Wednesday marked the non-tender deadline in baseball, meaning it was the day teams must offer their pre-arbitration and arbitration-eligible players a contract for next season. Players who did not receive a contract offer became free agents. You can keep tabs on the day's non-tender news with our non-tender tracker.
Now here are the latest hot stove rumblings.
Dodgers pick up Knebel
The Dodgers picked up 29-year-old right-hander reliever Corey Knebel in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. The team announced the move Wednesday. L.A. acquired Knebel from Milwaukee in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The move came right before the non-tender deadline as Milwaukee was set to cut Knebel without a deal.
Knebel has struggled to return to form following Tommy John surgery in April 2019. Once in possession of an upper 90s fastball, Knebel didn't touch 96 mph until the end of the 2020 season, a bit off from his 97.3 mph mark back during his 2017 All-Star season. He should figure to look better in his second year back from the procedure. It'll especially help that he'll be aided by an elite pitching coaching staff in Los Angeles.
Angels acquire Iglesias
The Los Angeles Angels have acquired shortstop Jose Iglesias from the Baltimore Orioles, the team announced. Right-handed pitchers Jean Pinto and Garrett Stallings are heading to Baltimore in the deal.
Iglesias, 30, is best known for his solid defensive efforts, but in 2020, he had a breakthrough offensive season, putting up a .373/.400/.566 slash line in 39 games for the O's.
The Angels had a star shortstop in four-time Gold Glove winner Andrelton Simmons -- who entered free agency this offseason. It appears Iglesias will take over as the Angels' starting shortstop in 2021.
Giants, Blue Jays interested in Ozuna
Free agent Marcell Ozuna continues to pick up new suitors. The latest teams include the San Francisco Giants and the Toronto Blue Jays. The Giants are interested in Ozuna, but a potential deal is partly contingent on whether the National League adopts the designated hitter in 2021, according to MLB.com's Jon Morosi. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are also in on Ozuna, but are also courting George Springer, Morosi reports.
In CBS Sports' top 60 free agent rankings, Springer is our No. 1 free agent and Ozuna ranks at No. 6.
It has not happened yet, but the universal DH is expected to be put in place again in 2021 and become permanent with the next collective bargaining agreement in 2022. That presumably makes National League clubs more comfortable signing Ozuna long-term.
Ozuna, 30, hit .338/.431/.636 with 18 home runs in 60 games in 2020. Ozuna also finished atop the National League leaderboard for home runs and RBI. He was just 13 batting average points short of winning the NL Triple Crown this past season. Ozuna opted for a one-year deal instead of a multi-year pact last winter, signing with the Atlanta Braves for $18 million. He was not eligible for the qualifying offer this winter after receiving it last year.
Segura coming up in trade talks
Phillies infielder Jean Segura is coming up trade conversations, reports MLB Network's Jon Heyman. Fansided's Robert Murray says the Blue Jays are among the teams in the mix. Segura is certainly no stranger to the trade mill. He's been dealt four times in his career already, including from the Mariners to Philadelphia in Dec. 2018. Segura has two years and a club option remaining on his contract. Toronto could put him at third base and keep Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first.
Didi Gregorius is a free agent and Phillies currently have Segura penciled in at shortstop with Scott Kingery at second base. Trading Segura would free up money to re-sign Gregorius or sign another shortstop like Marcus Semien or Andrelton Simmons. Alternatively, Philadelphia could go bargain bin at shortstop (Freddy Galvis?) and redirect the money to J.T. Realmuto. The Phillies are not exactly strapped for cash, however, and trading Segura does not appear to be necessary to make other moves.
Clubs showing interest in Aguilar
Several teams have showed trade interest in Marlins first baseman Jesus Aguilar, reports Craig Mish of SportsGrid. Mish says Aguilar is expected to be tendered a contract prior to Wednesday's deadline. He is projected to earn close to $4 million through arbitration and these days teams aren't all that willing to spend that much on a one-dimensional first baseman. It's unlikely a trade would net the Marlins much more than salary relief.
Miami has a very similar (and cheaper) player to Aguilar in Garrett Cooper, and top prospect Lewin Diaz is nearly ready for full-time MLB duty as well. The universal DH is expected to become permanent at some point before the 2021 season, and once that happens, keeping Aguilar will be much easier for the Marlins. He is a productive player and clubhouse leader, which is not to be dismissed for a young team on the upswing. Aguilar seems to have more value to the Marlins on their roster than anything he could fetch in a trade.
