MLB trade rumors and news: Robinson Chirinos returns to Rangers on one-year deal

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• 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.
• Something has the Nationals looking to be very active in free agency of late. After they signed Castro, Cabrera, and Harris recently, they added a pair of free agents on Monday when they signed Eric Thames and Daniel Hudson. Thames is coming to Washington on a one-year deal (there is a mutual option, but those almost never get picked up these days) while Hudson got two years at around $5.5 million per year.
• Josh Donaldson is currently the biggest name left of the free agent market and up until recently, there were a bunch of teams in hot pursuit of him. The Braves remain determined to re-sign the third baseman, but over the course of the offseason, we have seen a half dozen or more teams that were really interested in his services as well. However, as the offseason has progressed, that list has dwindled down and based on the moves the Nationals have made recently, it looks like that they, too, may be out of the running for JD’s services, although that is far from a certainty.
• 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 to a one-year, $2.5 million deal. We know all you super fans out there were beginning to worry. The 34-year old is perhaps a safety net at third base for Washington, who is desperately trying to sign Josh Donaldson to fill a hole at the hot corner. Cabrera could even bounce between second and third, switching with the newly-National’d Starlin 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 Nationals made a big move to help shore up their bullpen, signing veteran reliever Will Harris to a three-year, $24 million deal.
• 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.
• Baseball is a game where some players transcend the teams they play for and become legends in their own right. Don Larsen, the only pitcher to ever throw a perfect game in the World Series, was one of those players. Famous for his time with the Yankees but also seeing action with six other teams throughout his career, Larsen sadly passed away at the age of 90 last week.
• 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.
• Former Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco has gone from a promising young player to, well... not in the span of about five seasons. After decent seasons in 2015 and 2016, Franco has fallen off in a pretty significant way and the Phillies finally parted ways with him this offseason. He will now look to rebuild his value in Kansas City, as the Royals signed him to a one-year, $3 million deal.