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With the Cleveland Indians looking to get over the World Series hump in 2017, trading star reliever Andrew Miller could make their task more difficult.

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Report: Teams Inquiring About Miller

Wednesday, Nov. 9

Per Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the Indians are getting calls about Miller from other teams, but general manager Mike Chernoff described any potential trade as “a long shot.”

The Indians acquired Miller from the New York Yankees on July 31. The lanky left-hander turned in a fantastic 2016 season, posting a 1.45 ERA with 123 strikeouts, 42 hits allowed and nine walks in 74.1 innings between the two teams.

With Cleveland’s starting rotation ravaged by injuries in the postseason, the team asked Miller to carry a heavy load out of the bullpen. Miller was brilliant, recording 30 strikeouts while allowing only 12 hits in 19.1 innings over 10 appearances, and was named the ALCS MVP, though the burden caught up to him in the World Series, when he allowed three runs over his last two appearances against the Chicago Cubs. 

The Indians operate on a limited financial budget, making Miller’s $9 million salary in each of the next two seasons more than mere chump change to them.

They would be foolish to immediately shoot down trade requests for any of their expensive players if the return is to their advantage.

With a team that will return starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar, who missed most of the postseason, and outfielder Michael Brantley, who missed all but 11 games last season because of shoulder injuries, the Indians should be in the playoff mix again next year.

Miller makes their pitching staff deeper and provides an incredible bridge to closer Cody Allen. Unless the Indians get blown away with an offer, the southpaw will likely still be in Cleveland when the 2017 season begins.

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Yoenis Cespedes is looking to cash in this winter as a free agent after a huge 2016 season as a member of the New York Mets.

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Mets Meet with Cespedes’ Agent

Thursday, Nov. 10

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson confirmed he has met with Cespedes’ agent, per James Wagner of the New York Times, adding Alderson believes a resolution this month is “possible.”

Per Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com, Alderson would like to have a Cespedes deal done by January.

Giants Could Enter Cespedes Mix

Wednesday, Nov. 9

Per Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the San Francisco Giants are seen as “one of the more likely pursuers” of Cespedes during the offseason.

Heyman did note the Giants are also considering using prospects Mac Williamson and Jarrett Parker in the outfield next year, with general manager Bobby Evans noting the team likes both players.

The Giants really need to find an impact hitter for their lineup. They finished 19th in runs scored and 28th in home runs. Seven players hit at least 10 homers for the team last season, but Brandon Belt led the way with 17.

Left field is currently open in San Francisco with Angel Pagan entering free agency. Cespedes is coming off a terrific offensive season. The 31-year-old hit .280/.354/.530 with 31 homers in 132 games. His 51 walks and walk percentage of 9.4 marked career highs, per FanGraphs.

The Giants finished the season in dreadful fashion. They went 30-42 in the second half after having an MLB-best 57-33 record before the All-Star break.

However, they aren’t far from returning to their pre-All-Star level with a few tweaks. Their starting rotation is still strong with Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija and Matt Moore. Belt and Buster Posey are terrific hitters, and a full healthy season from Hunter Pence will help.

Finding a bat for the middle of the order and an arm or two in the bullpen will make the Giants the team to beat in the National League West.

Cespedes won’t come cheaply wherever he goes, but the Giants have the means and the motivation to make something happen if they decide to focus their attention on him this offseason.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Keon Broxton was arrested on Friday and charged with misdemeanor trespassing. 

Per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, Broxton was arrested in Tampa after refusing to leave an area following a fight. 

Auman noted the incident took place at 3:26 a.m. on Friday morning after Tampa police were dispersing a crowd following a fight. 

Per the arrest report Auman cited, Broxton was described as being “extremely intoxicated” with visible injuries to his face. As police were asking people to leave an area, Broxton started yelling “Y’all ain’t s–t behind your badges” and one of his friends took him from the area following another warning. 

The report then alleged police officers saw Broxton again a few blocks away, and he kept yelling at them, was issued another warning and walked back onto property he had been told to leave while still arguing with the officers, leading to his arrest.

Brewers general manager David Stearns issued a brief statement about Broxton’s arrest. 

“We are aware of the news regarding Keon Broxton and are currently gathering information,” Stearns said, per Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. We will defer further comment until we know more about the situation.”

The 26-year-old Broxton was born in Lakeland, Florida. He was originally a third-round draft pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2009. Last season was his first extended opportunity in Major League Baseball, as he hit .242/.354/.430 in 75 games as the Brewers centerfielder.  

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Miguel Montero had two of the biggest hits for the Chicago Cubs during their postseason run that culminated in a World Series title, though the veteran catcher was not thrilled about playing a part-time role in October. 

Speaking on the Waddle and Silvy Show on ESPN 1000 in Chicago (via ESPN.com), Montero explained his emotions coming off the bench throughout the playoffs.

