MLB Bullets Rings In The New Year

Happy New Year!

• The Dodgers rung in the new year by signing free agent Scott Kazmir to a three-year, $48 million deal. Kazmir can opt out after the first season.
• Jeff Sullivan provides a nice summary of the Kazmir deal and what it means for the Dodgers.
• Paul Casella thinks Kazmir gives the Dodgers a strong rotation. He does call Alex Wood "Travis Wood" though, so either that's an honest mistake or he knows about a Cubs trade that I don't know about.
• Christina Kahrl noticed that the signing of Kazmir potentially gives the Dodgers an all-left-handed rotation, which would be an MLB first. And an interesting strategy.
• Or would have, as Kahrl wrote that before news broke that the Dodgers came to an agreement to sign posted Japanese pitcher (and right-hander) Kenta Maeda.
• AJ Cassavell points out that despite some high-profile failures, pitchers from Japan have generally been a very good value for the MLB teams that sign them.
• With Kazmir and Maeda off the board, Jon Heyman has a good roundup of all the remaining big free agents and where they could be expected to sign.
• The White Sox have been connected with Yoenis Cespedes and Doug Padilla writes that should make Jose Abreu very happy for reasons beyond than that they're old friends from Cuba.
• The Diamondbacks are in contact with free agent second baseman Howie Kendrick.
• Rob Neyer writes that the Aroldis Chapman trade is just another example of how no one in baseball cares much about what type of person you are if you have talent.
• Jeff Sullivan says that despite adding Chapman, the Yankees bullpen won't be any better in 2016 than it was in 2015. Mostly because it's hard to improve on close to perfection.
• ESPN named Bryce Harper their "MLB Person of the Year."
• Just because you're mostly Cubs fans, I will point out that the vote at ESPN wasn't unanimous. Buster Olney thought the award should have gone to Joe Maddon.
• And Christina Kahrl voted for Jake Arrieta.
• And Cubs part-time scout Keith Ryman, who covered the Tennessee region, died at age 59 this week.
• Jayson Stark continues his "Strange but True" series with a look at the 2015 postseason.
• Because it's New Year's Day, we naturally have a list of New Year's Resolutions from Jamal Collier for all 30 teams.
• And Cliff Corcoran does a list of New Year's resolutions for all 15 National League teams.
• Then Corcoran does the same list for all 15 American League teams.
• Because it's a slow news day, I give you Frank Firke's radical plan to realign scheduling. His plan would mimic a European football schedule with promotion and relegation along with separate cup competitions.
• And finally, what did you get for Christmas? The Indians' Jason Kipnis got a great gift from his parents: a giant teddy bear.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Beat Stanford.