The Chicago White Sox "won" baseball's winter meetings after trading for elite prospects Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito and Michael Kopech. Yes, they gave up Chris Sale and Adam Eaton, but it's a great haul for what the rebuilding club needs.
As for the Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals, they are basically saying (again) the time to win is now. Although the Winter Meetings are over, the hot stove is just heating up. Here are five questions remaining this offseason.
1. Where will Kenley Jansen, the remainder of the "Big Three" closers, wind up? Mark Melancon kicked off a series of record-breaking contracts for closers this week with a $62 million deal with the Giants, at the time good for the most expensive closer contract in history, topping Jonathan Papelbon's record (four years, $50 million) for most guaranteed money in a deal. Melacon's deal was, of course, shattered by Aroldis Chapman's five-year, $86 million agreement with the Yankees.
Those two deals leaves us with Jansen, who posted a stellar 1.83 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, and 104:11 K:BB ratio in 68 2/3 innings in 2015 for the Dodgers. The Nationals have joined the Dodgers and Marlins in free-agent pursuit of Jansen, who reportedly has an $80 million offer from the Marlins on the table.
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2. What moves, if any, are the Tigers going to make? Before the new CBA was approved in December, it seemed the Tigers were headed for a fire sale as they looked to decrease their massive payroll for the 2017 season. Turns out, the CBA might be the answer to why we haven't seen J.D. Martinez, Ian Kinsler or even Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander traded.
The Tigers were set to pay a luxury tax penalty of 30 percent, but since the new CBA increased the the luxury tax limit to $195 million this season, up $6 million from 2016, Detroit now has enough wiggle room to not only avoid the penalty but also keep its core assets under contract this season. Now a trade of an All-Star is likely to occur in season rather than this winter.
3. Where will Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista land? It seems unlikely either will wind up back in Toronto as they seek long-term contracts. Encarnacion is the most potent slugger on the free-agent market after bashing 42 home runs last season. The Indians and Rangers appear to be the favorites for his signature after the Astros signed Carlos Beltran. Don't count out the Red Sox, though.
Bautista's prospects are still murky. The Blue Jays have seemingly pulled out of the running, and the Orioles reportedly passed on him because their fans don't like him. Bautista, 36, is an injury risk, but he could provide amazing power in New York with the Yankees. Given the Yankees recent signing of Chapman, however, it might not be in the cards.
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The problem for both players is the vast market for hitters is driving down the price. Mark Trumbo (47 home runs with the Orioles) is still available, as is Chris Carter (41 homers with the Brewers), not to mention quality hitters Justin Turner, Dexter Fowler and Mike Napoli.
4. Will Andrew McCutchen be traded? Last week the Nationals were on the verge of landing McCutchen. Then, suddenly, the Nats claimed Pittsburgh's asking price was too high for their liking. By all accounts, the Pirates wanted Victor Robles (No. 10-ranked prospect by MLB.com) and a starting-quality pitcher (Joe Ross) for McCutchen.
Washington had every right to be wary of giving up Robles for McCutchen, who hit just .256/.336/.430 last season. Though McCutchen is still just 30 years old, his average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage have all dropped drastically during the past two seasons. He is a risk-reward guy at this stage in his career and clubs pursuing him seem to be wanting to take their chances in the deep free-agent outfield market rather than to harm their farm system for two seasons of control (team option in 2018).
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5. What is the next move for the Dodgers? The team took the first step of retaining most of its free agents from this past season by re-signing veteran southpaw Rich Hill, the top-ranked starting pitcher available on the market. The club is also the favorite to re-sign third baseman Justin Turner, who has hit .296/.364/.492 over the past three seasons in LA.
Does the deep-pocketed club really want to pay up for Jansen? Or is it better suited to spend on Turner and pursue cheaper pitching options in Jose Quintana or closer David Robertson from the White Sox, who might as well be in all-out sell mode at this point? The latter is a better option as the club needs to add a star outfielder and can get one at half the price it's going to cost for Jansen, who has pitched in an average of 57 games with the Dodgers the past three seasons (2.32 ERA).