Kris Bryant is a Cub. I'm not talking about an Iowa Cub. Kris Bryant is now a member of the Chicago Cubs and will be playing third base today against the San Diego Padres, reports said. According to reports out of Chicago, the Cubs promoted Bryant last night, exactly twelve days into the season, which will guarantee them a seventh season of control into the future. His arrival might be the most awaited since the likes of Bryce Harper or Mike Trout. He was rated the No. 1 prospect in the minor leagues by Baseball America prior to this season. That's with very good reason. Since the Cubs drafted Bryant with the second overall pick in the 2013 draft, all he has done is hit home runs, hitting 43 between Double- and Triple-A last season. A lot of controversy surrounded the Cubs and Bryant when he was demoted following Spring Training, even after hitting nine home runs in just 14 games (40 at bats). The Cubs said that Bryant needed to work more on his base running and defense before being able to be called up to the Majors. However, everyone else--including his agent Scott Boras, who had more than a few words on the matter--knew that it was a service time issue. Since Bryant will not get a full year's worth of being on the Cubs' Major League roster this season, he won't get a full year of Major League service time. It's that simple. A player can play six full seasons (in service time) before becoming a free agent. Since Bryant won't rack up a full season, the Cubs will get him for a seventh season, 2021. Many people had varying opinions on what was right for Bryant, but it was definitely the right move for the Cubs. They sacrificed twelve days of the Major League season to get a full season down the road. Better yet, the Cubs are 5-3 and atop the NL Central without Bryant. Thus far with Triple-A Iowa, Bryant is 9-for-28 with three home runs and 10 runs batted in over 33 plate appearances. Now that Bryant's "defense" and "base running" have been "fixed" up, it's time to see him in the Major Leagues. Cubs fans: the future is now. It is time to get excited for it. --Devan Fink
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The Pittsburgh Pirates and outfielder Josh Harrison have agreed to a four-year extension Monday, the team announced. Harrison will make $27.3 million guaranteed over the length of the deal with two club options for 2020 and 2021 that could bring the deal to a total value of $50.3 million. Harrison, 27, broke on to the scene in 2014 as one of the game's best super utility guys, playing third base, left field, right field, second base, and shortstop last season. He expects to be the club's starting third baseman this season. From 2011 to 2013, Harrison totaled 575 plate appearances, just less than the 550 plate appearances he got in 2014. He slashed just .250/.282/.367 with seven homers and 46 runs batted in over that time, with his OPS+ being just 80. Some switch turned on for Harrison last year, hitting .315/.347/.490 with 13 homers and 52 runs batted in over the 575 plate appearances, including a 134 OPS+. Harrison was a member of the NL All-Star team and finished ninth in the MVP voting. For third baseman between 3.000 and 3.999 years of MLB Service Time, Josh Harrison's new extension stacks up quite favorably, according to MLB Trade Rumors' Extension Tracker. Ryan Zimmerman's extension with the Nationals back in 2009 was the deal most similar to Harrison's in AAV. Zimmerman was guaranteed an average of $9 million per year for five seasons; Harrison was guaranteed an average of $9.1 million per year. For the Pirates, Harrison's extension through 2019 adds another cornerstone player to be signed at least through 2017, with Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte (who is signed through 2019), Francisco Liriano, Gerrit Cole (through 2019), and Gregory Polanco (through 2020) also being locked down in the longterm. --Devan Fink The Boston Red Sox announced Monday that they extended Rick Porcello to a four-year contract, one that covers the 2016 through 2019 seasons. Porcello will earn a pretty penny, making $82.5 million over the four seasons, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. He will make $20 million in 2016 and 2017 and $21 million in 2018 and 2019. He earned a $500,000 signing bonus as part of the deal. The Red Sox and Porcello avoided arbitration already this offseason. Porcello makes $12.5 million this season. This deal is different than some of the other extensions we have seen this spring, mainly because it buys out four of Porcello's free agent seasons. That is why the overall guarantee is much higher. After about four seasons of mediocracy from a pitching standpoint, Porcello established himself as a top-of-the-rotation piece last season with the Tigers, pitching to a 3.43 ERA, 3.67 FIP, and a 1.231 WHIP in 204 2/3 innings. In his 32 games (31 starts), Porcello registered a 129 to 41 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He led the American League in shutouts last season with three. Porcello was swung to the Red Sox this offseason in the deal that landed Detroit outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. The Red Sox have a rotation that will be built to last. Of their current starters (including Joe Kelly, who is currently on the disabled list), just Justin Masterson is a free agent after this season. Clay Buchholz is also a free agent after this season barring two options through 2017. Wade Miley is signed through 2017 with an option for 2018. And, Joe Kelly has yet to hit arbitration, and isn't projected to hit free agency until 2018. By locking up Porcello, the Red Sox rotation likely won't change much in the years to come. --Devan Fink After returning home from spring break, here's a roundup of all the moves that occurred in Major League Baseball while I was gone.
