MLB rumors: News on free-agent contracts, trades and more
The off-season hot stove is warming up with trade rumors and free agency decisions coming down the pipeline.
The rumor mill has picked back up after a brief lull when the passage of a new collective bargaining agreement was in question, but now that the new CBA is in place, free-agent dealings have commenced.
Keep up to date on the latest MLB news and rumors below:
• The Cardinals have a deal with free agent outfielder Dexter Fowler, most recently of the rival Cubs, rumored to be worth at least $16 million annually over five years. (Multiplereports)
• The Braves have agreed to acquire pitcher Luke Jackson from the Rangers for pitchers Tyrell Jenkins and Brady Feigl. (Tommy Stokke, FanRag Sports)
• Veteran reliever Koji Uehara has agreed to a one-year deal with the Cubs. (Jon Heyman, FanRag Sports / Evan Drellich, Boston Herald)
• The Angels approached the Cardinals about dealing for infielder Kolten Wong, but the Cardinals are unlikely to trade him. (Chris Cotillo, SB Nation)
• Brian Cashman says the Yankees have made their big move of the offseason unless he finds a way to trade Brett Gardner. (Bryan Hoch, MLB.com)
• The Cubs plan on meeting with Scott Boras in January to discuss a possible contract extension for 2015 Cy Young award winner Jake Arrieta. He is coming off a season in which he recorded a 3.10 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 197 1/3 innings pitched. Last season, he earned $10.7 million and now heads into his final year of arbitration. (Jesse Rogers, ESPN)
• The Tigers are not pursuing Andrew McCutchen despite their lack of a decision on an everyday center fielder. (Jon Morosi, MLB Network)
• The Marlins could pursue Neftali Feliz, if they lose out on Kenley Jansen. (Joe Fisaro, MLB.com)
• The Nationals and White Sox may not be done trading with each other as Washington is considering David Robertson for their closer opening after losing Mark Melancon to the San Francisco Giants (Mark Zuckerman, MASN)
• With a surplus of starting pitching, the Red Sox would rather package Clay Bucholtz in a deal than Drew Poweranz, (Rob Bradford, WEEI)
• The Brewers have traded Rule 5 Draft pick and left-handed pitcher Caleb Smith to the Cubs. (Tom Haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
• With the addition of Smith, it appears Travis Wood may not be back with the Cubs next season but the team has been in talks with his agent. (Carrie Muskat, MLB.com)
• The Marlins have made a monster offer to Jansen in the neighborhood of five-years, $80 million. (Jeff Passan, Yahoo Sports)
• The Nationals are also making a push to sign Jansen. (Ken Rosenthal, FOX Sports)
• The Yankees have reportedly signed closer Aroldis Chapman to a five-year deal worth $86 million. (Ken Rosenthal, FOX Sports)
