The 2019 MLB Winter Meetings were something of a renaissance, and we saw a ton of moves during the four days in sunny San Diego. So we look at five takeaways from the Winter MeetingsWinter Meetings.
GERRIT COLE TO THE YANKEES
Obviously, we have to start with the biggest move, and that’s Gerrit Cole signing wit the New York Yankees. Cole is the best free-agent pitcher to hit the market at the most opportune time to cash in on a major deal. The Yankees needed to get an Ace to put them over the hump, and they got their “White Whale.” We have discussed Gerrit Cole quite a bit on this site as well as over on the Laracuente Ledger Network, our YouTube channel.
STEPHEN STRASBURG RE-SIGNS WITH NATIONALS
The World Series Champion Washington Nationals re-signed their World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg to a (at the moment) record deal of 7 years and $245 million. Washington has always based their organization on pitching, and that’s why the target was Strasburg over Anthony Rendon. We covered more on Strasburg in another piece, so click the link for that article.
ANTHONY RENDON TO THE ANGELS
Speaking of Anthony Rendon, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim signed Rendon to a 7 year $245 million deal. Rendon now joins a team with the best player in the baseball history, Mike Trout, as well as the two-way player Shohei Ohtani. Anthony Rendon adds to an already impressive offense. The question now becomes what else the Angels will do?
DIDI SIGNS WITH PHILLIES
Didi Gregorius signs with the Philadelphia Phillies on a one year deal. This move gives the Phils the ability to move Jean Segura to get more pitching. As a Yankee fan seeing Didi daily over the last five seasons, the Phillies are going to enjoy what Sir Didi brings to the field regularly.
Nolan Arenado Kris Bryant & Carlos Correa on the Move?
Reports stated that the Rockies, Cubs, and Astros could be looking to move Nolan Arenado, Kris Bryant, and Carlos Correa (respectively.) These three players are among the upper echelon of the game’s best young players. And each team has a different motivation for potentially moving these players. For the Rockies, Colorado may be trying to move the massive contract they just signed Arenado to before the 2019 season. As they appear to no longer be in as competitive a position as they were just a season ago.
Kris Bryant and the Chicago Cubs are amid a service time grievance, and regardless of the arbitrators ruling, it feels as if this pairing has soured on each other. And this may be the most appropriate time to move on from one another. And for the Astros, their payroll is at an all-time high, and they will be looking to get some salary relief. Attaching Correa to a more costly contract like a Josh Reddick could give the Astros some luxury tax reprieve.
ANYTHING WE MISSED?
These were some of the biggest takeaways for us from the MLB Winter Meetings. But there are plenty of stories to take away from this five-day baseball extravaganza. So let us know your favorite takeaways down in the comments section below. And be sure to check out our YouTube channel, the Laracuente Ledger Network, to get the latest baseball news on the Pinstripe Plunge Report, as well as some of the best content across YouTube in the worlds or pro-wrestling, movies, music, superheroes, and much more. And if you want to join us here at the Laracuente Ledger, then reach out by email at contact@laracuenteledger.com using the subject line #LedgerExpansion.
