Rafael Devers has agreed to a one-year, $17.5 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, sources confirmed on Tuesday. The third baseman is reportedly looking to avoid arbitration, while both sides hope to negotiate a long-term deal.

While Devers is currently set to become a free agent in 2023, the Red Sox are looking to strike a long-term deal that will keep the 26-year-old in Boston until his 30s. The team is in need of squad reinforcements following the departures of homegrown talents Mookie Bett and Xander Bogaerts, who left via trade and free agency respectively.

Last season, Devers hit .295/.358/.521 for the Red Sox with 27 home runs and 88 RBIs. Over his six seasons in Boston, Devers has tallied 139 home runs and 455 RBIs, hitting .295/.358/.521 in the process.

The Red Sox have proven to be busy during the offseason, signing a growing list of players including infielder Justin Turner, outfielder Masataka Yoshida, starter Corey Kluber, and relievers Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, and Joely Rodriguez. Xander Bogaerts and Nathan Eovaldi went in the opposite direction, joining the San Diego Padres and the Texas Rangers respectively.

The post Rafael Devers Agrees to One-Year Red Sox Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Legendary St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is returning for his 18th MLB season in 2021. And he’ll do it in the same uniform.

The Cardinals confirmed on their social media on Tuesday that Molina inked a new one-year deal with the organization. The team didn’t share further details about the deal, but they’re expected to do so in the coming days.

The news represents a happy ending to a saga that plagued the Cardinals for the better part of the offseason.

After the end of the 2020 campaign, the team was non-committal to bringing back Molina. Meanwhile, Molina said he wanted to continue playing and was ready to do that somewhere else if St. Louis didn’t want him. The two sides were engaged in tough negotiations for several months after that before finding a common ground in the past few weeks.

Yadier Molina is one of the most decorated and accomplished players in Cardinals history. Since his MLB debut in 2004, Molina helped the team to two World Series wins while also earning a number of individual accolades. This includes nine All-Star nods and nine Gold Glove Awards.

Molina, who played 2,025 games in the majors, has a career batting average of .281, to go with 2,001 hits, 160 home runs, and 932 RBIs.

The post Cardinals Legend Yadier Molina Inks a New 1-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Milwaukee Brewers and free-agent second baseman Kolten Wong have reportedly agreed to a multi-year contract, according to MLB reporter Jon Morosi.

Wong, a Gold Glove winner at his position the past two seasons, will join the team on a two-year contract valued at $18 million, which includes a team option for a third year which would take the total value of the contract to $26 million.

The Hawaii native joins a former division rival after spending the first eight seasons of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals. Once considered a top-100 prospect in the game, Wong established himself as a dependable defensive second baseman that frustrated fans at times with struggles at the plate.

A disappointing offensive performance that saw him hit only .265 with one home run was part of the reason that the Cardinals declined his team option for 2021, making him a free agent.

Now, Wong will become Milwaukee’s everyday second baseman, and young star Keston Hiura will move over to first base. This is a move that should help the Brewers strengthen their infield defensively and thus fills an important hole in their roster.

Expect the signing of the new Brewers second baseman to become official over next couple of days ahead of the start of Spring Training at the end of this month.

The post Brewers Sign Gold Glove 2B Kolten Wong to Multi-Year Contract appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Chicago Cubs have agreed to a one-year contract with free agent starting pitcher Trevor Williams, adding an arm that will in all likelihood become a member of the team’s starting pitching rotation in the 2021 season.

The Cubs are very familiar with Williams, as the 28-year-old pitcher spent the past five seasons pitching for their NL Central rivals, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Williams was designated for assignment and opted for free agency earlier this offseason.

Williams’s new deal will reportedly pay him $3 million, making him a low-risk option for a Cubs rotation that appears thin after the departures of Jose Quintana and Jon Lester.

The San Diego native was a solid mid-rotation starter for the Buccos in 2017 and 2018, posting a 3.55 ERA over 321 innings during those two seasons.

He did, however, struggle in a 2019 season that saw his ERA balloon to 5.38. Those issues continued and even got worse in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, as Williams’s ERA jumped to 6.18 in 11 starts.

