January 1: Our rental closer of last season DeMarcus Evans is headed to Minnesota for 2/19.
January 2: Rays free agent and last year's AL Reliever of the Year (still scratching my head) Garrett Crochet signed a 2/18 deal with the Phillies.
January 5: The Hall of Fame voting is in and we have one new member:
Arenado was an easy first-ballot selection. Gonna be tough for Braun and Ichiro to get over the hump next year and it's Ichiro's last chance. Adios to Joe Mauer, who deserved better.
Also today 39-year-old Francisco Lindor joined the Cubs on a 2/47 deal as he still has some life left in his game.
January 13: Claimed P Pat Bittner on waivers from the Dodgers, designated P Gavin Bruni for assignment.
Bittner has 70 stuff as a reliever, 65 as a starter with 55 movement. The catch - and the reason why he was on waivers - is his 35 control. Still think he could be useful and he has an option left, plus I'd rather have him than Bruni, who was once an effective reliever for us but struggled at AAA last year (and he'll probably clear anyway).
January 15: Another of our free agents departs with Francisco Morales signing a 4/54 contract with the Giants.
February 9: Former Ray and the top free agent catcher out there Joey Bart signed a 2/31 deal with the Red Sox.
February 15: The biggest name left on the free agent board found a home as perennial 35-HR guy 2B Alex Arauz went to Arizona for 3/67.
February 17: 36-year-old Gleyber Torres and his 476 career homers are finally leaving the Yankees as he signed a 1/15 contract with Philadelphia.
A minor trade:
This was a trade offered to me, and I accepted as the three guys are either washed-up or never-will-be minor leaguers. Ritchie meanwhile is semi-intriguing, a former 2nd-round pick of the Giants in 2028 who can play a 60 CF and hits just enough not be a zero. He earned 5 WAR in AA, nice but he was 25. Doesn't have to go on the 40-man so he'll be stashed in the minors for now but is a RH batter which means he could take
Caleb Hampton's place as a backup.
February 21: The last of our major free agents has signed elsewhere as Michael Prosecky joins Houston on a 1/4.9 deal.
March 1: Former Rays top prospect Shane McClanahan, who blew out his elbow in 2022 and came back as a vagabond reliever, signed with his 10th big league club St. Louis for 1/3.4.