MLB Week in Review
1/9/21–1/15/21
Saturday 1/9/21: Washington Nationals sign free agent LF Kyle Schwarber.
Kyle Schwarber was drafted 4th overall in 2014 by the Chicago Cubs. Schwarber played well in Chicago. A strong suit for him at the plate is his raw power; Schwarber is a 30+ homerun hitter in a full 162 game season. This addition adds to the Nationals strong lineup, with Juan Soto, Josh Bell, and now Kyle Schwarber as the middle lineup power hitters. Schwarber signed a 1 year deal for $ 10 million.
San Francisco Giants trade RHP Sam Coonrod to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for RHP Carson Ragsdale.
In this trade the Giants pick up Carson Ragsdale. Ragsdale has yet to play in the Major Leagues and is only 22 years old. Ragsdale has a 6'8" frame and a fastball currently sitting around 95 mph with time to increase. He has an above average curveball which has great deception as he stands 6'8". His changeup has room for improvement. This was a young pick up for the Giants as they will be taking a risk on Ragsdale. Ragsdale is currently a starting pitcher but if he doesn't find success there, with his frame he would be a good option for the Giants bullpen in the future. The Phillies pick up a more experienced relief pitcher in Sam Coonrod. Coonrod has very high fastball velocity and compared around the league top tier spin rate on his curveball. Coming out of the bullpen in 2019 he pitched really well in 33 appearances. In 2020 he didn't do as well in 18 appearances but you cannot hold 2020 against him as it was a year to forget. This trade was a short term fix for the Phillies to add more depth to their bullpen right now. As for the Giants this deal was more of an addition down the road as Ragsdale has time to develop until he is ready for the Major Leagues.
Sunday 1/10/21: No significant new happened. A little fun fact on this day in baseball history; in 1950 the Phillies abandoned the nickname of Blue Jays as it was unpopular by the Phillies fan base.
Monday 1/11/21: Chicago White Sox sign free agent RHP Liam Hendriks.
Liam Hendriks is one of if not the best Major League reliver in baseball right now. Last season Hendriks won the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year Award. As of late Liam has developed into a lights out pitcher coming in from the bullpen. Hendriks singed a 3 year 4th year club option for a guaranteed $54 million. This pick up for the White Sox gives them a top tier back of the bullpen guy. This move has shown to put them as favorites in the AL Central for 2021.
Tuesday 1/12/21: No significant news happened today. On this day in MLB history in 2009 Rickey Henderson is elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This was his first year of eligibility on the ballot.
Wednesday 1/13/21: Houston Astros sign free agent RHP Pedro Baez.
Pedro Baez has proven that he is a top tier relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. Out of the bullpen he has a career ERA of 3.03. His highest in a single season was 3.35 in 2015. Baez was on last years World Series Champions Los Angles Dodgers. With this pick up the Astros secure themselves a top shelf relief pitcher to strengthen the backend of their bullpen.
Free agent RHP Corey Kluber threw a showcase in front of 25 teams.
Thursday 1/14/21: New York Mets sign free agent LF Jose Martinez.
Jose Martinez has played most of his career with the Cardinals and then last year with the Rays. Jose Martinez played very well in 2017 and 2018 batting just above .300 in both seasons. Since then his numbers at the plate have fallen off. Martinez still adds a good bat as his success could return in a full 162 game season. For the Mets this signing gives them a solid bat and outfielder for the 2021 season.
Philadelphia Phillies sign free agent RHP Archie Bradley.
Archie Bradley has been a good arm coming out of the bullpen in his career. The longer he has been in the Major Leagues, his statistics continue improving. He has a career ERA at 3.91 and last year with the Reds Bradley had a 2.95 ERA in 16 appearances. The Phillies sign Bradley to a one year deal for $6 million. The 2020 Phillies bullpen had among one of the worst collective ERAs in a season in MLB history. This offseason they have made several moves to correct that problem. This is just another move by the Phillies to improve on their bullpen. With the addition of Bradley they get themselves a solid option for a setup guy or even potentially their new closer.
San Francisco Giants sign free agent RHP Alex Wood.
Alex Wood is a left handed starting pitcher. Wood has found success in his career however, as of late he has struggled a little. Wood has a very deceptive pitching windup. He acts as a left handed specialist who can be a starter. Wood was an NL All Star in 2017. With this signing the Giants pick up a solid left hander who can work well out of the bullpen as well as be a solid end of the rotation guy.
Theo Epstein is hired by the Major League Baseball Commissioners office and will serve as an on field consultant.
Epstein was formerly the Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations. As an executive Epstein has won 3 World Series titles.
Friday 1/15/21: New York Yankees resign free agent 2B DJ LeMahieu.
DJ LeMahieu has been a consistent MLB performer. Going into his 32 year old season LeMahieu is on the incline. He has a career batting average of .305. LeMahieu is one of the best infielders in MLB right now. He has won many awards including 3 All Star appearances, 3 gold gloves, and in his last 2 seasons LaMahieu has won the American League Silver Slugger. This signing for the Yankees gives them a proven Baseball star for $90 million for 6 seasons. The Yankees prove again that they do not want to loose free agents to other teams that they have an interest in.
New York Yankees sign free agent RHP Corey Kluber (Pending a Physical).
Corey Kluber is a starting pitcher who has performed very well in his career. He has won the Cy Young award twice once in 2014 and in 2017. In 2019 and last year Kluber has battled with injury while only pitching 35 innings in 2019 and just 1 in 2020. Earlier in the week Kluber threw a bullpen style showing to teams. Kluber has potential to get back to throwing the ball well. His career ERA is 3.16 and an all-time record of 98–58. This deal is for one year /$11 million. With this signing the Yankees are taking a risk on if they can get Kluber to perform like he has in the past or if injuries will continue to loom over him. Either way it works out as it is only a one year deal so the risk for a team like the Yankees who have a big pockets is low.
Los Angeles Angles sign free agent C Kurt Suzuki.
Kurt Suzuki is a veteran behind the plate. He has been in the Major Leagues since 2007 with a career batting average of .272. Suzuki has plenty experience behind the plate, he was an AL all star in 2014 with the Twins and won a World Series title in 2019 with the Nationals. This agreement is for a one year deal worth $1.5 million. For the Angeles this is a very good veteran to help add depth behind the plate. While his numbers at the plate do not jump of the page, it is proven that Suzuki is a fantastic asset calling games behind the plate.
Teams must have agreed to terms with players who were eligible for arbitration by today.
MLB teams are open to sign international players today. If interested in who signed with which teams check it out on MLB.com- https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-international-signing-day-2020-21
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