Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day. Trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk just isn’t easy. It’s OK, though, we’re going to do the heavy lifting for you each morning, and find the things you need to see from within the SB Nation baseball network as well as from elsewhere. Please hold your applause until the end, or at least until after you subscribe to the newsletter.
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Ben Zobrist is still really good at baseball. He’ll be 35 years old in 2016, but he’s coming off a season that saw him bat .276/.359/.450 despite spending all of it in pitcher-friendly parks, and he’s still a valuable defender at multiple positions. He also could not be given a qualifying offer since he was traded midseason, so between that and his still-present talent, he’s one of the most popular free agents out there. The Giants, Cubs, Mets, Cardinals, Nationals, and Royals all would like to bring Zobrist aboard for next summer and beyond, and that’s just who we know of so far.
The Royals believe they have a better chance of reuniting with Zobrist than they do with their other major free agents, Alex Gordon and Johnny Cueto. The Nationals are looking for someone with Zobrist’s versatility, which makes a lot of sense for a team that has dealt with as many major injuries to key players in recent years as they have. The Cardinals are fine with the idea of giving a multi-year deal to the 35-year-old Zobrist. The Giants want him, but might be a little too West Coast for his family’s liking. Zobrist would fit in with the Cubs since they have a roster full of kids they’re trying to fit in at various positions: he could slide to wherever they fail to make someone stick. Finally, the Mets plan to get involved in the crowded discussions so they have an excuse later on when they don’t sign anyone who costs money.
Zobrist would help just about anyone since he can play multiple positions and play them well, so his popularity is no surprise. Just who he signs with is probably what we’ll be surprised by, but maybe he’ll be one of the earlier transactions this offseason since his uniqueness somewhat separates him from what the rest of the market is doing. Then, at least, we won’t have to wait long to see where he’s going.
- Andrelton Simmons was traded to the Angels by the Braves for the last year of Erick Aybar, and, more importantly, pitching prospect Sean Newcomb. The Braves continued their rebuild by taking advantage of a putrid shortstop market, while the Angels made their first major move under new GM Billy Eppler.
- With that being said, it's understandable if you believe what the Braves are doing is weird. Simmons won't even be 30 until his below-market deal ends in 2020 -- this isn't some old dude Atlanta just sent packing.
- Colby Rasmus became the first player to ever accept the qualifying offer, which we probably should have seen coming given his history of making great friends with teams across the league.
- It doesn't make sense for the White Sox to rebuild, so they better not really mean rebuild when they say they're taking a step back.
- The Silver Slugger award recipients were announced on Thursday, and probably immediately forgotten once the Simmons news hit. But hey, now you can check them out since the dust has settled.
- Aroldis Chapman might be traded by the end of this weekend.
- The Red Sox are doing background work on a trade for Chapman, so he might even be dealt there. There are reasons why a Sox trade for Chapman lacks sense, but a lot of that depends on what it costs to acquire him, and if extension talks are part of that background. Chapman is pretty legit and all.
- The Blue Jays might get just what they hoped for out of a qualifying offer to Marco Estrada, as the two sides are working on a two-year deal.
- Ruben Tejada had his leg broken this postseason and now he might be non-tendered by the Mets. That's a pretty rough couple months.
- Let's travel back to 1997, when the Marlins were burning down the World Series champion they had built just months before.
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