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.

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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.

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The St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a blockbuster trade with the Colorado Rockies in which they will acquire superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado, a 5-time All-Star and 8-time Gold Glove Award winner.

The Rockies have committed to a rebuild and thus made the decision to shop their biggest star this offseason. They found a proper suitor in St. Louis, who will now take on the California native’s hefty contract with six years remaining.

Colorado will send $50 million along with Arenado to the Cardinals to help cover the cost of his massive contract, and St. Louis will send a package of prospects that have yet to be revealed in return.

Despite a down year in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Arenado has built a reputation as one of the game’s most reliable players thanks to his power production and stellar defense at the hot corner.

He hit only .253 with 8 home runs in 2020, but finished each season from 2015 to 2019 with a .280 batting average or higher and at least 37 home runs.

The deal has yet to be officially announced by the two teams, but expect the news to break from the teams early this week.

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After spending seven seasons in the United States as a fixture in the New York Yankees’ pitching rotation, right-handed starter Masahiro Tanaka has agreed to a deal with the Rakuten Golden Eagles which will send him back home.

Tanaka became a free agent this off-season after his seven-year $155 million deal with the Yankees expired. This was the largest contract ever given to a foreign player, and the veteran right-hander was thought to be a target for many MLB teams. But instead, he decided to follow his heart back to his native land.

The Golden Eagles are the team with which Tanaka became a star, as he became their best pitcher during his tenure with the team from 2007 to 2013.

Tanaka was the Pacific League MVP in his final season with the Golden Eagles and a six-time NPB All-Star for the team, which he helped lead to the Japan Series Championship in 2013.

He will return to his club as a hero and as the ace of its pitching staff after his 7 years in America ended with a 78-46 record, a 3.74 ERA, and a reputation as one of the most reliable righty starters in the game.

Tanaka will begin the new season with the Golden Eagles this summer.

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With only two weeks left until pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Spring Training for the 2021 MLB season, there are still a handful of big-name free agents that still haven’t signed a deal with a new team.

The market has changed throughout the winter, with teams having filled roster holes that might have been open back in November, and other possibilities for free agents opening up thanks to non-tenders and trades.

Let’s take a look at the three biggest free agent names still left unsigned, evaluate their markets, and choose a new home for them.

Trevor Bauer

The biggest name left on the market is 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner, who dazzled as arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball last season.

Bauer has long been an enigma, and has upped his status as a unique figure in the game by stating that he wants to start every fourth game with whatever club he signs for.

It’s clear that Bauer wants to go to a forward-thinking team, and there are plenty of franchises with money to spend and holes in their rotations where he could be a fit. Despite theoretically having enough starting pitching, the Dodgers have been reported to be getting in the fray as a potential destination for the California native.

We think that Bauer, however, will end up across town. We predict that he signs with the Los Angeles Angels on a five-year contract worth $175 million, a team that is so desperate for starting pitching that they might just consider his fourth-day proposal.

Marcell Ozuna

It’s hard for many to believe that Marcell Ozuna, one of the best consistent right-handed power bats in the league, still has not found a new home.

Despite the uncertainty related to the implementation (or not) of a universal DH in 2021, the 30-year-old star, should theoretically fit for any team with a hole in the middle of its lineup. Ozuna isn’t a great fielder, but he is passable in left field and doesn’t necessarily have to be a DH.

We think that Ozuna likely will not return to the Braves team where he thrived in 2020 thanks to their reticence to give out multi-year deals to free agents. Ozuna, we predict, will instead head to the Seattle Mariners for three years and $75 million as they look to compete with an exciting young core.

Justin Turner

The long-time Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman might be getting up there in age, but what is undeniable is that he provides consistent production at third base and would be a great addition to most lineups.

Will Turner stick around in Los Angeles, where he resurged as a player after a mediocre run with the Mets?

We find it difficult to imagine him playing anywhere else, even though there does seem to be a gap between the two sides, with Turner wanting a four-year deal and the Dodgers only offering two. How about they split the gap, with Turner heading back to the Dodgers on a three-year contract worth $60 million?

The post Re-Evaluating the Top MLB Free Agents Left on the Market appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The two biggest rivals in all of Major League baseball somehow linked up to make a trade on Monday, as the New York Yankees sent right-handed reliever Adam Ottavino to the Boston Red Sox.

