Hot Stove Digest: Orioles still negotiating with Mark Trumbo
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.
IT’S COMPLICATED: The Baltimore Orioles are still negotiating with free-agent Mark Trumbo, but things are complicated. Trumbo has reportedly lowered his demands, requesting a three-year deal around $40 million. Despite the fact that the Orioles reportedly offered a four-year deal worth more than that earlier in the offseason, the two sides haven’t found common ground just yet. That has caused some to wonder whether the club has moved on from Trumbo as an option. The 30-year-old hit .256/.316/.533, with 47 home runs, for the Orioles last season. [Fox Sports]
REMEMBER ME? The Toronto Blue Jays have kept in touch with free-agent outfielder Michael Saunders. The 30-year-old Saunders had an up and down season in Toronto in 2016. He hit an incredible .298/.372/.551, with 16 home runs, in the first half. That performance earned Saunders a trip to his first-ever All-Star game. He couldn’t keep it up in the second half, however, hitting just .178/.282/.357. Despite those struggles, Saunders is considered one of the better outfield options left on the market. [@jonmorosi]
MAKE THE DEAL: The Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly included pitching prospect Jose De Leon in their trade offers for Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier. De Leon, 24, posted a 2.61 ERA over 86 1/3 innings in Triple-A last season. He struck out an incredible 111 batters at the level. Despite his high status as a prospect, the Twins appear to be looking for more in a potential deal. While the two sides could still come together on a trade later in the offseason, things appear quiet on that front for now. [@Ken_Rosenthal]
SETTLE DOWN: The Cleveland Indians and pitcher Trevor Bauer have reached an agreement in arbitration. The 25-year-old will make $3.55 million next season. In 2016, Bauer posted a 4.26 ERA over 190 innings in the regular season. He provided one of the most memorable postseason starts of the year, lasting two-thirds of an inning against the Blue Jays due to a bloody finger. [@JonHeyman]
ANOTHER ONE: The New York Mets and Lucas Duda also reached a settlement in arbitration. Duda, 30, will make $7.25 million in 2017. Last season, Duda hit .229/.302/.412 over 172 plate appearances. He was limited by a back injury throughout most of the season. [@JonHeyman]
GREAT CLIPS: A haircut may have been the reason the Dodgers were able to re-sign both Justin Turner and Kenley Jansen. [ESPN]
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
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