“It was different for me,” Montero said. “It was a different emotion because I didn’t get a chance to play. I was a little disappointed, to be honest, because I felt like I did a good job in the regular season but was left out a little bit. It made me feel a little like not important or maybe not as good to be in this lineup.”

Montero went on to say his frustration at the situation stemmed from a lack of communication from the team:

I’m a veteran guy. They talk about veteran leadership. I have 11 years in the game and two All-Star [appearances]. I expected to be treated a little better. I was expected to get communication. Just let me know. Put me in the loop. That was the toughest part for me because I never understood what my role was going to be.

If Montero was feeling bad about not playing every night, he didn’t let it affect his performance. The 33-year-old had 12 at-bats during the postseason with just two hits, but both of them were critical for the Cubs. 

In Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, after the Los Angeles Dodgers tied the game at three in the top of the eighth, Montero came off the bench with the bases loaded and hit a grand slam to put the Cubs up 7-3. 

In Game 7 of the World Series, after entering the game in the bottom of the ninth, Montero had an RBI single in the top of the 10th inning that gave the Cubs their final run in an 8-7 victory over the Cleveland Indians. 

The Cubs had the best problem a team in professional sports can have: Too much talent. They were rotating outfielders like Jason Heyward and Jorge Soler, who would both be sure-fire starters on virtually every other team, during the World Series. 

Catching was a position in which the Cubs were breaking in Willson Contreras during the season and David Ross was Jon Lester’s personal catcher, so this left Montero with few chances to play full games after the month of May. 

Montero is still under contract through next season, and with Ross retiring, he could see an uptick in playing time.

Contreras will get the first crack at being the team’s starter, with Montero needing to improve his .684 OPS and throw out better than 11 percent of base stealers if he wants an expanded role for the deepest team in Major League Baseball. 

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With the 2016 Major League Baseball campaign in the history books, all 30 teams are looking ahead to next season in an effort to secure a World Series championship. 

The hot-stove season brings with it a host of rumors, particularly on the trade front since free agency officially begins Tuesday. 

While a lot of what gets tossed around this time of year amounts to nothing, there are times when a blockbuster deal goes down. Miguel Cabrera was dealt to the Detroit Tigers as part of a huge deal that sent six players to the then-Florida Marlins in 2007. 

Looking at what the trade winds have blowing, it’s shaping up to be a busy winter for MLB general managers.

Royals Open to Dealing Wade Davis

The Kansas City Royals are making plans to have Wade Davis in 2017, with Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball reporting the team will exercise their $10 million option on the All-Star closer. 

That would buy the Royals some short-term security—that is if they don’t trade him before the season starts. 

Per Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Royals would be open to trading Davis if they could get controllable starting pitching in return. 

It’s not a surprise the Royals would be after starting pitching. Heyman previously reported the team would not exercise its $10 million option on Edinson Volquez, and the starting group as a whole finished 23rd in MLB with a 4.67 ERA last season. 

The problem Kansas City could run into is Davis didn’t have the kind of year in 2016 that will get teams jumping to cough up at least one young MLB-ready starting pitcher. His 1.87 ERA was good, but his 9.76 strikeouts per nine innings and 3.32 walks per nine innings were his worst marks since the Royals made him a reliever in 2014, per FanGraphs.

On top of that, Davis had two stints on the disabled list last season with a forearm strain in his pitching arm.

The shelf life for a reliever tends to be shorter than a typical MLB player because their arm gets used more frequently, even if they only appear in tiny bursts at a time. 

Davis started to show signs of breaking down last season, presumably lowering his value for teams around the league. The Royals are not going to sell him low, especially if they have designs on contending for a playoff spot next season. 

It’s smart to float a player’s name to see whether it will produce a significant bite, but the Royals are also picking a bad time to do it with elite closers such as Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon all free agents this offseason. 

Derek Holland’s Opus

Derek Holland, another player with an option for next season, knows what his fate will be. He just doesn’t know where it will take him. 

Per MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan, the Texas Rangers are not expected to exercise Holland’s $11 million option for 2017. 

Heyman reported the Rangers would be willing to deal the left-hander and have already engaged in discussions with multiple teams, but he didn’t specify which teams. It is curious why anyone would want to trade for him. His performance over the previous three seasons has been middling at best. 

Holland has only appeared in 38 games since the start of 2014 and has a 4.30 ERA with 209 hits allowed, 133 strikeouts and 57 walks in 203 innings pitched, per Baseball Reference.

Complicating Holland’s problems is a decline in fastball velocity to an average of 91.7 mph last season, the lowest mark of his career, per FanGraphs.

Considering those factors, not to mention knowing the Rangers don’t want to keep his salary on the books, why would teams want to give up any kind of asset for Holland?

