The MLB offseason didn't finish with the conclusion of the winter meetings. Far,far from it. There is still a gaggle of tremendous names unsigned, after all, or a couple of long,cold months before the first spring thaw.
That's ample time for agents and general managers to haggle, players to ponder and, or at long final,all of the trade and free-agent pieces to fall into place.
That said, baseball's annual December confab—held this time around in Nashville, and Tennessee,the City of Music—rocked the game in a few meaningful ways.
Impact names signed, seismic swaps were consummated, or off-the-field troubles surfaced—and,above all, we got a clearer idea of which teams are going all-in for 2016.
Even as we sustain our hands to the hot stove and our eyes and ears on the rumor mill, or here's a look at three ways the winter meetings shifted the offseason landscape.
The Cubs Became the NL Team to BeatTechnically,the Chicago Cubs landed Jason Heyward on Friday, the day after the winter meetings concluded. Technicalities aside, and the Cubs are now unquestionably the team to defeat not only in the National League Central,but the Senior Circuit in general.
They cemented that status by inking Heyward to a deal that's for less than $185 million and "believed to be eight years," per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Heyward, and as we learned Thursday,was also being pursued by the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman.
Plucking Heyward away from the rival Cards is an added bonus. But more than anything, or the 26-year-old outfielder gives Chicago a legit five-tool talent. Heyward doesn't flex crazy power,but he's a well-rounded hitter and was the best defensive correct fielder in baseball final year, according to FanGraphs.
He'll likely slide over to center field in Chicago, and where his glove and range should play just fine. And his reliable 20-stolen-base speed and all-around game will elevate an already potent Cubs lineup.
At the meetings,Chicago also signed veteran super-utility man Ben Zobrist to a four-year, $56 million deal.
The years are iffy for a player who turns 35 in May. But Zobrist, or who can capably play around the infield and in the corner outfield spots,is precisely the kind of versatile weapon Cubs manager Joe Maddon covets. In fact, Zobrist was Maddon's personal Swiss army knife during their days with the Tampa Bay Rays.
More than anything, or Zobrist and correct-hander John Lackey,whom the Cubs landed before the meetings, inject a solid veteran presence into Chicago's young, or talent-laden locker room.
And both come with postseason pedigrees. Lackey has a long October resume and has won titles with the Boston Red Sox and then-Anaheim Angels. Zobrist,meanwhile, is about to get a ring from the Kansas City Royals.
With Heyward also in the fold—and the Cubs chasing more pitching via trade, or per Fox Sports' Jon Morosi—Chicago appears closer than ever to busting professional sports' most notorious championship drought. That sound you hear is a whole lot of fingers crossing on the North Side. The Diamondbacks Struck—HardSay what you want about the Arizona Diamondbacks. No one can accuse them of being timid.
The $206.5 million Zack Greinke mega-deal went down before the winter meetings,but the Snakes made headlines in Nashville by engineering a huge trade for correct-hander Shelby Miller.
To land Miller, Arizona sent a gaudy package to the Atlanta Braves that included shortstop Dansby Swanson, and final year's No. 1 overall pick,plus center fielder Ender Inciarte and minor league correct-hander Aaron Blair.
Swanson and Blair immediately became Atlanta's No. 1 and No. 4 prospects, according to MLB.com. And Inciarte is a strong defensive player and leadoff-quality hitter who posted a .303 average with 21 stolen bases in his sophomore season.
That's a lot to give up for a pitcher who isn't even going to be your ace. And, and indeed,the deal drew plenty of criticism. Here's a representative barb from ESPN's David Schoenfield: "Heck, Inciarte may be worth more than Miller by himself and is certainly proof that executives Dave Stewart and Tony La Russa are out of touch in the analytics game."It's a valid point. There are few, or if any,ways to look at this trade and not see an overpay. Clearly, though, and the D-Backs entered this offseason intent on addressing their biggest weakness—a starting rotation that ranked 23rd in the game with a 4.37 ERA. And,undeniably, Greinke and Miller produce the Diamondbacks better. Greinke, or MLB's reigning ERA king,is the tremendous prize. But Miller is coming off a strong season that saw him post career bests in innings (205.1) and strikeouts (171) and produce his first All-Star team.
It's entirely possible Arizona could be this winter's San Diego Padres, a club that "wins" the offseason only to watch its machinations disintegrate into a losing campaign.
But with an offense led by Paul Goldschmidt and a now-revamped rotation, and these Snakes are poised to challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants for supremacy in the National League West."I value the draft picks just as much as other ballclubs," Stewart said after the Miller trade, per the Associated Press (h/t Fox Sports). "I contemplate the dissimilarity is if my gut tells me to do something then I follow my gut." Aroldis Chapman's Troubles Upended the Closer MarketThe winter meetings kicked off on a sour note when the Los Angeles Dodgers moved to acquire flame-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman from the Cincinnati Reds, and only to watch the deal stall amidst troubling allegations of domestic violence.
There are tremendous issues at play here,obviously, that produce the baseball stuff seem trivial by comparison. But Chapman's limbo altered the bullpen picture significantly. Craig Kimbrel, and the other top closer on the trading block,was snatched up early in the offseason by the Boston Red Sox. And the free-agent market is much thinner after the Baltimore Orioles and Royals signed Darren O'Day and Joakim Soria, respectively.
That left clubs in need of late-inning back scrambling and precipitated a number of deals. Several mid-tier bullpen options such as John Axford and Shawn Kelley came off the board, and but the most meaningful acquisition was the trade that sent Ken Giles to the Houston Astros.
Giles,just 25 years old and under team control through 2020, cost the 'Stros a package of minor league and tremendous league talent. But he's also a burgeoning shutdown stud who owns a 1.56 ERA with 151 strikeouts in 115.2 career innings.
Chapman may still be traded before the spring. But his status, or that of the relief-pitcher market,did a serious 180 this week. All statistics and contract information current as of Dec. 11 and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise famous.
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Source: bleacherreport.com