MLB trade rumors and news: Phillies extend Aaron Nola for 4 years, $45 million

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• The Phillies continued to commit money to their core players by signing ace Aaron Nola to a four-year, $45 million extension with an option for a fifth season.

• The Marlins, who were and remain largely devoid of proven bullpen options, took a small step towards solving that problem on Tuesday, signing three-time World Series champion (and the original Opener) Sergio Romo to a one-year deal. Seeing as he doesn’t have a whole lot of proven competition for the role, it appears that Romo will have a good shot to serve as Miami’s closer this season.

• Before Romo signed with the Marlins, our Andersen Pickard caught up with his agent, Barry Meister, to talk about the market for the veteran reliever and the slow-moving free-agent market.
• According to reports, Bryce Harper isn’t interested in signing a short-term deal. It remains to be seen whether he considers anything less than 10 years to be “short term.”
• Whether or not the Athletics could convince Kyler Murray to forgo a lucrative football career and honor his agreement from when he was drafted in 2018 to play baseball has been a hot topic this offseason. That saga has now played out as Kyler has officially decided to ditch baseball in favor of football, leaving Oakland without their 1st round pick from the 2018 draft and no compensation for it (other than getting part of his signing bonus back).
• To provide themselves with a bit of comfort after a tough day, Oakland did bring back Brett Anderson on a one year deal pending a physical to compete for a spot in their rotation. The A’s needed a bit of good news to be sure.
• MLB should consider a lottery in their proposal to change the amateur draft. It’s no secret that the draft needs to be fixed, and maybe this is the way to spice things up a little more.
• While many fans have focused on the fates of its current players of late, nearly all of them mourned the passing of Frank Robinson who died last week at the age of 83. Frank Robinson was one of the absolute best to ever play the game and was also the league’s first African-American manager. We at MLB Daily Dish send our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and fans. The world lost a giant.
• The Marlins finally parted ways with their star catcher J.T. Realmuto as they traded him to the Phillies in a deal that was highlighted by flamethrowing pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez. The Phillies were late entrants into the Realmuto sweepstakes, but they closed the deal and the National League playoff race next year continues to look very, very interesting.
• Bryce Harper is still a free agent, but the star outfielder has recently met with the Giants about possibly signing with them.
• The Nationals brought back Jeremy Hellickson to a one-year deal.
• Beloved veteran outfielder Curtis Granderson will look to play another season in the big leagues, as he’s inked a minor-league deal with the Marlins and will try to win a job this spring. If he does end up making Miami’s roster, it’ll be interesting to see if he’s flipped to a contender down the stretch for a third straight year; he seems to be somewhat of a good luck charm, as he’s played on nine playoff teams in 15 seasons, including three that have advanced to the World Series.
• Nolan Arenado and the Rockies made history as they agreed on a one year, $26 million contract to avoid arbitration. That $26 million is a most given to an arbitration eligible player and frankly, Arenado deserves it
• The Padres have made a bit of a surprise entrance to the top of the free-agent market, as they are showing interest in some of the top names including Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. San Diego may not look the part of a contender right now, but they have one of the league’s best farm systems and could become good in a hurry.
• The Angels owe it to Mike Trout to at least make an effort to be better.
• The Diamondbacks are taking a chance on reliever Greg Holland after signing the three-time All-Star closer to a one-year, $3.5 million deal.
• Do free agents lose value when they remain on the market deep into the offseason? We took a look at the data, and let’s just say it usually helps them to sign sooner than later.
• Our Stephen Tolbert took an in-depth look at how the qualifying offer system has affected players’ value in free agency.