With less than a month until pitchers and catchers report, fans around baseball are starting to get excited for the upcoming MLB seasons. Even though most of the biggest offseason deals have been finalized, teams are still trying to find ways to improve their clubs ahead of spring training.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the biggest signings and other news from around Major League Baseball from this week.
Carlos Correa Sage Finally Ends
To say that Carlos Correa’s free agency has been abnormal may be quite an understatement. Having agreements that fell through with both the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets, Correa finally ended up returning to the Minnesota Twins on a six-year deal worth $200 million.
The deal also includes four vesting options, which can extend the contract to 10 years and a potential $270 million. Last year, with the Twins, Correa hit .291/.366/.467 with 22 home runs, 64 runs batted in, and 70 runs scored in 522 at bats.
In other Twins’ news, the team has also agreed to a new deal with pitcher Chris Paddack. The deal is for three years and $12.5 million.
Paddack will be out until at least August as he underwent Tommy John surgery last season. Prior to the injury, Paddack had gone 1-2 with a 4.03 ERA in five starts.
The Twins have the third-best odds of winning the AL Central at just +280, but it is highly expected to be a three-team race between the Twins, Cleveland Guardians, and the Chicago White Sox.
With the return of Carlos Correa and the eventual return of Chris Paddack, the Twins hope they can make a run at the division after finishing 14 games out of first last year.
Yankees Starting Rotation Depth Takes Hit
We are only in January, but the New York Yankees’ rotation has already suffered a blow to start the season. According to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, starter Frankie Montas will be out for at least the first month as he is suffering from shoulder inflammation.
In 27 games last season between the A’s and the Yankees, Montas went 5-12 with a 4.05 ERA. He did struggle in his eight starts for the Yankees after being acquired at the trade deadline, going just 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA, but New York is hoping he can bounce back to help solidify the back end of the rotation.
With Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, and Luis Severino already occupying spots in the rotation, the Yankees may look at options like Domingo German or Clarke Schmidt to fill the vacancy left by Montas’ injury.
The Yankees have the second-best odds to win the World Series this year at +650, trailing on the defending champion Houston Astros (+600).
Cubs Bring In Slugger
The Chicago Cubs have been very active this season having already brought in the likes of Dansby Swanson, Cody Bellinger, Eric Hosmer, and Jameson Taillon. According to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, on Saturday, they brought in another slugger as they signed veteran Trey Mancini to a two-year contract.
The 30-year-old slugger could be an option at designated hitter, but he could also help to platoon with Hosmer at first base. Having been traded from Baltimore to Houston at last year’s trade deadline, Mancini is coming off of a World Series win with the Astros, where he contributed late in the series after an injury to Yuli Gurriel.
Between both teams last year, Mancini hit .239/.319/.391 with 18 home runs, 63 runs batted in, and 56 runs scored. His best season was in 2019, when he hit 35 home runs and drove in 97 with the Orioles.
Mancini is also a feel good story after he battled with and beat colon cancer during the 2020 season and will look to have a strong campaign with the North siders in 2023.
The Cubs currently have the third-best odds of winning the NL Central at +600. They are +8000 to win the World Series.
