MLB trade rumors and news: Sign-stealing scandals cost Alex Cora his job, Josh Donaldson signs with Twins

The MLB Daily Dish is a daily feature we’re running here at MLBDD that rounds up roster-impacting news, rumors, and analysis. Have feedback or have something that should be the shared? Hit us up at @mlbdailydish on Twitter or @MLBDailyDish on Instagram.

• The writing was on the wall for Red Sox manager Alex Cora after he was named as one of the primary orchestrators of the Astros’ illegal sign-stealing program in Rob Manfred’s report that was released Monday. Considering that the Sox are also being investigated for illegal sign-stealing in 2018 — Cora’s first season as manager — it seemed pretty obvious that Boston needed to part ways with the World Series-winning manager, and they did so on Tuesday night, announcing that they’d “mutually agreed to part ways” with the 44-year-old.
• In a rather unexpected twist, Josh Donaldson signed a four-year, $92 million deal with the Twins on Tuesday night, padding Minnesota’s status as AL Central frontrunners and solidifying their lineup as one of the best in baseball. Donaldson’s deal is the second-richest ever for a player 33 or older, trailing only Kevin Brown’s seven-year, $105 million deal with the Dodgers.
• Trade rumors surrounding Nolan Arenado have heated up in recent weeks, and the Rockies and Cardinals have reportedly had preliminary talks about a potential deal.
• One of the bigger storylines from this offseason was what was going to happen at the end of MLB’s investigation into the accusations that the Astros were stealing signs during at least their 2017 World Series run if not longer. Well, we know now and it isn’t pretty. MLB suspended Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch (who were both subsequently fired) for one year and took the Astros’ 1st and 2nd round picks for the 2020 AND 2021 drafts. The league is still investigating the Red Sox and, based on how often then Astros’ bench coach and now Red Sox manager Alex Cora features in MLB’s report, it is likely he at the very least will get hit hard with a suspension as well once that investigation concludes.
• The Twins have signed Miguel Sanó to a three-year, $30 million extension with club option for 2023. The 26-year old slashed .247/.346/.576 with 34 home runs last season, after having an incredibly pathetic 2018 that saw him drop down to Single-A. In 2017, Sanó was accused of sexual misconduct and did not receive any form of punishment from Major League Baseball.
• While free agency has been the busiest and most productive it has been in three years this offseason, they hasn’t been much in the way of trades this offseason. As a result, it was nice to see a real trade with prospects and everything as St. Louis sent José Martínez and Randy Arozarena to Tampa in exchange for star pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore and a low-minors catching prospect. The teams also swapped comp-round picks in the deal.
• The Brewers have molded themselves into real contenders in the NL Central over the last couple of seasons, and one of the big reasons why has been the leadership of manager Craig Counsell during that time. It looks like the organization wanted to make sure that Counsell was going to stick around for the foreseeable future, as they inked Counsell to an extension through 2023.
• You wanted a big offseason, and the baseball gods have more than obliged. Mookie Betts has agreed to a record $27 million arbitration contract with the Red Sox. That’s a $7M raise for the 2018 AL World Series MVP. Now that the deal has been made, the next big milestone is seeing if the Red Sox try to cash out on the 27-year old’s fierce bat during the trade deadline.
• After doing the MLB equivalent of a study abroad program and spending the 2019 season with the division-rival Astros, veteran catcher Robinson Chirinos is returning to the team he knows best, reuniting with the Rangers on a one-year deal that includes a club option for 2021. If Chirinos can come anywhere close to replicating the .790 OPS he posted last season, he should be a pretty significant offensive upgrade over incumbent Rangers catcher Jeff Mathis.
• The Diamondbacks have signed David Peralta to a three-year, $22 million extension. The pitcher-turned-outfielder will also receive $1.25M in incentives. The 32-year old’s slash line is going strong into 2020. Last year he hit .275/.343/.461 with 12 home runs. It’s also worth noting that his second life as an outfielder has seen an incredible amount of defensive dexterity, with Peralta saving 10 defensive runs for Arizona last season. Doesn’t everyone love a comeback story?
• The Nationals have signed Starlin Castro to a two-year, $12 million deal. The former All-Star will be part of a new-look Washington infield with Anthony Rendon gone and Brian Dozier and Ryan Zimmerman looking more unlikely to return by the day. The 10-year veteran brings some much needed infield depth and versatility to a team that still looks like a half-finished puzzle with the season quickly approaching.
• The White Sox have remade themselves into a real contender in the AL Central this offseason, primarily due to their flurry of free-agent additions. However, they are not forgetting their homegrown talent as they signed one of their best prospects, Luis Robert, to a contract extension that is worth at least $50 million with a chance for more if some lucrative team options are picked up. It is worth mentioning that Robert has yet to have an at-bat in the majors.
• The Nationals brought back veteran infielder Asdrúbal Cabrera on a one-year, $2.5 million deal. We know all you super fans out there were beginning to worry. The 34-year old could be a starting option at third base or could even bounce between second and third, switching with Castro, who also spent time at third in 2019. While he was designated for assignment by the Rangers towards the end of last season, Cabrera became an important part of Washington’s World Series effort, starting five of the seven games and slashing .323/.404/.565 in his new uniform.
• The Red Sox have been eerily quiet this offseason with the exception of a lot of talk of which contracts they are trying to shed to ease their alleged payroll burden (David Price and Mookie Betts being the sexiest of those names thus far). They did actually add a free agent, though, bringing in backup catcher Kevin Plawecki on a one-year deal.
• Our Andersen Pickard has made the rest of the offseason so easy for you. He’s completed a list of what every MLB team’s biggest remaining need is. Thank you cards are appreciated and accepted.
• While it is unclear that it will actually work, the Reds have made some real efforts to be competitive in 2020. After signing Wade Miley and Mike Moustakas (among other moves), the Reds further bolstered their lineup with the signing of Japanese outfielder Shogo Akiyama. Akiyama was an All-Star and Gold Glover for the Seibu Lions and while one should be suspicious of stats from overseas leagues, most think he will end up as a very useful player in MLB.
• The Marlins have signed Corey Dickerson to a two-year, $17.5 million deal. The veteran heads to Miami slashing a career .286/.328/.504 and only two years removed from an All-Star appearance. Dickerson is the latest piece of the puzzle as the Marlins aim to become at least semi-relevant in 2020. He’ll join fellow offseason additions Jesús Aguilar and Jonathan Villar on that valiant quest.
• The White Sox have signed Dallas Keuchel to a three-year deal with a vesting option for 2023. The southpaw will be making $55.5M over the course of those three years, with that extra vesting year potentially bringing him up to $74M. Not a bad pay raise, if you ask me. The 2015 Cy Young winner will be sure to give a very lackluster AL Central a jolt of energy.
• The Brewers are in a weird spot as a team, but at the very least they have replaced Eric Thames on the roster. Justin Smoak, another guy with a questionable hit tool but real power, inked a one-year $5 million deal with Milwaukee that includes a club option for 2021.