The MLB offseason is moving very fast and now that Masahiro Tanaka has signed with the Yankee, free agent pitchers like Bronson Arroyo, Ubaldo Jimenez and Ervin Santana are the top targets along with trade options like David Price and Home Bailey for teams like the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks and White Sox that all missed on the Japanese star.
The teams in the free agent market had Matt Garza as another name, but he signed with the Milwaukee Brewers and that leaves the other three as the main free agents left for teams to sign. Santana was hoping for a $100 million deal on the market and now that Tanaka signed for $155 million and Garza got a four-year, $50 million deal, he could be near his wheelhouse if not that high. At least a dozen teams put in bids on Tanaka, but by the end it was the Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Angels that appeared to have a realistic chance at signing him.
Arroyo is getting up there in age at 36 and there are a number of teams that would like a dependable pitcher like him that can eat innings, including the Cubs, Baltimore Orioles and the Minnesota Twins and another team that has been looking for pitching is the Toronto Blue Jays. Arroyo did not get a tender and that means he will not lose a team a draft pick and that makes him very attractive for clubs.
Jimenez is a question mark for some teams and the fact that he has not been the pitcher he once was with the Rockies is a cause for concern and is why he won't get a long term deal. Before he was traded to Cleveland he was rock solid for the Rockies and toward the end of this season he was better with a 2.81 ERA over his last 30 starts and now he could turn that into some money.
Santana is the most intriguing name since his skills are very good and after Garza's money, Santana likely won't get much more than that if he even does. Santana wanted a long term deal and he won't be getting that anymore most likely. Garza's deal has a $13 million option for 2018 and it comes after he went 10-6 with a 3.82 ERA last season for the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers and he was traded at one point and now he joins another team. Freddy Garcia was on the market and he now is off with the Atlanta Braves giving him a minor league deal and that could be a big boost for their rotation if he makes it on the team.
