MLB trade rumors and news: Bryce Harper, Manny Machado’s free agency a waiting game for baseball

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• Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are the two biggest names in free agency this offseason. Because of their great statures, the rest of the baseball world will be waiting for their decisions to sign with a club, which may not occur until February, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.

• The Yankees have agreed to a deal with five-time All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who is expected to fill in as their starting shortstop this year as Didi Gregorius recovers from Tommy John surgery. Obviously, there’s a possibility that those plans will change if the Bronx Bombers end up signing Manny Machado.

• While the Mariners have appeared to be in sell-off mode with Jerry DiPoto seemingly looking to unload any player that isn’t nailed to the floor, Seattle made an extremely intriguing move that brought in Yusei Kikuchi on a four-year deal with the potential for significantly more than that. While the specifics of Kikuchi’s contract are fascinating, what is arguably even more fascinating is the Mariners, a team seemingly undertaking a rebuild and shedding salary, are making this move at all.
• Our own Cristiana Caruso went through all of the work that we here at MLB Daily Dish have done over the past year and put together a Best of 2018 that we thought you might enjoy. 2018 was a busy year here at the Dish, and we hope that you continue to enjoy the content here in 2019 and beyond.
• The Padres have traded Clayton Richard to the Blue Jays in exchange for minor league outfielder Conor Panas.
• Grading the First Half of the Offseason: How the AL East has done so far this winter. We can only assume that Toronto read this article, resulting in the subsequent pitching moves they made after it was published, so you’re welcome everyone.
• Needing a friend to keep Matt Harvey company on the West Coast, the Angels have signed Jonathan Lucroy to a one-year deal. It’s a beautiful friendship already in the making.
• Blue Jays have signed veteran pitcher Matt Shoemaker to a one-year deal.
• Another bat is off the market, as veteran slugger Nelson Cruz inked a deal with the Minnesota Twins. It is only a one-year deal with a club option for another, but it does seem to be true that the Twins are not going to just let the Indians win the division next year without a bit of a fight.
• The trade talks for Indians ace Corey Kluber are heating up, as it looks as if the Padres, Dodgers, Phillies, Brewers and Reds have the most interest in acquiring the two-time AL Cy Young winner.
• After non-tendering him, the Athletics have agreed to a two-year deal with Mike Fiers, everyone’s favorite fifth starter and tattoo connoisseur. One could say that the Athletics are no longer playing Fiers-less baseball. Please stop throwing things at me.
• The Rockies seem primed to lose some players this offseason, but they are on the right track in terms of reloading as they snatched up Daniel Murphy on a two year deal. Murphy is expected to play at first base a decent bit because his defensive acumen is...well....lacking.
• Major League Baseball and its Cuban counterparts have had a tough relationship in the past given the political climate and restrictions between the United States and Cuba. However, a historic agreement was recently reached between the two parties that will allow Cuban players to join MLB without having to defect. The agreement still faces some real challenges from outside political forces, but this is a big step in the right direction.
• It’s safe to say that this year’s gathering of general managers far and wide left baseball fans a tad underwhelmed. But despite how acute some of the move were, there were still clear and present winners and losers of the 2018 MLB Winter Meetings. I’ll give you two guesses on the big losers.