Dodgers want to trade for another White Sox pitcher
The Los Angeles Dodgers made an ill-advised trade at the deadline, acquiring Lance Lynn from the Chicago White Sox to the tune of a 6.16 FIP, 1.266 WHIP, and 2.3 home run per nine innings pace. Things, simply, did not go well for Lynn in Los Angeles, and the deal goes down as one of the worst to occur at the 2023 deadline.
They appear determined to manufacture themselves a mulligan with the Sox, now looking to acquire starting pitcher Dylan Cease from the Sox, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Nightengale says the talks are ongoing but does not provide an indication of how far along they are.
Cease showed up last year to a tune of a 3.72 FIP (4.58 ERA) across an AL-leading 33 games started. He had a somewhat high 1.418 WHIP, but remained one of the upside players on an obviously bad roster. It's tough to judge the stats for Sox pitchers in 2023 because the team behind them was so bad and run support was few and far between.
Then again, that was the same justification when the Dodgers acquired Lynn, as well, only for them to find out they had purchased a lemon. Will it really be that much different with Cease?
Answer? Probably. A gander at the 12 snapshot advanced metrics Statcast tracks has Lynn's 2023 above the 65th percentile in just a single metric, whiff rate. Case, meanwhile, ranked above 75 in four metrics (fastball velocity, whiff rate, strikeout rate, barrel rate), and above 80 in one (whiff rate).
As with any trade, the grade on it always comes down to the price surrendered.
St. Louis Cardinals already a lame duck in free agency
During November and December, all fans really want to see is action from their team. Action to at least be in the discussion on key free agents that would meet positions of need for the roster. Making signings is important, yes, but in the early offseason, sometimes being "in discussion" is more than enough.
The St. Louis Cardinals are not meeting expectations thus far. Despite starting pitching being an obvious area of need, the Cardinals were not even engaged on Philadelphia Phillies free agent Aaron Nola according to Derrick Goold.
The Cardinals are not the only losers here. The Braves were said to be interested and their pestering may have even pushed the Phillies to move with a bit more urgency. But at least they were engaged, throwing their hat in the ring to try to improve a position of clear need.
For the Cardinals to have the same positional need yet to not have even engaged Nola to try to secure his services feels like a sin for a club that has generally been known for competing.
There is still plenty of offseason left for Cardinals President of Baseball Ops. John Mozeliak to prove the doubters wrong, but so far, it is not looking like the Cardinals are moving on its key issues with a sense of urgency. That won't sit well with Cards fans.
Cubs not mentioned as favorites to land Cody Bellinger
The Chicago Cubs got their offseason off to a shocking splash when they canned manager David Ross -- who appeared to have job security -- in favor of longtime rival Craig Counsell of the Milwaukee Brewers. Counsell's contract in Milwaukee ended after the 2023 season.
That signing was a massive signal that the team is all-in on any moves that will get them closer to bringing another World Series trophy to Wrigleyville.
So, pencil in the Cubs for big moves, like re-signing Cody Bellinger, and going after other big free agents available to upgrade the roster, right?
Not so fast. On Bellinger, in particular, the Cubs are falling out of the race based on recent rumors. Bob Nightengale recently reported that the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees are seen as co-favorites to land the outfielder/first baseman. No mention of the Cubs.
The Cubs have been thought to be theoretically in the race until this point for Bellinger, who signed with Chicago on a one-year deal last offseason to stop in town and revitalize his reputation after a few bad down years with the Dodgers. He may have done so in such an electric way that he's priced himself right out of Chicago's future.