Morning Update - 2/5/2021
Bauer still hasn't signed, but the Mets appear the be the favorites, Dexter Fowler traded to the Angels, & more.
Good morning.
It’s February 5th, 2021 and here’s everything that happened in the world of baseball from 5:00 PM EST yesterday to 9:00 AM EST today.
The Most Important Thing
The Bauer saga is over!
Well, maybe not. Bob Nightengale reported that Bauer and Mets have a deal, but that news was then refuted by several reputable sources. Though things seem to be trending toward Bauer in NY, it appears nothing has been agreed upon quite yet.
Everything Else
A day after tweeting “Reunited” as the caption of a photo of Nolan Arenado and OF Dexter Fowler, the Cardinals sent Fowler to the Angels for a player to be named later (aka salary dump.) Fowler, a one-time All-Star with a career line of .259/.358/.418 and a 105 career OPS+, will be joining the 5th team of his 14 year career.
The White Sox signed C Jonathan Lucroy to a minor league deal. Lucroy will likely battle prospect Zack Collins for the backup catcher spot behind Yasmani Grandal.
The Twins traded OF Lamonte Wade, Jr. to the Giants in exchange for RHP Shaun Anderson.
Though the Dodgers are still considered the heavy favorite to retain 3B Justin Turner, Robert Murray reports that the Brewers are still interested in Turner, even after the signing of Kolten Wong last week.
Red Sox reporter Chris Cotillo says INF Dee Strange-Gordon is weighing multiple offers and could decide by the end of the week. Cotillo notes 4-5 teams are in the mix, with the Red Sox not among them.
The Giants are interesting in adding another starting pitcher this offseason, per Jon Morosi, and they have shown interest in RHP Jake Odorizzi.
The Brewers released C David Freitas. He will reportedly sign with the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO.
Posts With Your Toast
Jayson Stark measures the impact of five big moves this winter.
Cleveland's Chris Antonetti vows action after learning of allegations against Mickey Callaway.
Christoper Smith gives an update on Red Sox top prospect Jarren Duran’s performance in the Caribbean Series. He also examines the Red Sox depth at 2nd base.
Bryan Hoch relays Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are revamping their winter routines.
Hannah Keyser on if the universal DH could still happen for 2021.
Derrick Goold says the Cardinals continue to rapidly rewrite their roster.
Conner Byrne ranks the top 10 remaining free agents.
Kevin Goldstein on the Twins signing of Alex Colome.
David Schoenfield predicts the AL & NL All-Stars for 2021.
Random Baseball Rewind
John Thorn gave some insight on the history of the publication The National Pastime.
Foul Tips
Roch Kubatko examines the process of crafting a camp roster.
Sarah Thomas is set to officiate the Super Bowl. How long until a woman becomes an MLB umpire?