The Tribe needs to sign a guy named, "Aswingandadrive Waybackgone!

Cardinals acquired OFs Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk from the Angels in exchange for 3B David Freese and RHP Fernando Salas.
Bourjos has had trouble staying healthy at times, including in 2013 when he was limited to just 55 games. However, he offers plenty of speed and a little bit of pop and is an elite defensive center fielder. He should play pretty regularly there in 2014, shifting Jon Jay to more of a fourth outfielder role. Bourjos underwent wrist surgery in September but will resume hitting soon. The Cardinals will also now move Matt Carpenter over to third base, leaving second base open for Kolten Wong.


Nov 22 - 3:02 PM

Braves Hire John Hart

By Steve Adams [November 22 at 2:51pm CST]

The Braves announced today that former Rangers and Indians GM John Hart has joined their front office in the role of Senior Advisor of Baseball Operations (Twitter link).

Hart has spent the previous eight seasons as a senior advisor to Rangers GM Jon Daniels and spent the previous four seasons serving as the club's GM. He also served as the Indians' GM from 1991-2001 -- a period of time in which they won six division titles and played in two World Series. He won Executive of the Year honors in 1994-95 with the Indians and has also served as a TV analyst for the MLB Network.

Didn't catch that! Thanks rusty

One team that offered Jhonny Peralta a four-year, $52 million deal was told they weren't even "in the game," according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
The Cardinals are said to be deep in negotiations for the 31-year-old, suggesting they're at least comfortable with the previously reported asking price. How much higher the cost -- and interested teams -- might go is still unknown. Peralta is one of the top free agent shortstops in a market that's not saturated with great options, so he'll likely get what he's asking for, whatever that may be.


Source: Jon Heyman on Twitter Nov 23 - 8:33 PM

The Yankees and Brian McCann have agreed upon a five-year, $85 million deal, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
The deal also includes a vesting option for a sixth year that could bring the deal to $100 million. McCann has been a top option for the Yankees since the outset of free agency, so it's no surprise they got their guy. The 29-year-old hit .256/.336/.461 with 20 homers in 102 games in 2013 and should improve on those numbers in his new digs.


Source: Ken Rosenthal on Twitter Nov 23 - 6:14 PM

Jhonny Peralta is closing in on a deal with the Cardinals, a source confirmed to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.
Shortstop has been at the top of the Cardinals' list of priorities and Peralta would allow them to fill the position without giving up some of their young pitching in a trade. It was reported previously that Peralta had multiple deals on the table for four years and $52 million, and the Cardinals were reported as one of the teams interested. The 31-year-old hit .303/.358/.457 in 2013 while appearing in his second All-Star game.


Source: Jerry Crasnick on Twitter Nov 23 - 7:08 PM

Other than the obvious position matchup, I am surprised at Peralta to the Cardinals. He doesn't seem their type of player. Not a defensive shortstop, and that can only get worse over the seasons IMO.

The Brian McCann signing just blows me away. The guy is on his last legs IMO. 5 years?? Looks like one of those "old school" signings by the Yankees.

Cardinals signed SS Jhonny Peralta to a four-year, $53 million contract.
In the team's press release announcing the signing, Peralta indicated that he "took full responsibility" for his PED violation. He'll be a nice offensive improvement over Pete Kozma, though his range at shortstop may end up infuriating the Cardinals pitching staff.


Nov 24 - 7:38 PM

Tigers deal Fister for 3 not particularly bright prospects.

Washington obtained right-hander Doug Fister from Detroit for infielder Steve Lombardozzi and left-handers Robbie Ray and Ian Krol on Monday.
Fister was 14-9 with a 3.67 ERA last season for the AL Central champions, who last month traded slugging first baseman Prince Fielder to Texas for second baseman Ian Kinsler.

"It gives us some flexibility for some other things we want to do," Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said, insisting the trade wasn't made to free money for a long-term deal for AL Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer, who can leave after next season.

Oakland acquired closer Jim Johnson from Baltimore for infielder Jemile Weeks and a player to be named.

The Nationals Get: RHP Doug Fister.

