With the dust having settled from the 2013 MLB Postseason after the Boston Red Sox won the World Series , it’s time to take a look at the MLB landscape, see which teams needs what and think about where they can find it, either by free agency or trade (rumors are always fun).
The latest move in MLB involves no trade and no rumors (sorry). The San Diego Padres have signed free agent starting pitcher Josh Johnson, according to ESPN. The 29-year-old right-hander reportedly inked a one-year deal to the tune of $8 million. He spent the last year in Toronto with the Blue Jays and finished the 2013 MLB season with a 2-8 record and 6.2 ERA. He made ESPN Insider Dave Cameron’s list of high-risk , high-reward free agent pitchers. As Toronto did not tender a qualifying offer, San Diego will not have to trade a pick in the MLB draft.
In more non-rumor MLB news, relief pitcher Duke Welker is now reunited with the Pittsburgh Pirates after a trade with the Minnesota Twins for starting left-hander Kris Johnson. It was just business for Minnesota GM Terry Ryan; Welker was used as a reliever for all of 2013 and Johnson, who spent much of the season in Triple-A, looked ready for his shot in the MLB.
“We were looking for starting pitching,” Ryan said via MLB.com . “It doesn’t mean we didn’t like what we had in Welker.”
With Alex Rodriguez’s future still uncertain (now there’s a place for rumors), the Yankees will likely do the smart thing and try to fill that potential hole at third base. One place in the MLB they’re sure to be looking at is San Diego, with Chase Headley rumored to be trade bait. The Sporting News reports that New York had showed interest before MLB’s July non-waiver trade deadline; the smart money says they show greater interest in the 29-year-old Silver Slugger and Golden Glove Award winner.
The other New York MLB team added a little more impact to the trade rumors around first baseman Ike Davis when the Mets signed Brandon Allen to a minor league deal.
What other MLB trade rumors have gotten your attention this off-season?
