:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49561435/usa-today-9284713.0.jpg)
The MLB Daily Dish is a daily feature we're running here at MLBDD and rounds up roster-impacting news, rumors, and analysis. Have feedback or have something that should be shared? Hit us at @mlbdailydish on Twitter.
Good morning baseball fans!
The big news from yesterday broke late in the day, as the Nationals and Stephen Strasburg agreed to a seven-year, $175 million extension.
Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons will miss 6-8 weeks after thumb surgery.
Despite their hot start, the White Sox are likely to target outfielders when the trade deadline draws near.
Cincinnati has been trying to trade Bruce for years, as evidenced by the club coming close to trading him to the Blue Jays before the beginning of the season. Gonzalez and Markakis are productive veterans on struggling teams, while Gardner and Smith will likely see their names pop up in rumors if their respective clubs continue to struggle.
The White Sox are currently operating with an outfield of Melky Cabrera, Austin Jackson and Adam Eaton, though struggles from Jackson (.225/.288/.622 in 102 at-bats) may force the team to look for other outfield options as the summer continues. Chicago attempted to add a star outfielder over the winter, showing strong interest in free-agent options like Yoenis Cespedes and Alex Gordon before opting to sign a cheaper option in Jackson.
The Giants, Angels, Diamondbacks and White Sox are all in on Tim Lincecum.
80 games appears to be the number that some are saying will end up being the length of Jose Reyes' suspension.
Both Brad Ausmus and Fredi Gonzalez seats are getting a little hotter as the season moves on.
It's never too early to talk about trade candidates, and here are the top ten of them, ranked.
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says that the Cubs look like a perfect baseball team.
As you’d expect, teams that are good at everything win a lot of games. And it’s not out of the question that this Cubs team makes a run at the top two teams on that list, who put up the winningest seasons in baseball history. The Cubs don’t have the defense of the 2001 Mariners, but their pitching is better, at least as long as they can keep their starters healthy. They probably won’t keep hitting as well as the 1998 Yankees, but this is a better running-and-fielding team than that was.
Given their 24-6 start, it’s probably likely that this Cubs team ends up north of 100 wins now; we have them finishing at 102-60 on our current Playoff Odds page. To get from 102 to 114-116 is going to take some good fortune, but there’s nothing to point to that suggests that the Cubs have an exploitable hole that teams are going to take advantage of as the summer wears on. As long as Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester stay healthy, this team should run away with the NL Central, and they might end making a run at the 1998 Yankees or the 2001 Mariners.
Important Links:
Subscribe to The Rosterbatorical on iTunes. While you are there, drop us a rating and a review!
Today in Baseball History: In 1970, Hoyt Wilhelm becomes the first pitcher ever to appear in 1,000 games.