The trade was only the second in the past 34 years between the bitter rivals after the Sox and Yankees made a swap involving infielders Stephen Drew and Kelly Johnson back in 2014.

Ottavino heads to the Red Sox along with prospect Frank German, and the Yankees will receive either a player to be named later or cash for the players they gave up.

The primary driving factor for the Yankees choosing to make this move was cutting salary, as Ottavino is on the hook for $8 million in 2021. The Yankees will reportedly only pay $850,000 of that amount, with Boston paying the rest.

Ottavino will settle in as a key late-inning reliever for Boston if he performs as he has in most of the past eight seasons. Despite a rough shortened 2020 season, the New York native has compiled a sub-3.60 ERA in 75% of seasons beginning in 2013.

The newest Red Sox player will report to camp in Florida over the next couple of weeks.

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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.

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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.

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Despite a debut 2020 season in Atlanta which saw him come close to winning the National League Triple Crown, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that outfielder/DH Marcell Ozuna is looking likely to sign elsewhere in free agency.

Olney says that there is very little chance that the burly outfielder, who hit .338 with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs in a monster season for the Braves, will re-ink with his 2020 team thanks to their organizational wariness to sign veteran players to long-term deals, which he is seeking.

Ozuna is dealing with the handicap of teams not knowing whether the designated hitter will be used in both leagues next season. If it is, NL teams would be more likely to give a long-term deal to the Dominican slugger, whose defense has gone downhill in recent seasons.

The White Sox, Blue Jays, Mets, and Giants have been some of the teams that are reportedly interesting in adding Ozuna this offseason, who is reportedly looking for at least a four-year contract.

It remains to be seen, however, whether or not a team will be willing to offer him that sort of deal based on diminished revenues following a COVID-19-affected 2020 campaign.

Spring Training gets underway next month, and it appears that Ozuna will not be with the Braves when that time comes despite his success with the team last season.

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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 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 St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a blockbuster trade with the Colorado Rockies in which they will acquire superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado, a 5-time All-Star and 8-time Gold Glove Award winner.

The Rockies have committed to a rebuild and thus made the decision to shop their biggest star this offseason. They found a proper suitor in St. Louis, who will now take on the California native’s hefty contract with six years remaining.

Colorado will send $50 million along with Arenado to the Cardinals to help cover the cost of his massive contract, and St. Louis will send a package of prospects that have yet to be revealed in return.

Despite a down year in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Arenado has built a reputation as one of the game’s most reliable players thanks to his power production and stellar defense at the hot corner.

He hit only .253 with 8 home runs in 2020, but finished each season from 2015 to 2019 with a .280 batting average or higher and at least 37 home runs.

The deal has yet to be officially announced by the two teams, but expect the news to break from the teams early this week.

The post Cardinals, Rockies Agree to Blockbuster Nolan Arenado Trade appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After spending seven seasons in the United States as a fixture in the New York Yankees’ pitching rotation, right-handed starter Masahiro Tanaka has agreed to a deal with the Rakuten Golden Eagles which will send him back home.

Tanaka became a free agent this off-season after his seven-year $155 million deal with the Yankees expired. This was the largest contract ever given to a foreign player, and the veteran right-hander was thought to be a target for many MLB teams. But instead, he decided to follow his heart back to his native land.

The Golden Eagles are the team with which Tanaka became a star, as he became their best pitcher during his tenure with the team from 2007 to 2013.

Tanaka was the Pacific League MVP in his final season with the Golden Eagles and a six-time NPB All-Star for the team, which he helped lead to the Japan Series Championship in 2013.

He will return to his club as a hero and as the ace of its pitching staff after his 7 years in America ended with a 78-46 record, a 3.74 ERA, and a reputation as one of the most reliable righty starters in the game.

Tanaka will begin the new season with the Golden Eagles this summer.

The post Former Yankees SP Masahiro Tanaka to Return to Japan appeared first on SportzBonanza.

With only two weeks left until pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Spring Training for the 2021 MLB season, there are still a handful of big-name free agents that still haven’t signed a deal with a new team.

