It’s been an odd offseason for MLB as the league and Player’s Union try to figure out what next season will look like. Despite the lack of movement on that front, the rumor mill is churning just as powerful as every across the league. Let’s dive into some of those rumors and the transactions across the league.
Top News This Week
- The Chicago Cubs have reportedly had discussions with the San Diego Padres on a potential trade for Yu Darvish. Fresh off of the best year of his career, Darvish could be appealing to a team like San Diego that is offensively gifted but lacks pitching depth. The Padres will be without Mike Clevinger in the 2021 season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
- The Boston Red Sox are the latest team to have reported interest in Enrique Hernandez. The super-utility man is reported to be looking for a full-time starting job with consistent positioning, and Boston could offer both. If the Sox plan on competing in 2021, adding Hernandez into the mix could be a great pickup for them.
- The Pirates traded All-Star first baseman Josh Bell to the Washington Nationals this week in a somewhat surprising move. The Pirates had talks with Bell’s agent on an extension, but clearly, that did not work out as they got a pair of prospect arms as the return in the deal. Bell will now backup Juan Soto in a powerful left-handed Nats’ lineup.
- Speaking of Pittsburgh, Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco broke his wrist this past week playing in the Winter League. Polanco is expected to be out 4-6 weeks as he recovers from the brown wrist, putting him just about on track for Spring Training.
- The Texas Rangers are signing Nippon Professional Baseball star Kohei Arihara to a 2-year deal. Arihara tossed a combined 836 career innings with a 3.74 ERA with 6.7 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 over the course of 6 seasons. The posting fee for Arihara will amount to $1.24MM, while the Rangers will pay out $6.2MM over the course of the two-year contract.
- Japanese baseball star Tomoyuki Sugano now has at least six teams keeping tabs on him ahead of his January 7th signing deadline, with the Giants the latest team to step into the mix. The Mets, Red Sox, Padres, Blue Jays are the other teams with the Rangers now presumably out of the mix.
Social News
MLB took a look at the strikeout leaders from the past 10 seasons of baseball, and there are not many repeats. But the good news is that Justin Verlander is still around to go for the top spot yet again.
— MLB (@MLB) December 24, 2020
Remember when Vlad used to do stuff like this? We certainly do!
.@VladGuerrero27 golfing a ball to the 2nd deck is certainly a feat of strength. 💪 #Festivus pic.twitter.com/ZeH7l3LlF0
— MLB Vault (@MLBVault) December 24, 2020
And finally, MLB asked the fans who they think is the best basketball player in the league. As it turns out, there are quite a few good ones in baseball.
The @NBA tipped off yesterday and it got us thinking … who's the best 🏀 player in ⚾️? pic.twitter.com/WJQkltmaY0
— MLB (@MLB) December 23, 2020
All of that news and more, this week in MLB! Check back weekly with GMS Sports for the most up-to-date information on your favorite sports.
