MLB Trade Rumors and News: The rich get richer as the Dodgers sign A.J. Pollock

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• The Dodgers have the money and prospects to basically go and get whoever they really want to and they made there move on Thursday when they snatched up A.J. Pollock on a five year deal. While some thought that the Dodgers moves earlier this offseason signaled that they were going to make a run at Bryce Harper, it looks like this move takes them out of the running for his services.
• For a team that appears to be selling off a lot of assets, the Mariners have still remained active in adding players as they signed Hunter Strickland to a one year deal. Strickland should help Seattle’s bullpen absorb a bit of the hit from the loss of Edwin Diaz....plus it fulfills Jerry DiPoto’s apparent requirement to make at least one move a week.
• The Padres made a big splash last year in free agency. Could they do it again this year? Well, they are at least doing their due diligence on free agents Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, Mike Moustakas and Marwin Gonzalez after they have “checked in” with each player.
• The Giants made a low risk, high reward move by signing veteran pitcher Drew Pomeranz to a one-year deal.
• After losing Adrian Beltre to retirement and trading Jurickson Profar to Oakland, the Rangersfound their third baseman for 2019, signing veteran Asdrubal Cabrera to a one-year, $3.5 million deal. It’s quite the bargain for a player who hit 23 homers last season and could easily see his power play up at Globe Life Park.
• After they seemingly caught lightning in a bottle with 35-year-old Nick Markakis last season, the Braves will see if they can do so one more time — albeit at a very affordable cost — signing the 2018 All-Star to a one-year contract worth $6 million guaranteed with a club option for 2020.
• In news that couldn’t have been too surprising to anyone who’s been following the early vote tracking over the last month or so, the Baseball Hall of Fame welcomed four new members on Tuesday: Mariano Rivera (who became the first unanimous selection in the Hall’s history), Edgar Martinez, Roy Halladay, and Mike Mussina. The long-overdue selections of Martinez (10th and final ballot) and Mussina (sixth ballot) should set up an interesting dynamic next January, as Derek Jeter is the only obvious first-ballot candidate — meaning that some repeat candidates could be in line for big boosts in support.
• In a move that’s been rumored, well, since he was released by Seattle last May, Ichiro is returning to the Mariners on a minor-league deal, sources told our Andersen Pickard on Tuesday. The deal will allow him to be on the roster — and likely finish his major-league career — during the Mariners’ season-opening series in Japan this March, though there’s a non-zero possibility that he could stick around afterward.
• Our Stephen Tolbert took an in-depth look at how the qualifying offer system has affected players’ value in free agency.
• Andersen Pickard broke down how the offseason is shaping up across the AL West thus far.
• The Reds have long been linked to a lot of starting pitchers in an attempt to become relevant in the very competitive NL Central. After landing Alex Wood in a trade earlier this offseason, Cincinnati got another potentially strong rotation arm from the Yankees in Sonny Gray and immediately extended him. What will be interesting to see is how well Gray performs after getting traded to a team with yet another hitter-friendly home park.
• The Yankees made a big splash when they added one of the best relievers on the free agent market, signing Adam Ottavino to a three year, $27 million deal. With Ottavino in the fold, the Yankees have a legitimately scary bullpen.
• The Angels were not going to be denied their shot at getting in on the bullpen market, as they snatched up Cody Allen on a short deal. It is a bit surprising that some of these deals for relievers aren’t as lucrative as some thought, but there has been little about these past couple of offseasons that could be considered normal.
• With tons of reports and rumors about Manny Machado flying around as the entire baseball world waits for him and Bryce Harper to sign, Machado’s agent, Dan Lozano, heard enough and decided to issue a statement about his client and the subsequent carelessness that has gone into the reporting of many of those rumors.
• The Diamondbacks signed versatile infielder Wilmer Flores to a one-year, $4.75 million deal.
• Another free-agent pitcher is off the market, as the Giants inked Derek Holland to a one-year deal. Holland is not the same pitcher he was earlier in his career due to shoulder issues and the ever-present tides of time, but he pitched well last season and should provide some stability for a Giants team that could easily struggle a good bit next year.
• The Rays continue to make moves to try and remain relevant in the incredibly difficult AL East. They were quite good last year despite a third-place finish and continued to add to their roster with the addition of Avisail Garcia on a one-year deal.
• We continued our look at how the offseason has gone so far with a look at how the AL Central grades out this offseason...at least until this point.
• Arbitration settlements have come and gone now, which only leaves some (possible) more negotiating and the hearings themselves. Andersen Pickard made you all a handy guide as to what to expect next in the arbitration process.
• The Mets’ new front office has made it abundantly clear that they are really trying to go for it this season, most recently by adding 2018 All-Star Jed Lowrie on a two-year deal. The National League East is shaping up to be a bloodbath in 2019.
• If you’re sick of sick the two-player circus that has been ensuing all offseason, here are 10 storylines to follow throughout the rest of the winter.
• It’s now more unlikely than ever that Kyler Murray will pursue baseball after he officially declared for the NFL Draft, but if he’s still considering it, MLB would allow the Athletics to add the two-sport star to their 40-man roster.