Chicago will now hope that they will be able to coax the good version of Williams back out after his struggles over the past two seasons and add a stabilizing, veteran presence to its rotation for the upcoming season.

The post Cubs Add RHP Trevor Williams to Bolster Pitching Staff appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Los Angeles Angels have struggled on the mound lately, and this year they hope to rectify that. Perhaps this is why they decided to sign Jose Quintana for the upcoming 2021 season.

The left-handed Columbian slinger reportedly signed with the Angels to a one-year contract worth $8 million, a move that may prove to be a huge turning point in his career. However, it goes even deeper than that for Quintana.

Quintana’s first nine seasons were spent playing for the Chicago White Sox and was later sent to the Chicago Cubs. Therefore, this will be the first time in his career that he’ll move to another state completely. Expect him to utilize this game of scenery to his advantage, and to treat this season as a fresh new start.

For most of his career, Quintana posted solid numbers, generally with an ERA under 4 runs per game. In the past three seasons, however, his ERA went a bit higher than that—so hopefully this move will be the change he needs to turn things around.

The Angels will need him to be at the top of his game if they’re going to compete in a stacked American League.

The post SP Jose Quintana Signs With LA Angels to 1-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Minnesota Twins and free agent starting pitcher J.A. Happ agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal that will bring a long-time American League rotation staple to Minneapolis.

Happ became a free agent in November after spending the past three seasons with the New York Yankees, where he compiled a 21-10 record with a 4.13 ERA in 50 starts.

The 38-year-old pitcher will now embark on a new quest to win a World Series trophy for the first time since 2008 with the Philadelphia Phillies in his rookie season.

The Illinois native is expected to play a big part in a Twins rotation who needed another piece to fill out its fifth slot. Happ’s goal will be simple: try to limit opposing offenses enough to let the Twins’ dynamic offense do the heavy lifting.

The Twins needed another rotation presence like Happ’s if they want to compete in the AL Central this season. Their main rival, the Chicago White Sox, has one of the Big Leagues’ best offenses and feasted against rival pitching last season.

Expect a fully healthy Happ to report to Twins camp in Fort Myers, Florida, next month as he begins preparations with his new team for the upcoming season.

The post Twins Sign SP J.A. Happ for 2021 Campaign appeared first on SportzBonanza.

One of the biggest prizes of this season’s MLB free agent market has found a new home, as star outfielder George Springer has reportedly agreed to a six-year, $150 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.

After Springer undergoes a physical at the Jays’ facilities in Dunedin, Florida, on Thursday, the contract will be made official.

Springer spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Houston Astros, making three AL All-Star teams and helping propel them to their first ever World Series championship.

The 2017 World Series MVP has hit .270 with 174 home runs and 458 RBI over the past seven seasons in Houston. Last season was more of the same for him, as he put up a .265 average with 14 homers in only 51 games.

Known for his deadly, powerful bat and his quality center field defense, Springer is one of the most well-rounded players in the big leagues and should provide a huge boost for a Toronto team with big hopes for the future.

Expect Springer to immediately take over the job in center field for the Jays and form a powerful combination with Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Lourdes Gurriel at the top of his new team’s lineup.

The post OF George Springer Agrees to 6-Year, $150 Million Contract with Blue Jays appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Boston Red Sox and left-handed pitcher Martin Perez have reportedly agreed to a deal that will take the veteran hurler back to Fenway for the 2021 season.

It previously appeared that the former Rangers rotation fixture would not stay in Boston past the 2020 season after the team turned down his $6.85 million contract option for the upcoming season.

However, after agreeing to sign him for less money than what he would have been owed on his previous contract, he will once again have an opportunity to be a key part of Boston’s rotation.

Last season with the Sox, Perez started 12 games and posted a 4.50 ERA and a 3-5 record. While he was not a star, he was at least able to provide dependable innings for a rebuilding Boston club.

He will be counted upon to serve in a similar role this season for the Red Sox, who figure to be out of contention once again barring something unexpected.

If Perez pitches well, he could stick around in Boston through 2022 as his new contract reportedly includes a club option for next season.

The Venezuelan lefty will report to Spring Training in Fort Myers, Florida next month.