It’s not impossible for the Rangers to find a trade partner for Holland because then he doesn’t have the right to pick his destination, which he would be allowed to do as a free agent. But a high salary keeps his value low. 

The Option Gang

The first order of business for every team after the World Series ended was to figure out the players with options who will be brought back in 2017. 

A lot of those players who get their options picked up figure to be wearing the same uniforms they did in 2016, though Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports listed a few who could be dealt away:

Among that trio, Pat Neshek figures to be the most sought-after commodity. His salary is high for a matchup right-hander, though teams tend to pay for relief help, even when it has limitations. 

Neshek allowed a .646 slugging percentage to left-handed hitters in 2016, per Baseball Reference.

Fernando Rodney was a disaster after being traded to the Miami Marlins in July, posting a 5.89 ERA in 36.2 innings. He will be 40 years old when the 2017 season starts and may have to fight just to make Miami’s roster out of spring training.

Carlos Ruiz is an underrated asset, even at 37 years old. The former All-Star hit .264 with a .365 on-base percentage in 62 games and threw out 42 percent of base stealers last season. 

Unless the Los Angeles Dodgers have a strong backup plan for catcher Yasmani Grandal, dealing Ruiz doesn’t make sense. Even with a limited power output, finding a strong defensive catcher who can get on base is a dream for every MLB club.

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For the first time in 108 years, the city of Chicago will be able to bask in the glow of a World Series celebration with the Cubs when the team holds its victory parade on Friday.

The Cubs capped off their historic season with a dramatic 3-1 series comeback against the Cleveland Indians, highlighted by an 8-7 win in Game 7 that saw them blow a three-run lead in the eighth inning before scoring two runs in the top of the 10th and holding off one more Cleveland rally. 

Parade Predictions

Predicting a parade isn’t nearly as agonizing as a game because no matter the outcome, no one feels like they lost. 

However, it will not be a stretch to say the Cubs’ parade will be the biggest baseball celebration in history.

Using the totally unscientific list of largest peaceful gatherings compiled by Wikipedia (via Paula Schleis of the Akron Beacon Journal), the Boston Red Sox‘s celebratory parade on October 30, 2004, ranks first among sporting-related events with an estimated 3 million people in attendance. 

If you prefer something a little more concrete, the Chicago Tribune reported in 2013 the Chicago Blackhawks’ parade in Grant Park drew approximately 2 million fans. 

As of May 2016, per Greg Hinz of Crain’s Chicago Business, the city’s total population is just over 2.7 million. There will also be spectators from around the area making a journey into the city for this historic moment. 

One thing that does hurt the potential turnout is the quick turnaround from Wednesday’s game to Friday afternoon. Fans who could have been looking to fly in might not be able to make necessary arrangements in time. 

But this is still going to be a huge event with a record number of fans joining in the festivities. 

As for what to expect from the actual celebration, there is nothing likely to surprise anyone. There should be many Cubs legends in attendance, but as far as which person will get the biggest ovation, don’t count on it coming from anyone who wore a uniform. 

It’s not hard to pinpoint when the Cubs’ plan was put into place: October 25, 2011. Things were rapidly unraveling for the franchise as they went from 97 wins in 2008 to 71 in 2011, leading to the firing of general manager Jim Hendry in August 2011. 

After a three-month job search, the Cubs introduced Theo Epstein as their president of baseball operations on that date in October. Here is what he said at his introductory press conference, per ESPN Chicago:

We’re going to build the best baseball operation we can. We’re going to change the culture. Our players are going to change the culture along with us in the major league clubhouse. We’re going to make building a foundation for sustained success a priority. That will lead to playing October baseball more often than not. Once you get in in October there’s a legitimate chance to win the World Series.

Epstein’s model has so far been nothing short of brilliant. His first three first-round draft picks were Albert Almora (2012), Kris Bryant (2013) and Kyle Schwarber (2014). He helped execute trades that brought Jake Arrieta, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell and Kyle Hendricks to Chicago. 

Jon Lester, who was with the Boston Red Sox when Epstein was general manager, signed with the Cubs before the 2015 season.

No one in Major League Baseball has built an operation with a more consistent level of success on the field and in player development than Epstein. He was the primary architect of three World Series teams in Boston, even though the 2013 title came after he left, and did the same thing in Chicago. 

Players are the ones who have to do the work on the field that everyone recognizes, but Epstein deserves to be the most praised person at the victory parade because of how he completely transformed the way business was being done in Chicago.

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The Boston Red Sox are betting on a strong rebound from Clay Buchholz in 2017 after announcing they had picked up the starting pitcher’s contract option.  

