After several days of suspense, the White Sox finally made it official: James McCann is on board for one year and $2.5 million.
The press release didn't include a quote from Rick Hahn explaining the virtues of the move, but it did note that the White Sox drafted McCann out of high school in the 31st round back in 2008. He attended the University of Arkansas instead.
The 40-man roster is now at 40 for the first time this winter, which means any future moves will require and equal an opposite reaction to free up a spot. Unless the White Sox and Cubs want to keep playing hot potato with Ian Clarkin -- which would be great -- Ryan Cordell and Charlie Tilson look like the most vulnerable.
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Manny Machado took his free agency tour to New York on Wednesday, where he went to Yankee Stadium after a 90-minute meeting.
While the Yankees have tried to downplay their interest and leverage Machado's "Johnny Hustle" quote against him, it appears that Machado indeed received a sales pitch.
Jon Heyman said the Yankees contingent wined and dined with Machado, his wife, and his agent Dan Lozano. Bob Nightengale said the Yankees are "enamored" with Machado and "believe him to be a perfect fit." The Phillies will meet with Machado on Thursday, and Heyman says there are no mystery teams afterward.
And while there's only one Yonder Alonso to go around, the Yankees might have countered the White Sox' trade for Machado's brother-in-law by adding Carlos Beltran to their front office. Beltran is also represented by Lozano.
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Major League Baseball and Cuba have agreed on a posting system that resembles the agreements in Japan and South Korea, in an attempt to end the trafficking schemes that Cuba's top talent has been subjected to over the years. Via USA Today:
MLB said the agreement stipulates the Cuban baseball federation must release all players under contract who are at least 25 and have at least six or more years of playing service.
It also has the option of releasing younger players to sign wtih major league clubs. The player may negotiate and sign with any major league club wtihout leaving Cuba. The signing team will pay a posting fee to the Cuban federation, not unlike fees paid for players moving from Japan to MLB.
It doesn't entirely solve the issue of players defecting, and doing so through dangerous channels, but it gives Cubans a cleaner, sanctioned path to the big leagues without defecting.
It still has to gain approval from the Trump administration, as it hinges on him maintaining the Obama-era warming of relations with Cuba. The USA Today story also contains a strong, adverse reaction from a Cuban-American U.S. representative, so there are probably a lot of dynamics I'm not aware of.
Jose Abreu, who had to testify in a trial that involved the method by which he smuggled into the United States, welcomed the development:
"Words cannot fully express my heartfelt joy and excitement in learning that Rob Manfred and Tony Clark have reached an agreement with the Cuban Baseball Federation. Knowing that the next generation of Cuban baseball players will not endure the unimaginable fate of past Cuban players is the realization of an impossible dream for all of us. Dealing with the exploitation of smugglers and unscrupulous agencies will finally come to an end for the Cuban baseball player. To this date, I am still harassed. The next generation of Cuban baseball players will be able to sign an MLB contract while in Cuba, they will be able to keep their earnings as any other player in the world, they will be able to return to Cuba, they will be able to share with their families, and they will be able to play the sport they love against the best players in the world without fear and trepidation. Great day for Cuban baseball players. Congratulations and thank you to MLB, the MLBPA, and the Cuban Baseball Federation."
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Down in the Venezuelan Winter League, things got out of hand.