The post Martin Perez Returns to Red Sox on 1-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Houston Astros and veteran relief pitcher Pedro Baez have reportedly agreed to a two-year deal that will take him outside of Los Angeles for the first time in his big league career.

Baez, who spent 2014 to 2020 pitching for the defending World Series champions, saw his contract with the Dodgers expire after last season and will now try his luck in the AL West.

His new contract with Houston is said to fall within the $12 to $14 million range, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

Baez is set to be a key set-up man for the Astros in the coming seasons, a job at which he excelled with the Dodgers. He posted a 3.18 ERA in 2020 and has a career mark of 3.03 over 356 innings pitched with 369 strikeouts.

The Dominican Republic native, who turns 33 just before the season starts, saw his strikeout rate dip last season but continued to be effective thanks to inducing plenty of soft contact.

Expect Baez to be a key part of an Astros bullpen that will look to help the team qualify for the playoffs for the fifth season in a row.

Baez will report to Astros Spring Training in Florida next month.

The post Astros Agree to 2-Year Deal with RP Pedro Baez appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Relief pitcher Greg Holland was one of the bright spots of the Kansas City Royals’ beleaguered pitching staff last season, and the team announced on Monday that they have reached an agreement to bring him back in 2021.

Holland, who was one of baseball’s best relievers from 2010 to 2015 with the team and a key part of the Royals’ World Series squad in 2015, came back to Kansas City in 2020 and impressed after struggling over the past few seasons.

The North Carolina native posted an excellent 1.91 ERA in 28 appearances on the season, striking out 31 batters. It was the first time the 35-year-old pitcher’s ERA had finished below 3.50 since 2014.

The Royals got a good deal for their 2021 deal with the right-handed reliever, as his contract has been reported to be worth $2.75 million, a great deal for a team which is in dire need of veteran bullpen arms.

The veteran closer missed the final few games of the 2020 season after suffering an oblique strain, but should be back at full speed for Spring Training here in a couple of months.

Expect Holland to once again be the center piece of Kansas City’s bullpen in 2021.

The post RP Greg Holland Returns to Royals on 1-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Rafael Devers has agreed to a one-year, $17.5 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, sources confirmed on Tuesday. The third baseman is reportedly looking to avoid arbitration, while both sides hope to negotiate a long-term deal.

While Devers is currently set to become a free agent in 2023, the Red Sox are looking to strike a long-term deal that will keep the 26-year-old in Boston until his 30s. The team is in need of squad reinforcements following the departures of homegrown talents Mookie Bett and Xander Bogaerts, who left via trade and free agency respectively.

Last season, Devers hit .295/.358/.521 for the Red Sox with 27 home runs and 88 RBIs. Over his six seasons in Boston, Devers has tallied 139 home runs and 455 RBIs, hitting .295/.358/.521 in the process.

The Red Sox have proven to be busy during the offseason, signing a growing list of players including infielder Justin Turner, outfielder Masataka Yoshida, starter Corey Kluber, and relievers Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, and Joely Rodriguez. Xander Bogaerts and Nathan Eovaldi went in the opposite direction, joining the San Diego Padres and the Texas Rangers respectively.

The post Rafael Devers Agrees to One-Year Red Sox Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Legendary St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is returning for his 18th MLB season in 2021. And he’ll do it in the same uniform.

The Cardinals confirmed on their social media on Tuesday that Molina inked a new one-year deal with the organization. The team didn’t share further details about the deal, but they’re expected to do so in the coming days.

The news represents a happy ending to a saga that plagued the Cardinals for the better part of the offseason.

After the end of the 2020 campaign, the team was non-committal to bringing back Molina. Meanwhile, Molina said he wanted to continue playing and was ready to do that somewhere else if St. Louis didn’t want him. The two sides were engaged in tough negotiations for several months after that before finding a common ground in the past few weeks.

Yadier Molina is one of the most decorated and accomplished players in Cardinals history. Since his MLB debut in 2004, Molina helped the team to two World Series wins while also earning a number of individual accolades. This includes nine All-Star nods and nine Gold Glove Awards.

Molina, who played 2,025 games in the majors, has a career batting average of .281, to go with 2,001 hits, 160 home runs, and 932 RBIs.