Jon Heyman of Todays Knuckleball reported in October the Red Sox were “seriously thinking” about picking up Buchholz’s option despite posting a 4.78 ERA in 2016, and some people in MLB felt he could have received a multiyear deal as a free agent because of the lack of free-agent pitching options.

Buchholz’s option is for $13.5 million and included a $500,000 buyout, per Baseball-Reference.com. His tenure with the Red Sox has featured stretches of brilliance but has also been marred by bouts of inconsistency and injury. 

Since Buchholz’s first full season in 2008, he has never made 30 starts in a season. His single-season high in innings pitched is 189.1 during the 2012 campaign, though he’s failed to reach the 140-inning barrier each of the last two seasons. 

Things reached a point for Buchholz in 2016 in which Red Sox manager John Farrell moved him to the bullpen. He did finish the season strong and was able to make Boston’s playoff rotation, starting Game 3 of the American League Division Series against Cleveland. 

The Red Sox will be happy if there is a happy medium with Buchholz in 2017. They are fortunate to have more depth in the starting rotation. They should benefit from Rick Porcello’s 22-win form, David Price’s ability to do more than he offered in his first season with the team and, hopefully, a full year out of Eduardo Rodriguez.

Buchholz doesn’t have to be the star in the rotation anymore. He just has to provide the team with something around a league-average performance as the No. 4 or 5 option for manager John Farrell.

The Red Sox will rise or fall based on their loaded offense in 2017, but their pitching depth is going to play a key role in determining just how far the team is able to go with Buchholz being one of the great unknowns for Boston.

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After playing well in 60 games for the New York Mets in 2016, infielder Jose Reyes will be back with the team next season. 

Per Jon Heyman of TodaysKnuckleball.com and James Wagner of the New York Times, the Mets exercised Reyes’ 2017 contract option that pays him the league minimum. 

Major League Baseball hasn’t announced the official minimum salary for next season. It has been $507,500 each of the previous two seasons, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).

While Reyes will not earn much money from the Mets, he’s still owed $22 million in 2017 from the Colorado Rockies, who released the former All-Star in June after he served a 51-game suspension for violating MLB‘s domestic violence policy. 

Reyes was arrested and charged with abuse of a family or household member last October in Maui, Hawaii, per Thomas Harding of MLB.com. 

The Mets signed Reyes at the end of June. He made his season debut on July 5 and hit .267/.326/.443 with 25 extra-base hits in 255 at-bats. 

Facing some key roster decisions this offseason—most notably if they can re-sign Yoenis Cespedes, assuming he opts out of his contract, which ESPN’s Adam Rubin noted is expected to happen no later than Saturday—keeping talent at an affordable salary is essential for the Mets. 

Reyes is no longer the dynamic talent he was during his prime years, but he played well after sitting out the first half of the 2016 season and is clearly comfortable in the New York market to be worth the small financial investment the team has in him. 

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While the Chicago Cubs are currently busy celebrating the franchise’s first World Series title in 108 years, oddsmakers have listed them as heavy favorites to do it again in 2017.

Per OddsShark.com, the Cubs are 7-2 favorites to win next year’s World Series. The Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers are tied for second at 9-1, followed by the Washington Nationals at 12-1. 

More to follow.

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New York Mets closer Jeurys Familia was arrested Monday on a domestic violence charge.  

Per Andrew Wyrich and Abbott Koloff of NorthJersey.com, authorities in Fort Lee, New Jersey, filed a complaint against Familia alleging the pitcher caused “bodily injury to another” and that they noticed a chest scratch and bruise on the right cheek of the victim. 

The Mets issued a brief statement included in Wyrich and Koloff’s report: “The matter was brought to our attention and we are monitoring the situation.”

The name of the alleged victim in the case was redacted in court papers that Wyrich and Koloff obtained.

In the complaint filed, officers noted they had probable cause “to believe that domestic violence had occurred.” 

An anti-domestic violence group who Familia represented has cut ties with the pitcher after the arrest, according to Brendan Kuty of NJ.com. New York City council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito released a statement regarding the news: 

I am deeply disturbed by the allegations against [Jeurys] Familia and call on MLB to launch an immediate and thorough investigation. We created #NotAFan so fans can communicate that domestic violence is absolutely unacceptable and to give a voice to fans who didn’t have one before. I will be reaching out to the Mets and the Familia ads will be removed from the campaign. Last week it was Josh Brown this week it’s Familia. The problem is rampant. The solution is to confront it.

Familia was charged with simple assault in the complaint. Fort Lee police Chief Keith Bendul said officers responded to a call regarding a dispute at a Park Avenue apartment after 2 a.m. on Monday morning, though he did not offer specific details regarding the situation or parties involved.

Familia recently completed his third full season for the Mets. He led the National League with 67 games finished and 51 saves during the 2016 regular season. 

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