If you were like Alex and I you spent this weekend with your feet up enjoying the NFL playoffs. Maybe you got up to go out to a bar and watch Aaron Rodgers ruin your 7 point Arizona cover. Maybe you didn't. But a few things happened in the baseball world that got lost in the shuffle so let's cover our bases.
Chapman, Eovaldi, Didi and Nova all file for arbitration
The Yanks are pretty close to terms on the three former players - it's Chapman's case that may actually end up going to trial. As it stands the two sides are more than $4 million apart (the Yanks look like they're trying to lowball him IMO). They offered him $9 million - a $1 million raise from last season - where his projected figure had been set at around 12.9 (he's asking for 13.1). The Yanks may be trying to capitalize off this pending investigation into domestic violence allegations but I have a feeling it'll be Chapman getting what he wants and not the other way around.
Marlins and Dee Gordon finalize a 5-year, $50 million extension
Pretty nice bargain for the Marlins - 10 mil a year for a guy who just won the batting title and lead the league in stolen bases. And a pretty cool story for a guy who looked like he'd completely lost the ability to play baseball a couple of years ago. It'd be a bummer for him to have to spend the next five seasons playing for Miami but by becoming a Marlin he's been permanently placed on the trading block by proxy.
Ian Kennedy to the Royals for 5 years, 70 mil
I never thought I'd see the day that Ian Kennedy would be making this kind of money. The market for starting pitching right now is absolutely outrageous. This dude had 15 losses and a 4.28 ERA pitching in Petco Park last year. But like the Yankees, the Royals aren't going to be asking a whole lot from their starting pitchers. If he makes 30 starts with a 4.50 ERA he can win 15 games this year easily. Certainly worth it for them.
Orioles sign Chris Davis, 7-years - 161 mil
Wrote this a couple of days ago - unfortunate news that Chris Davis is going to be spending the next 7 seasons hitting against the Yankees twenty times a year. He might be the most dangerous hitter in the game when he
Jake Arrieta, Cubs can't come to terms on arbitration
The cubs offered Arrieta and absurd $7 million for 2016. Considering the pitching market and the fact that they just agreed to pay Jon Lackey $32 mil for the next two seasons I'd say the Cubs should maybe go back into their pockets and compensate this man properly for one of the best pitching performances in their franchise's tortured history.
Jansen, Strasburgh and Harvey all agree to terms - Josh Donaldson and Blue Jays almost together
It is so infuriating as a Yankee fan to glance over Josh Donaldson's contract and accept the fact that he's under team control through the 2018 season. How we probably had the same bag of balls to ship over to Billy Bean's office in order to get him. And how instead we'll be paying Chase Headley $13 million a year for the next three years to be one of the worst players in baseball.
It's pretty crazy how good Kenley Jansen is. I feel like nobody ever talks about him. His numbers aren't quite as impressive as Chapman's but they're up there. He'll make $10.65 million this year and will be in line with Chapman to receive the two richest contracts ever for relief pitchers in 2017.
The fact that Stephen Strasburgh is making more than twice as much as Matt Harvey this year is outrageous. Now Harvey is making more than 5 times this season what he made last season so there's that, but it's pretty incredible how Strasburgh has been surpassed as the next big thing by about four other pitchers in the NL East. He hasn't lived up to the hype but he hasn't exactly been a slouch with a career 3.09 ERA.
Players who are drafted out of high school may now hire agents to negotiate with teams before they decide to go to school or not
You would think this would lead to higher bonuses for first-round selections but it probably wont. If someone offers you an $6 million signing bonus as a 17-year-old your agent probably isn't going to be able to leverage the team with a scholarship to Long Beach State.
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