--Devan Fink The San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves completed a blockbuster trade yesterday, sending both Craig Kimbrel and Melvin "BJ" Upton Jr. westbound. In return, the Braves received two Major League outfielders in Cameron Maybin and Carlos Quentin. Pitching prospect Matt Wisler and outfield prospect Jordan Paroubeck also head to Atlanta as part of the deal. Finally, the Braves get the 41st overall selection in the 2015 draft. It's quite fitting that the Padres make the final move of the offseason after making a flurry of moves (and that's putting it lightly) throughout the past six months. They've pretty much revamped their entire club, with the likes of Wil Myers, Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, James Shields, Derek Norris, and Will Middlebrooks already joining the team this offseason. Kimbrel is a huge addition for this team that looks to knock the Dodgers and Giants out of playoff glory. Melvin Upton Jr.--formerly known as BJ Upton--will serve as the fourth outfielder in what is likely to be among the most talented outfields in the Majors, playing alongside his brother Justin, Wil Myers, and Matt Kemp. However, he's a very expensive fourth outfielder, as Upton is due $46.35 million over the next three seasons. No cash will be transferred as part of the deal. The Padres will take the entirety of Upton's contract. The only way that the Padres were able to get the best closer in the game in Kimbrel was by acquiring Upton along with him, GM A.J. Preller said via Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Braves received the Padres' No. 1 pitching prospect in Matt Wisler. Wisler projects to be a mid- to end-of-the-rotation starter with some upside. He's almost Major League ready and was in the Padres' big league camp to begin Spring Training. Baseball America ranked him as the 34th best prospect in the game. Last season, the 22-year-old Wisler pitched as high as Triple-A, going 9-5 with a 5.01 ERA in a very hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. The outfield prospect the Braves will be getting goes by the name of Jordan Paroubeck. Paroubeck is a 20-year-old toolsy outfielder with the general consensus being that he's still raw. He went to the same high school as Barry Bonds and receives instruction from him. Last season, Paroubeck played in just 34 games with the Padres' Rookie Level affiliate due to injury. Cameron Maybin represents the last main return piece for the Atlanta Braves. He returns home to the South and to starting in the outfield, as he is from Asheville, North Carolina and will be taking over the Braves' center field job. Maybin has spent four years with the Padres, but hasn't had a healthy 500 plate appearances since 2012 and has only had 500 PA twice. Last year, the speedster (Maybin stole 40 bases in 2011), hit .235/.290/.331 in 272 plate appearances. The Braves also received outfielder Carlos Quentin, but designated him for assignment. They likely agreed to receive him as a salary dump for the Padres, who got rid of his $8.3 million guaranteed. The Braves will pay his contract. Obviously, Craig Kimbrel is the centerpiece of this deal. Kimbrel is a phenomenal closer and gives the Padres the best bullpen in baseball, with him and Joaquin Benoit serving as the closer and set-up man, respectively. Kimbrel has led the National League in saves in each of the past four years, saving 46, 42, 50, and 47 games. His ERA has not been over 1.61 in the past three years, and he has struck out an average of 109 hitters per season since 2011 in just an average of 67 innings. Calling him good would be an understatement. It's hard to know who got the better of the deal and we probably won't know for years, at least until after Wisler and Paroubeck develop. Some believe that the Braves underpaid for such a good player in Kimbrel, while others, like myself, really like their return. The real two wild cards in this deal are Paroubeck and that 41st overall pick in this year's draft. The Braves, who are deep in rebuilding, needed to unload Kimbrel for prospects, but it's hard to know if the prospects they got will be good enough to satisfy a return. From the Padres point of view, they just got the best closer in baseball. Plain and simple. They had to take on a big payroll addition with the addition of Upton Jr., but when it's all set and done, this deal makes their team much better on paper. --Devan Fink |
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