The post Cardinals Legend Yadier Molina Inks a New 1-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Milwaukee Brewers and free-agent second baseman Kolten Wong have reportedly agreed to a multi-year contract, according to MLB reporter Jon Morosi.

Wong, a Gold Glove winner at his position the past two seasons, will join the team on a two-year contract valued at $18 million, which includes a team option for a third year which would take the total value of the contract to $26 million.

The Hawaii native joins a former division rival after spending the first eight seasons of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals. Once considered a top-100 prospect in the game, Wong established himself as a dependable defensive second baseman that frustrated fans at times with struggles at the plate.

A disappointing offensive performance that saw him hit only .265 with one home run was part of the reason that the Cardinals declined his team option for 2021, making him a free agent.

Now, Wong will become Milwaukee’s everyday second baseman, and young star Keston Hiura will move over to first base. This is a move that should help the Brewers strengthen their infield defensively and thus fills an important hole in their roster.

Expect the signing of the new Brewers second baseman to become official over next couple of days ahead of the start of Spring Training at the end of this month.

The post Brewers Sign Gold Glove 2B Kolten Wong to Multi-Year Contract appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Chicago Cubs have agreed to a one-year contract with free agent starting pitcher Trevor Williams, adding an arm that will in all likelihood become a member of the team’s starting pitching rotation in the 2021 season.

The Cubs are very familiar with Williams, as the 28-year-old pitcher spent the past five seasons pitching for their NL Central rivals, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Williams was designated for assignment and opted for free agency earlier this offseason.

Williams’s new deal will reportedly pay him $3 million, making him a low-risk option for a Cubs rotation that appears thin after the departures of Jose Quintana and Jon Lester.

The San Diego native was a solid mid-rotation starter for the Buccos in 2017 and 2018, posting a 3.55 ERA over 321 innings during those two seasons.

He did, however, struggle in a 2019 season that saw his ERA balloon to 5.38. Those issues continued and even got worse in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, as Williams’s ERA jumped to 6.18 in 11 starts.

Chicago will now hope that they will be able to coax the good version of Williams back out after his struggles over the past two seasons and add a stabilizing, veteran presence to its rotation for the upcoming season.

The post Cubs Add RHP Trevor Williams to Bolster Pitching Staff appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Los Angeles Angels have struggled on the mound lately, and this year they hope to rectify that. Perhaps this is why they decided to sign Jose Quintana for the upcoming 2021 season.

The left-handed Columbian slinger reportedly signed with the Angels to a one-year contract worth $8 million, a move that may prove to be a huge turning point in his career. However, it goes even deeper than that for Quintana.

Quintana’s first nine seasons were spent playing for the Chicago White Sox and was later sent to the Chicago Cubs. Therefore, this will be the first time in his career that he’ll move to another state completely. Expect him to utilize this game of scenery to his advantage, and to treat this season as a fresh new start.

For most of his career, Quintana posted solid numbers, generally with an ERA under 4 runs per game. In the past three seasons, however, his ERA went a bit higher than that—so hopefully this move will be the change he needs to turn things around.

The Angels will need him to be at the top of his game if they’re going to compete in a stacked American League.

The post SP Jose Quintana Signs With LA Angels to 1-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Minnesota Twins and free agent starting pitcher J.A. Happ agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal that will bring a long-time American League rotation staple to Minneapolis.

Happ became a free agent in November after spending the past three seasons with the New York Yankees, where he compiled a 21-10 record with a 4.13 ERA in 50 starts.

The 38-year-old pitcher will now embark on a new quest to win a World Series trophy for the first time since 2008 with the Philadelphia Phillies in his rookie season.

The Illinois native is expected to play a big part in a Twins rotation who needed another piece to fill out its fifth slot. Happ’s goal will be simple: try to limit opposing offenses enough to let the Twins’ dynamic offense do the heavy lifting.

The Twins needed another rotation presence like Happ’s if they want to compete in the AL Central this season. Their main rival, the Chicago White Sox, has one of the Big Leagues’ best offenses and feasted against rival pitching last season.

