MLB Bullets is heading to Las Vegas

I’m having to re-write my introduction because the news about Luis Valbuena broke as I was writing this article. I just wanted to include my own personal memory of the time I got hit in the chest with a ball thrown by Luis Valbuena. It was early in 2012 and Valbuena was still playing with the Iowa Cubs. I was sitting in the first row behind the I-Cubs dugout and when the players finished warming up between innings, Valbuena (who was at second base that day) threw the ball into the Cubs dugout. Except Valbuena missed and the ball bounced about ten feet before the dugout. It then bounced over the dugout, into the stands and hit me square in the chest. I still have that ball or, more accurately, my daughter has the ball as I gave it to her. But she lets me keep it.

We miss you already, Luis. You were a bright spot during the Cubs’ darkest days.

• The Diamondbacks traded first baseman Paul Goldschmidt to the Cardinals and Al has already covered what this means for the Cubs. In any case, Craig Edwards evaluates the trade and concludes that the Cardinals are betting it all on 2019.
• R.J. Anderson has some “things to know” about the deal.
• Grant Brisbee declares that the Cardinals are “loaded” after the Goldschmidt deal.
• The Goldschmidt deal is depressing to Jon Tayler, who sees it as yet another example of baseball’s boom-or-bust cycle.
• Zach Kram agrees. He thinks the Cardinals made out great in this deal and that it’s another depressing example of baseball’s disappearing middle class.
• Jonah Keri looks at where the Diamondbacks go from here. A long and depressing rebuild, I would imagine. I just used the word “depressing” in three straight bullets.
• The Diamondbacks rebuild should study the Mariners about what not to do. Michael Baumann has a nice history of the Mariners endless quest for their first playoff berth since 2001 and why they’ve failed repeatedly. Also, why current general manager Jerry Dipoto’s previous plan to return the M’s to contention was doomed to fail. The Mariners really make the Tribune-era Cubs look like a well-oiled machine.
• The Red Sox have re-signed right-handed pitcher Nathan Eovaldi to a four-year, $68 million deal.
• David Schoenfield thinks Eovaldi’s injury history makes this a risky deal but it’s a risk that the Red Sox can afford to take.
• Eovaldi and Patrick Corbin are already off the market, but Richard Justice has nine free-agent pitchers who can still help a team.
• Speaking of Corbin, Jeff Sullivan explains what Corbin did differently in 2018 that made him one of the best pitchers in the league.
• Grant Brisbee looks at what signing Corbin means for the future of the Nationals.
• Travis Sawchik thinks the moves the Nationals have made this winter make them the favorite in the NL East, even without Bryce Harper.
• The Indians have come to an agreement with pitcher Carlos Carrasco on a contract extension through the 2022 season.
• With Carrasco locked up for the next four seasons, the Indians will look to deal either Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer this winter, reports Jeff Passan.
• One lesser trade as the Phillies and Angels swapped relievers. The Phillies get left-hander Jose Alvarez and the Angels get righty Luis Garcia.
• The Winter Meetings start on Monday and Tim Kurkjian has a piece about how much the sport has changed over the past 40 years. Using the Winter Meetings site in Las Vegas for a metaphor, Kurkjian writes that MLB general managers have gone from being gamblers to card counters.
• Tim Brown writes that teams aren’t waiting around to sign free agents Bryce Harper or Manny Machado and the trade market should be active next week.
• David Schoenfield looks at where the Bryce Harper sweepstakes stands at the moment.
• Emma Baccellieri thinks the Phillies plan at the Winter Meetings should be “spend, spend, spend” and that includes Harper.
• Gabe Lacques daydreams about how much fun it would be for Mike Trout and Harper to be teammates with the Angels.
• David Adler writes about why the Mets really should trade for Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto, even at the price of one of their young major leaguers such as Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo or Amed Rosario.
• R.J. Anderson has some outfield trade targets for the Braves.
• Al has already written a terrific piece about the plan by commissioner Rob Manfred to ban defensive shifts. I’ll just add this piece by Jeff Sullivan that points out that banning shifts won’t solve anything. Batting average on balls in play is not down since teams started shifting en masse. The problem with offense, as I wrote last week, is that pitchers are just too darn good and batters can’t put enough balls in play.
• OK, one more. Mark Townsend thinks that banning shifts is the “lazy solution” to a “non-problem.” Really, commissioner. Lower the mound or move the rubber out to 62 feet if you want more offense.
• The MLB Players Association is worried about “tanking” teams and the overall drop in attendance that has accompanied bad teams.
• Michael S. Schmidt and David Waldstein have an exposé on the two agents under investigation for doping allegations and the flaw in the system that allows to two to continue working.
• Former Marlins president David Samson talked about what happened at the end of his time in Miami, including the sale of the team and the death of Jose Fernandez.
• Sam Miller wonders if third base has passed first base as the pre-eminent power position in the lineup.
• Anthony Castrovince remembers the wild 12-player, three-team trade from the Winter Meetings in 2008.
• And finally, you all know how much I love great fielding plays. And I have one. Except that it’s not from baseball, it’s from cricket. But it certainly looks like a kind of diving throw that Javier Baez might have made.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Rest in peace, Luis.