MLB Bullets Is Now With The Angels

There wasn’t a ton of fresh baseball news over the weekend, so we got a lot of re-hashing of the Dexter Fowler deal with the Cardinals. Fun!

Also, no one has told Dexter yet that becoming a Cardinal does not entitle him to vote for the next Pope.

• Grant Brisbee explains why the Fowler signing is such a departure from the Cardinals usual procedures.
• Craig Edwards thinks that Fowler’s value to the Cardinals will depend on how much of his defensive improvement in Chicago can carry over to St. Louis.
• Will Leitch has ten thoughts on Fowler signing with his favorite team.
• Josh Benjamin thinks the Cardinals probably overpaid for Fowler.
• Fowler’s wife Aliya Fowler took to social media to thank Cubs fans for the way they treated her family in Chicago. Dexter also posted another adorably cute picture of his daughter, unfortunately marred by a red cap.
• There are some indications that the Fowler signing may just be the start of a free agent signing binge in St. Louis.
• Nationals infielder Danny Espinosa was upset by the team’s trade for Adam Eaton, which left him without a starting job, so he skipped the team’s Winterfest event.
• So just a few hours later, the Nats sent him packing to Anaheim for two minor league pitchers. So now, when some little child at Nationals Park next year asks “Why doesn’t Danny Espinosa play for the Nats anymore?”, you can answer “He’s gone to be with the Angels.” I’m sure the child will understand.
• Ken Rosenthal isn’t ready to declare the Angels a contender yet, but he does say that they are likely a lot better than you think. He also declares them one of the more fascinating teams of 2017.
• Back to the Nats, Mark Simon has bad news for Mets fans: The Nationals are a lot better than the Mets.
• Possibly extending the gap between the two teams, the Nats are reportedly making a big push to sign free agent closer Kenley Jansen.
• Mark Simon and Ken Woolums run the numbers to try to answer whether these big contracts to relievers ever pay off.
• Phil Rogers thinks the Yankees made out like bandits by trading for Aroldis Chapman, trading him to the Cubs for a fortune and then re-signing him.
• Andrew McCutchen is happy to still be a Pirate but he admitted that all the trade talk bothered him.
• Jorge L. Ortiz looks at some issues that didn’t get resolved at the Winter Meetings, including McCutchen.
• Mark Townsend goes off something that Peter Gammons said in a radio interview and wonders if the Red Sox haven’t become the new “Evil Empire” in baseball, supplanting the Yankees.
• Evan Davis looks at Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski’s career and says there is a lot more to it than just trading for and signing big names.
• Terence Moore talks to Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson and thinks the future is bright for both him and the Braves.
• Mike Axisa thinks the moves by the White Sox and Royals this offseason will extend the Tigers window to compete into 2017, and he explains how the Tigers can win the AL Central.
• David Schoenfield tries to make a deal for White Sox pitcher Jose Quintana. The Cubs are not included.
• Russell A. Carleton examines everything that has changed in the new collective bargaining agreement.
• Andrew Simon has ten stat lines that occurred for the first time in baseball history in 2016. Included is Kris Bryant’s three home runs and two doubles game.
• This is tragic news that we seem to hear every offseason. Twins minor leaguer Yorman Landa died in an automobile accident in his native Venezuela on Saturday.
• Brewers prospect Phil Bickford was suspended 50 games for testing positive for a “drug of abuse.” That’s baseball-speak for marijuana.
• Former major league pitcher Anthony Varvaro is hanging up his spikes to become a police officer. Varvaro was in the Cubs organization for three weeks in 2015, although he never threw a pitch in a game for the organization.
• A young fan wrote Giants GM Bobby Evans, asking the team to sign Mark Melancon. His wish was granted.
• Kyle Sammin looks at some of the players who made the final out of the World Series. It’s the only time that Michael Martinez will be mentioned in the same breath with Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson.
• Chris Landers looks back at some strange offseason jobs that ballplayers used to have.
• And finally, here’s a fun quiz asking “Which Hall of Fame candidate are you most like?” I’m apparently Vladimir Guerrero.

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