We've already had a huge day on the MLB Hot Stove circuit, with the biggest name left in free agency coming to an agreement with a new team in the same division as his old one. We're here to get you caught up on everything with our Full MLB Rumors Roundup For December 12th.
Jason Heyward Fallout Will Be HUGE
The Chicago Cubs got their man on Friday, locking up outfielder Jason Heyward on an eight-year, $184 million contract. The deal contains two opt-outs, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal, with the first coming just three years in.
With Heyward now headed to Chicago, expect other outfield free agents to start getting yanked off the market in rapid succession. Left fielder Alex Gordon looks to be the St. Louis Cardinals' top target after missing out on Jason Heyward. Teams such as the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals have been linked to slugger Justin Upton in recent days.
Yoenis Cespedes? A reunion in Detroit is possible along with a move to Southern California, after the Los Angeles Angels failed to lure Heyward away from the National League. Also, keep an eye on the San Francisco Giants as they've been angling for a splash over the past few weeks.
Dexter Fowler and Denard Span have both been connected to seemingly everyone, including the Oakland Athletics and Miami Marlins.
We've also got Yasiel Puig personality conflict/trade rumors heating up in Los Angeles, with (unsubstantiated) rumblings that the New York Yankees could sniff around on him.
With the Heyward domino fallen, expect the outfield craziness to commence. Buckle in.
Jake McGee Trade Talks Heating Up
The Tampa Bay Rays' have been taking plenty of calls, per FOX Sports' Jon Morosi, regarding lefty relief pitcher standout Jake McGee over the past 48 hours, with his relatively low $4.7 million arbitration projection for 2016 and two years of team control remaining turning him into a ideal trade candidate.
The Los Angeles Dodgers make sense as a potential landing spot, considering that they've decided to move on from Aroldis Chapman. Other teams connected to McGee in recent days are the Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals.
Defending Champs Keeping A Cool Head
As massive amounts of money gets tossed around like free ice cream, the World Series champion Kansas City Royals are standing back and watching the madness unfold.
According to GM Dayton Moore, the team likely won't expand the team's 2015 Opening Day payroll of $112 million by too much during the offseason.
"Just because clubs are spending money, a lot of money, doesn’t mean that they are good business decisions," Moore said, via Royals Review. "I don’t know what other clubs are doing. I just know what we do. We’re trying to make sound business decisions, along with sound baseball decisions. That’s what we’re trying to do."
The Royals are remaining patient on their re-signing efforts with Alex Gordon, letting the market dictate their next move. However, don't rule them out for a big trade. They've got the prospects and the werewithal to land someone like Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, if they decide to pull the trigger.
There's also relatively cost-effective free agent OF options like Gerardo Parra, who has been connected to the team as of late in rumblings.
Kansas City may be playing the role of the tortoise by making relatively under-the-radar moves like re-signing Chris Young and landing reliever Joakim Soria, but they sure beat all the hares in baseball in the 2015 race...so, who are we to judge?
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