a six-player stocking deal with Cleveland. The Mets acquired All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor and right-handed starter Carlos Carrasco, sending big fans Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez to Cleveland.
Here are the full trade details:
While Cleveland wanted to reduce the payroll, a Lindor deal had been threatening for some time. Lindor, 27, earned $ 20 million this winter in his final year of arbitration. Here are three things you need to know, along with the winners and losers of the deal, for more information on this trade.
Mets still in on Springer, with Jays
Even after Lindor and Carrasco were added, the Mets could not be counted in the lottery for free agent George Springer, the All-Star campaign, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network. However, they are not alone, as Heyman also mentions that the Blue Jays are a prominent suitor of Springer.
Springer (31) hit .265 / .359 / .540 (140 OPS +) with 13 homers in 222 record appearances for the Astros. Although injury limited him to 122 games, 2019 was the best year of his career from various aspects, setting the average career high, OBP, slugging, OPS +, WAR, home racing and RBI.
Brandon Nimmo walks in front and in the middle, flanked by Michael Conforto in the right field and Dominic Smith in the left, and the Mets do not have to add Springer, although he is a clear upgrade above Nimmo. With the move of Rosario into the Lindor trade, the Mets have shown that they are not ashamed to move pieces to make way for a better player.
The Blue Jays are in a similar spot with a full outfield and Randal Grichuk is the midfielder who would replace Springer. However, they have a DH place to play with.
Sugano will stay in Japan
Tomoyuki Sugano, the 31-year-old right-hand man from Japan, had a deadline for Thursday 5pm to either sign with an MLB team or to return to Japan. Sugano, who was posted by the Yomiuri Giants a month ago, offered a four-year deal with three opt-outs from the Yomiuri Giants. The pitcher apparently also received offers from MLB teams with larger price tags.
The deadline came and went, while Sugano decided to stay with Yomiuri in the NPB. However, he could become a major agent of Major League Baseball next season.
Sugano comes off a dynamic season in the Japanese Central League, where he recorded a 14-2 win-loss record, a 1.97 ERA, a 0.888 WHIP, and 131 strikeouts to 25 runs in 137 1/3 overs had. He has been the top starting lineup in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan since Masahiro Tanaka left for MLB in 2014.
He is a two-time Sawamura award winner (Japan’s Cy Young equivalent) and a former league MVP, and he has a post-season non-hitter to his credit.
The Dodgers have already signed relievers Corey Knebel and Blake Trains to bolster their bullpen for next season, but they may not be finished. Although the interest in top-free agent Liam Hendriks ‘recently disappeared’, according to a report by the LA Times, the Dodgers have a ‘significant interest’ in free agent Kirby Yates.
Yates’ 2020 season has been cut short due to bone chips in his right elbow. He was operated on in late August and the roster for the return was reportedly six to eight weeks, so there is no reason to believe he would not be hindered in the 2021 season at all.
In 2019, Yates’ last healthy season, he saved 41 games in 44 chances for the Padres with a 1.19 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 101 strikeouts against 12 unintentional walks in 60 2/3 overs.
The report indicated that the Dodgers plan to approach the season with Kenley Jansen as their closer, but Blake Trains is a good relegation option, and if Yates is added, the bullpen will be even more formidable.
Yankees Catch OR Allen in Trade
The New York Yankees traded for fielder Greg Allen, the club announced Thursday. Allen, who turns 28 in March, was named by the San Diego Padres for the assignment last week. New York sends a left-handed helper pitcher James Reeves in exchange for Allen.
Allen did not produce much production during the shortened 2020 season and finished with a .154 / .281 / .308 dash in 32 appearances, but he has a good pace and picks up 32 stolen bases in 221 career games. Last year, Allen played just 16 games for Cleveland and San Diego and spent most of the 60-game strip on the clubs’ alternate grounds. It is unlikely that Allen will perform regularly in the series for the Yankees, so he will serve as outside depth of the ball club in 2021.