Hot Stove Digest: Braves acquire Jaime Garcia from Cardinals
Welcome to The Stew’s Hot Stove Digest, our daily rundown of MLB news, rumors and gossip for Hot Stove season. Here you’ll find a quick recap of all the day’s action and other fun stuff from around the internet that we think is worth your time.
DONE DEAL: The Atlanta Braves continued to rebuild their rotation Thursday, dealing for St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jaime Garcia. The 30-year-old Garcia is coming off a season in which he posted a 4.67 ERA over 171 2/3 innings. Garcia is under contract for just one season. He’s set to make $12 million in 2017. Garcia has been effective when healthy, but has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his career.
In exchange, the Cardinals will receive pitchers John Gant and Chris Ellis, and infielder Luke Dykstra. The 24-year-old Gant posted a 4.86 ERA as a reliever with the Braves last year. He’s known for his strange windup. Ellis, 24, posted a 4.49 ERA over two minor-league levels. Dykstra, son of Lenny, hit .304/.332/.363 in Class A last year. [@Braves]
GET IT DONE: The Washington Nationals are making a hard push for Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen. The two sides have talked about a deal, but Washington would prefer to get something done soon. If the two sides can come to an agreement before Thursday’s non-tender deadline, Washington would likely non-tender shortstop Danny Espinosa.
In a scenario where the Nationals acquire McCutchen, he would move to center, allowing Trea Turner to move back to shortstop. The club would have no use for Espinosa, making him expendable. Pitchers Joe Ross and Reynaldo Lopez have been mentioned as possible trade targets for Pittsburgh. The club is also interested in 19-year-old outfielder Victor Robles. [ESPN]
LANDING SPOTS: We mentioned the Nationals as the ideal landing spot for McCutchen on Wednesday. If the two sides can’t come together on a deal, a number of other teams could use the 30-year-old superstar outfielder. [The Stew]
GO GET THEM: The Houston Astros are said to be heavily pursuing both Edwin Encarnacion and Carlos Beltran in free agency. The club is trying hard to land one of the two players. Encarnacion is considered the better option, and would likely cost multiple years and close to $100 million. Beltran, on the other hand, may not produce as well, but would require fewer years and come with a much smaller price tag. [@BNightengale]
ALMOST DONE: The Seattle Mariners are expected to sign reliever Marc Rzepczynski to a two-year deal. The two sides have reportedly agreed to a deal, and are just waiting on the physical at this point. The 31-year-old lefty posted a 2.64 ERA over 47 2/3 innings last year. [@Ken_Rosenthal]
CHANGING COURSE: The Nationals believe reliever Aroldis Chapman may be too rich for them this offseason. Because of that, the team has turned its attention to Mark Melancon. Melancon, 31, spent the second half with Washington, posting a 1.82 ERA down the stretch. The club was reportedly impressed with both his performance and his personality in the clubhouse. [@JonHeyman]
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
