As soon as the Major League Baseball draft ended, it didn’t take long for the two premier free agents left on the market, Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel, to sign contracts. Keuchel will join the Atlanta Braves, according to multiple reports Thursday, the same day the Cubs introduced Kimbrel. Elsewhere, Max Kepler had himself a day Thursday with three home runs off of the Indians’ Trevor Bauer. Also, we’ll finally get to see Shohei Ohtani vs. Yusei Kikuchi soon, and the Yankees will welcome back Didi Gregorius on Friday.
Keuchel will be paid a pro-rated sum of $13M to finish the year with the Braves.
.@Braves reportedly agree to deal with LHP Dallas Keuchel, source tells @DOBrienATL. https://t.co/fUMsmnv5n0 #MLBonTheMove pic.twitter.com/T0AhdmWzQu
— MLB (@MLB) June 7, 2019
Trevor Bauer is one of the game’s top pitchers, but Max Kepler absolutely owned him Thursday night. Four plate appearances, one walk, three home runs.
Max Kepler is a big fan of Trevor Bauer. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/7lW5ZjthC6
— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) June 7, 2019
There was a welcome visitor on the North Side on Friday morning. Craig Kimbrel should be back and ready to pitch for the Cubs by the end of the month.
Craig Kimbrel is at Wrigley and will have an introductory press conference later this morning.
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) June 7, 2019
Remember last week, when Angels manager Brad Ausmus prevented Japanese sensations Shohei Ohtani and Yusei Kikuchi from squaring off? This time, it looks like he’ll play along.
Shohei Ohtani’s first major league showdown with Yusei Kikuchi is expected to happen this weekend. https://t.co/dclmxuPUmV
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) June 7, 2019
DiDi Gregorius, already a beloved Yankee, makes his return from injury. The Bronx Bombers are getting healthier…
Here’s our early @nydnsports back page. @yankees @mets #didigregorius @APSE_sportmedia https://t.co/GRdYRmRKug pic.twitter.com/K6bZ9BwG0C
— Back Page Guy NYDN (@BackPageGuyNYDN) June 7, 2019
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• Sources: Ex-Astros lefty Keuchel to join Braves | ESPN.com
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• When will Craig Kimbrel be ready to join the Cubs? Joe Maddon still thinks 3 weeks ‘sounds about right’ | Chicago Tribune