Friday night, the Diamondbacks made the surprise move of the offseason by swooping in and agreeing to sign RHP Zack Greinke to a six-year contract worth $206.5 million. The deal, which is pending a physical, includes $60 million in deferrals.
The D-Backs were a trendy sleeper pick for the postseason next year without Greinke, and now they're suddenly a bonafide contender, at least for a Wild Card spot. The Dodgers and Giants, meanwhile, now have to move on to Plan B after losing out on Greinke.
Here is the latest edition of Inside Baseball from Jon Heyman, which was published Friday morning, before the Greinke signing. Now here is a recap of the rest of Friday's hot stove news.
ROSTER MOVES & TRANSACTIONS
Blue Jays: Re-signed C Josh Thole to a one-year deal worth $800,000, the team announced.
Braves: Acquired RHP Jose Ramirez from the Mariners for cash or a player to be named later, the team announced.
Cubs: Agreed to a two-year, $32 million contract with RHP John Lackey ... claimed LHP Edgar Olmos off waivers from the Mariners, the club announced.
Diamondbacks: Re-signed LHP Hector Hernandez to a minor league contract. (Jon Heyman)
Marlins: Signed RHP Paul Clemens to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. (Jon Heyman)
Nationals: Agreed to a two-year, $7 million contract with LHP Oliver Perez.
Red Sox: Officially announced the signing of LHP David Price and introduced him at a press conference. 3B Garin Cecchini was designated for assignment in a corresponding move, the team announced.
White Sox: Signed C Dioner Navarro to a contract worth $4 million over one year.
Yankees: Signed IF Pete Kozma to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. (New York Daily News)
FRONT OFFICE & COACHING STAFF NEWS
Marlins: Officially named Barry Bonds their new hitting coach.
RUMORS & NEWS
3B Jae-Gyun Hwang: No MLB teams placed a big on Hwang, a third baseman from Korea. (Yonhap)
RHP Ryan Madson: Drawing interest from the Dodgers and Athletics. (Jon Heyman)
RHP Darren O'Day: Likely to sign before the Winter Meetings. (Jon Heyman)
RHP Fernando Rodney: The Twins, Cubs and Padres have shown the most interest in Rodney so far this offseason. (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
IF/OF Ben Zobrist: Visited the Mets and the New York area Wednesday. (ESPN New York)
Angels: Making progress on a new deal with free agent 3B David Freese. (Jon Heyman)
Astros: May look to trade LHP Brett Oberholtzer. (Jon Heyman)
Diamondbacks: Even after signing Greinke, the D-Backs are interested in signing free agent RHP Mike Leake. (Fox Sports)
Dodgers: Have already reached out to the representatives for free agents RHP Johnny Cueto, RHP Jeff Samardzija and LHP Scott Kazmir after losing Greinke. (Fox Sports)
Mets: GM Sandy Alderson will miss the Winter Meetings while undergoing chemotherapy for a "treatable" cancer.
Rangers: Have talked to the Reds about 3B Todd Frazier. (Fox Sports)
Tigers: Expected to sign free agent RHP Mike Pelfrey to a two-year contract soon. (Jon Heyman)
