January 24

2019 – The Dodgers sign OF A.J. Pollock for four years at $55 million. Most observers thought they were looking to sign another free agent, Bryce Harper, after trading OFs Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig earlier this off-season, but this signing likely means that they will cease pursuing Harper.

2018 – Four players are elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA: 3B Chipper Jones and 1B Jim Thome both make it on their first attempt, while P Trevor Hoffman and OF Vladimir Guerrero, who had both missed induction by a handful of votes in 2017, make it over the 75% threshold this time.

The brothers Upton will play together with the Braves next season after Arizona trades Justin to Atlanta as part of a seven-player deal, allowing him to join his older brother B.J., whom the Braves signed as a free agent earlier this off-season. Accompanying Justin is 3B Chris Johnson, while Ps Randall Delgado and Zeke Spruill, utility player Martin Prado and IFs Nick Ahmed and Brandon Drury head to the desert in return.

The Mets sign free agent pitcher Shaun Marcum, while Marcum’s teammate with the Brewers last year, OF Nyjer Morgan, heads to Japan, signing with the Yokohama BayStars of the Central League.

In other signings today, the Giants agree to a two-year contract with star P Tim Lincecum for $40.5 million, avoiding a potential record payout via arbitration, and the Blue Jays add yet another veteran reliever, signing former Reds closer Francisco Cordero for one year.

More than 20 bids are received for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are being sold as a result of owner Frank McCourt’s costly divorce settlement with his wife Jamie. It’s a far cry from when McCourt was the sole bidder for the team in 2004 and underpaid through a highly-leveraged transaction: this time, the new owners will have a chance to auction the team’s broadcast rights for a huge payout. Prominent among the bidders are Mark Walter, CEO of a financial firm, who is allied with former NBA great Magic Johnson; multi-millionaire Steve Cohen, allied with former deputy Commissioner Steve Greenberg; real estate developer Rick Caruso, allied with former Dodgers manager Joe Torre; talk show host Larry King; Peter O’Malley, the team’s former owner; Allen Casden, another real estate tycoon, whose plan is to move the team to a downtown location while redeveloping the land around Dodger Stadium for housing; NBA owner Mark Cuban; and NHL owner Ron Burkle, a close friend of former President Bill Clinton.

Rocked by the loss of DH Victor Martinez to an off-season injury last week, the Tigers react by signing the most prominent free agent remaining on the market, 1B Prince Fielder. It takes a nine-year, $214 million contract to land the big slugger. The move is doubly surprising because Detroit was not rumored to be among the teams bidding for Prince, and because they already have one the game’s premium first basemen, Miguel Cabrera, signed to a long-term deal.

The Tigers trade P Armando Galarraga, who lost a perfect game due to umpire Mike Joyce’s blown call on June 2nd, to the Diamondbacks in exchange for minor league Ps Ryan Robowski and Kevin Eichhorn. The D-Backs also sign P Micah Owings, who started his career with the team, and announce they plan to use him both as a long reliever and as a pinch-hitter if he makes the team out of spring training.

In other moves, the Nationals agree to terms with reliever Todd Coffey, and the A’s sign 3B Adam LaRoche and acquire P Ethan Hollingsworth from Colorado for P Clayton Mortensen.