Expect a fully healthy Happ to report to Twins camp in Fort Myers, Florida, next month as he begins preparations with his new team for the upcoming season.

The post Twins Sign SP J.A. Happ for 2021 Campaign appeared first on SportzBonanza.

One of the biggest prizes of this season’s MLB free agent market has found a new home, as star outfielder George Springer has reportedly agreed to a six-year, $150 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.

After Springer undergoes a physical at the Jays’ facilities in Dunedin, Florida, on Thursday, the contract will be made official.

Springer spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Houston Astros, making three AL All-Star teams and helping propel them to their first ever World Series championship.

The 2017 World Series MVP has hit .270 with 174 home runs and 458 RBI over the past seven seasons in Houston. Last season was more of the same for him, as he put up a .265 average with 14 homers in only 51 games.

Known for his deadly, powerful bat and his quality center field defense, Springer is one of the most well-rounded players in the big leagues and should provide a huge boost for a Toronto team with big hopes for the future.

Expect Springer to immediately take over the job in center field for the Jays and form a powerful combination with Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Lourdes Gurriel at the top of his new team’s lineup.

The post OF George Springer Agrees to 6-Year, $150 Million Contract with Blue Jays appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Boston Red Sox and left-handed pitcher Martin Perez have reportedly agreed to a deal that will take the veteran hurler back to Fenway for the 2021 season.

It previously appeared that the former Rangers rotation fixture would not stay in Boston past the 2020 season after the team turned down his $6.85 million contract option for the upcoming season.

However, after agreeing to sign him for less money than what he would have been owed on his previous contract, he will once again have an opportunity to be a key part of Boston’s rotation.

Last season with the Sox, Perez started 12 games and posted a 4.50 ERA and a 3-5 record. While he was not a star, he was at least able to provide dependable innings for a rebuilding Boston club.

He will be counted upon to serve in a similar role this season for the Red Sox, who figure to be out of contention once again barring something unexpected.

If Perez pitches well, he could stick around in Boston through 2022 as his new contract reportedly includes a club option for next season.

The Venezuelan lefty will report to Spring Training in Fort Myers, Florida next month.

The post Martin Perez Returns to Red Sox on 1-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Houston Astros and veteran relief pitcher Pedro Baez have reportedly agreed to a two-year deal that will take him outside of Los Angeles for the first time in his big league career.

Baez, who spent 2014 to 2020 pitching for the defending World Series champions, saw his contract with the Dodgers expire after last season and will now try his luck in the AL West.

His new contract with Houston is said to fall within the $12 to $14 million range, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

Baez is set to be a key set-up man for the Astros in the coming seasons, a job at which he excelled with the Dodgers. He posted a 3.18 ERA in 2020 and has a career mark of 3.03 over 356 innings pitched with 369 strikeouts.

The Dominican Republic native, who turns 33 just before the season starts, saw his strikeout rate dip last season but continued to be effective thanks to inducing plenty of soft contact.

Expect Baez to be a key part of an Astros bullpen that will look to help the team qualify for the playoffs for the fifth season in a row.

Baez will report to Astros Spring Training in Florida next month.

The post Astros Agree to 2-Year Deal with RP Pedro Baez appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Relief pitcher Greg Holland was one of the bright spots of the Kansas City Royals’ beleaguered pitching staff last season, and the team announced on Monday that they have reached an agreement to bring him back in 2021.

Holland, who was one of baseball’s best relievers from 2010 to 2015 with the team and a key part of the Royals’ World Series squad in 2015, came back to Kansas City in 2020 and impressed after struggling over the past few seasons.

The North Carolina native posted an excellent 1.91 ERA in 28 appearances on the season, striking out 31 batters. It was the first time the 35-year-old pitcher’s ERA had finished below 3.50 since 2014.

The Royals got a good deal for their 2021 deal with the right-handed reliever, as his contract has been reported to be worth $2.75 million, a great deal for a team which is in dire need of veteran bullpen arms.

The veteran closer missed the final few games of the 2020 season after suffering an oblique strain, but should be back at full speed for Spring Training here in a couple of months.

Expect Holland to once again be the center piece of Kansas City’s bullpen in 2021.

The post RP Greg Holland Returns to Royals on 1-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.