The market has changed throughout the winter, with teams having filled roster holes that might have been open back in November, and other possibilities for free agents opening up thanks to non-tenders and trades.

Let’s take a look at the three biggest free agent names still left unsigned, evaluate their markets, and choose a new home for them.

Trevor Bauer

The biggest name left on the market is 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner, who dazzled as arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball last season.

Bauer has long been an enigma, and has upped his status as a unique figure in the game by stating that he wants to start every fourth game with whatever club he signs for.

It’s clear that Bauer wants to go to a forward-thinking team, and there are plenty of franchises with money to spend and holes in their rotations where he could be a fit. Despite theoretically having enough starting pitching, the Dodgers have been reported to be getting in the fray as a potential destination for the California native.

We think that Bauer, however, will end up across town. We predict that he signs with the Los Angeles Angels on a five-year contract worth $175 million, a team that is so desperate for starting pitching that they might just consider his fourth-day proposal.

Marcell Ozuna

It’s hard for many to believe that Marcell Ozuna, one of the best consistent right-handed power bats in the league, still has not found a new home.

Despite the uncertainty related to the implementation (or not) of a universal DH in 2021, the 30-year-old star, should theoretically fit for any team with a hole in the middle of its lineup. Ozuna isn’t a great fielder, but he is passable in left field and doesn’t necessarily have to be a DH.

We think that Ozuna likely will not return to the Braves team where he thrived in 2020 thanks to their reticence to give out multi-year deals to free agents. Ozuna, we predict, will instead head to the Seattle Mariners for three years and $75 million as they look to compete with an exciting young core.

Justin Turner

The long-time Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman might be getting up there in age, but what is undeniable is that he provides consistent production at third base and would be a great addition to most lineups.

Will Turner stick around in Los Angeles, where he resurged as a player after a mediocre run with the Mets?

We find it difficult to imagine him playing anywhere else, even though there does seem to be a gap between the two sides, with Turner wanting a four-year deal and the Dodgers only offering two. How about they split the gap, with Turner heading back to the Dodgers on a three-year contract worth $60 million?

The post Re-Evaluating the Top MLB Free Agents Left on the Market appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The two biggest rivals in all of Major League baseball somehow linked up to make a trade on Monday, as the New York Yankees sent right-handed reliever Adam Ottavino to the Boston Red Sox.

The trade was only the second in the past 34 years between the bitter rivals after the Sox and Yankees made a swap involving infielders Stephen Drew and Kelly Johnson back in 2014.

Ottavino heads to the Red Sox along with prospect Frank German, and the Yankees will receive either a player to be named later or cash for the players they gave up.

The primary driving factor for the Yankees choosing to make this move was cutting salary, as Ottavino is on the hook for $8 million in 2021. The Yankees will reportedly only pay $850,000 of that amount, with Boston paying the rest.

Ottavino will settle in as a key late-inning reliever for Boston if he performs as he has in most of the past eight seasons. Despite a rough shortened 2020 season, the New York native has compiled a sub-3.60 ERA in 75% of seasons beginning in 2013.

The newest Red Sox player will report to camp in Florida over the next couple of weeks.

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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.

Despite a debut 2020 season in Atlanta which saw him come close to winning the National League Triple Crown, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that outfielder/DH Marcell Ozuna is looking likely to sign elsewhere in free agency.

Olney says that there is very little chance that the burly outfielder, who hit .338 with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs in a monster season for the Braves, will re-ink with his 2020 team thanks to their organizational wariness to sign veteran players to long-term deals, which he is seeking.

Ozuna is dealing with the handicap of teams not knowing whether the designated hitter will be used in both leagues next season. If it is, NL teams would be more likely to give a long-term deal to the Dominican slugger, whose defense has gone downhill in recent seasons.

The White Sox, Blue Jays, Mets, and Giants have been some of the teams that are reportedly interesting in adding Ozuna this offseason, who is reportedly looking for at least a four-year contract.

It remains to be seen, however, whether or not a team will be willing to offer him that sort of deal based on diminished revenues following a COVID-19-affected 2020 campaign.

Spring Training gets underway next month, and it appears that Ozuna will not be with the Braves when that time comes despite his success with the team last season.

The post Braves Looking Unlikely to Re-Sign Marcell Ozuna 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.