Fister, 29, has been a highly-effective, if underrated, pitcher for the last three seasons. While his record in that span is merely 35-32, Fister has a 3.30 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.

Early in his career, Fister wasn't much of a strikeout pitcher, relying on his sinker to generate groundball outs, striking out 5.0 per nine innings over his first two seasons. However, Fister got much better as a strikeout pitcher upon arriving in Detroit, throwing significantly more breaking balls. For example, in his second major league season, with Seattle, Fister threw either a slider or curve on 18.7% of his pitches.

Over the last three years, that has increased from 32.6% to 33.6% to 34.6% last season. So, even with lacklustre velocity, including a fastball that averages 88.6 MPH, Fister has seen his strikeout numbers climb. In 70 games with the Tigers, Fister has whiffed 7.2 batters per nine innings, which isn't dominant, but is dramatically better than his first couple of seasons with the Mariners.

All told, Fister has a fWAR of 13.3 over the last three seasons, which ranks ninth among starting pitchers in that span. Seriously, ninth! What we're indicating here is that, while he may not have the name recognition, Doug Fister is a very good starting pitcher.

Fister hasn't faced a lot of National League competition, making five career Inter-League starts, but has a 2.23 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 35 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings, an indication (in a very small sample) that the move to the NL shouldn't pose a problem.

Fister, who made $4-million in 2013, is arbitration-eligible for the next couple seasons, but is ultimately very affordable for a starting pitcher is of his calibre. Joining a Washington Nationals rotation that already includes Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann and Gio Gonzalez makes it easy for Fister to come in and perform, without any pressure to be the staff ace.

There's a whole lot to like about this deal for the Nationals. It's the kind of trade that could put them over the top as contenders next season.

The Tigers Get: INF Steve Lombardozzi, LHP Robbie Ray and LHP Ian Krol.

Lombardozzi is a 25-year-old utility player who has played at least 20 games at second base, third base and left field in the course of his two-plus major league seasons. He doesn't hit for power (.342 career slugging percentage) and doesn't get on base (.297 career on-base percentage) so, without notable offensive improvement, he's no more than a fill-in at the major league level.

Ray, a 22-year-old southpaw, was a 12th-round pick of the Nationals in 2010. Splitting the 2013 season between High-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg, Ray was 11-5 with a 3.36 ERA and 1.25 WHIP, striking out 160 in 142 innings. He could develop into a major league starting pitcher, but he's not there yet and that means there is risk in his projection.

Krol, 22, is a lefthanded reliever who pitched 32 games for the Nationals last season, posting a 3.95 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 27 1/3 innings, striking out 22 and walking eight. Those are respectable enough numbers and, given his age, it's fair to expect improvement, but lefthanded relievers have a limited impact on the game as a whole.

Krol's presence should allow Drew Smyly to move into the Tigers' rotation, taking Fister's place. Smyly was excellent in relief last season, posting a 2.39 ERA and 1.03 WHIP, with 81 strikeouts in 76 innings. Even if Smyly is a wonderful addition to the Tigers' starting rotation, that won't justify the relative pittance that Detroit received in return for Fister.

Elected free agency: LHP Tony Sipp
Removed from 40-man: LHP Tony Sipp (outrighted to Triple-A)

The annual winter odyssey of Russ Canzler begins

New York Yankees
Signed: OF Russ Canzler

The International League MVP in 2011, first baseman/left fielder Russ Canzler has punished Triple-A lefthanders the past three seasons, batting .307/.390/.531 in 433 plate appearances, with 17 home runs and strong walk (12 percent) and strikeout (18 percent) in rates. He turns 28 next season

According to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, the Tigers are close to signing closer Joe Nathan.
No word on the terms involved. The Tigers have been a logical fit all along, but the Doug Fister deal cleared the appropriate salary to get a deal done. Nathan has posted a 2.09 ERA over the past two seasons while going 80-for-86 in save chances, so he should be an upgrade in the closer role for Detroit.


Related: Tigers
Source: Ken Rosenthal on Twitter Dec 3 - 11:18 AM