The Rundown–12/20/16: Benny Zobrist the Bull, Heyward’s New Swing, More from Around MLB
Here are today’s headlines for the Cubs and around the MLB:
- Jimmy Rollins signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants yesterday that will pay him $1M if he makes it to the big leagues.
- Rollins was cut last year around mid-season and never signed on with another team, so he may be giving it one last shot.
- A case could be made for Rollins to possibly be a Hall of Famer, though I don’t think he will get in. He has over 2400 career hits with an MVP award, but hit .264 for his career and wasn’t a perennial All-Star, but still had a very good career.
- The Yankees are showing some interest in Jose Quintana of the White Sox, but it doesn’t appear there is much traction toward a deal.
- After trading Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller this past July, the Yankees definitely have some prospect currency, so there is a chance they could pull off a deal like this. I just don’t know if they will be willing to pay the steep cost for a young, cost-controlled pitcher with solid numbers.
- The Pirates signed Daniel Hudson to a two-year deal worth $11M that will make him the setup man for Tony Watson (assuming Watson isn’t traded before the season begins).
- Hudson was an intriguing name attached to the Cubs earlier this offseason; he had a rough patch last season, but still had decent peripheral numbers and should do well for Pittsburgh.
- The Mets are still trying to move either Curtis Granderson or Jay Bruce and are in talks with the Blue Jays about both, though the assumption is that they would keep one of them.
- Ken Rosenthal adds that the Mets are trying to trade for a CF at the same time (Andrew McCutchen not expected to be traded now though).
- With that pitching staff (if they can all stay healthy), the Mets are a dangerous team and a few savvy moves here and there could put them right in the discussion for the NL East while making a deep run in October.
- Ben Zobrist took in a Bulls game last night and was welcomed rather warmly, which was nice to see.
- I like it when players stay in their home city in the offseason; shows they are committed to the area, even when that area can drop deep below zero and have a ton of snow.
- Jason Heyward is not in Chicago right now, but that is okay because he is hard at work on improving his swing from last season.
- Evan’s got a first look at it and it is a much quicker to put his front leg down which makes him quicker through the zone.
- It is still early, but that is a promising sign, I doubt we will see a repeat of last year’s struggles, as he is too good a hitter with a decent track record of success.
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