The Weekly Rundown: 1/7/23 - 1/13/23
Shota Imanaga to Chicago, Marcus Stroman to the Bronx, and more.
Good morning and Happy Sunday!
We’re a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training, yet there are still several impactful free agents who haven’t found homes for 2024. Among them are reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, World Series champion left-hander Jordan Montgomery, former MVP first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger, and Platinum Glove third baseman Matt Chapman.
We did have a few notable signings over the last week, plus an interesting trade involving one of the game’s top prospects. Before we get to those, a reminder to check out a couple of other things I’ve written recently:
Now grab your coffee and let’s jump into the rundown…
Shota to Chicago
On Thursday, the final day that Shota Imanaga was eligible to sign with an MLB team, the Chicago Cubs announced they inked the Japanese left-hander to a four-year contract worth $53 million. The Cubs will have the option to extend the deal to five years, $80 million after the 2025 and ‘26 seasons.
Imanaga, 30, was overshadowed by fellow Japanese hurler Yoshinobu Yamamoto — now with the Los Angeles Dodgers — in free agency. That’s because of his age, plu he’s far less of a sure bet to succeed in the big leagues. He’s looked at by many as a potential No. 2 or No. 3 starter. Some believe he’ll eventually end up pitching out of the bullpen.
Nevertheless, Imanaga was one of the few high-end starting pitchers remaining on the open market. The top southpaws still out there are Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell, Clayton Kershaw, Hyun Jin Ryu, and James Paxton. The list of available right-handers is thin with Mike Clevinger, Michael Lorenzen, Brandon Woodruff, and Noah Syndergaard headline that group.
Imanaga joins a projected Cubs rotation that includes fellow lefty Justin Steele and righties Jameson Taillon and Kyle Hendricks. One of Chicago’s top free agents officially left for an American League club shortly after the Imanaga addition…
Stro Show in the Bronx
Marcus Stroman signed with the New York Yankees after spending last season with the Cubs. He heads to the Bronx on a two-year, $37 million contract after declining his $21 million player option with Chicago for 2024.
Stroman earned an All-Star nod after a strong start to the 2023 campaign. The 32-year-old was in the early NL Cy Young conversation before the break. But from the All-Star Game on, it was a struggle for Stroman as he gave up 23 earned runs and posted a 1.96 WHIP in 24 innings. He missed a significant chunk of time in the second half due to a rib cartilage fracture.
Overall, Stroman has been pretty consistent in his nine-year MLB career. He’s a solid bet for an ERA in the mid-3s and can compete for a Cy Young when he’s at the top of his game. If the Yankees can Gerrit Cole, Stroman, and Carlos Rodon at their best, they’ll take a massive step forward in 2024. Of course, that’s a giant “if.”
Dodgers Keep on Adding
The Dodgers’ spending spree continues with their signing of slugging outfielder Teoscar Hernandez to a one-year, $23.5 million deal. Like the Ohtani contract, Hernandez’s will include a chunk of deferred money. $8.5 million of the $23.5 million will be paid out from 2030-39.
Hernandez is coming off a somewhat disappointing season with the Seattle Mariners. The 31-year-old slashed .258/.305/.435 with 29 doubles, 26 homers, and 93 RBIs in 160 games. Solid numbers on paper, but a down year by his standards. He also struck out a career-high 211 times.
There’s reason to believe Hernandez is poised for a monster bounce-back season. He finished last year strong for Seattle, hitting .294 with 12 doubles, 10 homers and 34 RBI over the final two months (54 games). This deal could be considered one of the steals of the offseason if Hernandez reverts to his 2021 All-Star form.
Rapid Fire
The Dodgers and Cubs exchanged top prospects with L.A. sending Triple-A infielder Michael Busch and reliever Yency Almonte to Chicago for Class A pitcher Jackson Ferris and outfielder Zyhir Hope. Busch was the No. 2 ranked prospect in L.A.’s system while Ferris was No. 8 in the Cubs’, according to MLB Pipeline.
The San Francisco Giants signed hard-throwing right-hander Jordan Hicks to a four-year contract worth $44 million. Hicks posted a 3.29 ERA with a career-high 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings as a reliever last season between Toronto and St. Louis. He’ll be given an opportunity to start games in the Bay.
Juan Soto signed a record-setting $31 million deal with the Yankees to avoid arbitration.
Atlanta Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos signed an extension with the club through 2031.
The Yankees signed right-hander Luke Weaver to a one-year deal.
The Cardinals hired former Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom to their front office as an advisor for team president John Mozeliak.
The Rumor Mill
The Yankees made an offer to left-hander Blake Snell, but the two sides remain “far apart” in talks, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The Stroman signing seems to have made it less likely of Snell heading to the Bronx.
The Rays are shopping DH Harold Ramirez, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. Ramirez hit .313 with 12 homers, 68 RBIs, and a .813 OPS in 122 games last season.
The Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Mariners were linked to slugging outfielder/DH Jorge Soler in a report by Heyman.
Thanks for reading! Catch you next Sunday.