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After running through the week’s quick hits, Jeff welcomes back MLBTR’s Steve Adams to talk about the upcoming extension season. Chatter on new deals tends to reach a high point over the months of February and March, with all kinds of players — from pending free agents to exciting youngsters — fielding offers from their teams.

What kinds of deals could come together this year? Are there any trends to keep an eye on? What are some intriguing names to watch? Who are the likeliest players to re-up early in 2016? Those questions and more are covered in this week’s episode, which includes discussion of Bryce Harper, J.D. Martinez, Adrian Beltre, and many more. Tune in below:

Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and please leave a review! The podcast is also available via Stitcher at this link.

The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast runs weekly on Thursday afternoons.

Recently, MLB Trade Rumors launched a brand new official Instagram account: @TradeRumorsMLB.  Each day, we’re sharing conversation-inspiring images about the hottest topics in baseball.  From there, we invite you to give us a like, weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section, and even share the link with a friend.

Shortly after the Tigers signed Justin Upton to a six-year, $132.75MM deal, we gave fans an early look at how he’ll look in his new threads.  Ditto for new Rockies outfielder Gerardo Parra, recently-signed Marlins hurler Wei-Yin Chen, and Royals pitcher Ian Kennedy.  We also asked followers to weigh in on the futures of free agent shortstop Ian Desmond as well as 29-year-old outfielder Dexter Fowler.

So, what are you waiting for?  If you don’t have an Instagram account, this is the perfect excuse to sign up and get one.  Follow us on Instagram today!

Here are MLBTR, we routinely toss around dollar figures in the tens or hundreds of millions in reference to players’ salaries. It’s rare, though, that we get as clear a glimpse into what those tens or hundreds of millions can actually buy as we do in this look at MLB players’ cars, courtesy of Tim Rohan of the New York Times. Specifically, Rohan profiles Alex Vega, who owns a custom car shop in the Miami area. Vega frequently works with baseball players during the offseason, because, he says, “Spring training is when business gets the craziest because everybody wants to show up with something new. I’m already getting calls. I’m already preparing cars.” For example, Rohan notes that Pablo Sandoval recently entered the shop hoping to buy a 2016 Rolls Royce Ghost; he left behind a customized Porsche that he had bought just two years before, only driving it for just over 15,000 miles. The quiz accompanying the article — in which the reader is asked to match the car to the star who bought it — is amusing. Here’s more from around the league.

• This offseason has seen the proliferation of opt-out clauses in long-term contracts, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal writes. Opt-out clauses were so rare in the past that the industry doesn’t have much concrete experience with what their results will be (although, I’ll note, it would be easy to study how opt-outs might have worked in past contracts by imagining what players might have done had they had opt-outs after, say, a year, or two years). The obvious conclusion is that opt-outs are a lose-lose for teams, who should theoretically lose productive players as they opt out while being stuck with the ones who don’t produce. But it might not be so simple, as Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski points out. “There may be other cases where somebody opts out and after a year — I’m not going to say this is going to happen but I’ll use it as an example — after a year something happens to him and he’s not pitching as well, and [a team says], ’See? That was a benefit to us,'” he says. “So we really haven’t reached that second step yet.”
• It’s looking more and more likely that the designated hitter will be implemented in the NL as well as in the AL, Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal writes. The players’ association has long supported the change, and taking bats out of pitchers’ hands will help create more runs in an increasingly offense-starved playing environment. Also, Diamond points out that pitchers are hitting even worse than they used to, posting four of their five lowest season OPS marks since 1974 in the last four years.

Jeff covers the league’s latest moves in the weekly Quick Hits rundown, then welcomes MLBTR’s Steve Adams to the show to discuss the Nationals’ reported pursuit of Yoenis Cespedes. Jeff and Steve also run through other possible landing spots for Cespedes, Dexter Fowler and Austin Jackson and examine the moves that several teams would have to make in order to accommodate a free-agent addition.

Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and please leave a review! The podcast is also available via Stitcher at this link.

The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast runs weekly on Thursday afternoons.

36 players from MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents have signed so far.  Our prediction contest was open for a week after qualifying offers came in back in November, and 3,092 people entered.  So far, two people are batting over .400, with 15 correct picks.  The leaderboard is available here; my apologies for the delay.  You may notice some blank names in the leaderboard.  If you believe your own name is blank, please click the “Login with Facebook” button from the leaderboard and your name should appear later.

This was the fifth year using this framework for the free agent prediction contest, and I intend to upgrade it for the 2016-17 offseason.  At that time, we’ll drop the Facebook requirement so that all interested MLBTR readers can play.

Juan C. Rodriguez, the Sun Sentinel’s beat writer for the Marlins, has passed away after a battle with brain cancer. His friend, Andy Barkett, conveyed the unfortunate news today on Twitter, and the team he covered also acknowledged his untimely passing in a tweet.

MLBTR joins all those around the game in extending its condolences to Juan’s family and friends. You can learn more about his story and consider giving to the Rodriguez family at this link. Juan’s good work was often featured here at MLBTR, and the outpouring of sympathy from the ballwriting community stands as a testament to his impact on colleagues. Mike Berardino provides a fitting quote, from Rodriguez himself: “We can’t impose our will on brain cancer, but we can take charge of how we choose to live with it.”

Now that the dust has settled from the morning’s rash of arbitration-avoiding deals, it is time to look out for reports on the arbitration numbers filed by players and teams that have yet to reach agreement. As MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker shows, of the 156 players to file, 34 have still yet to agree to terms on a contract. (Lorenzo Cain exchanged figures but is said to be nearing a two-year deal with the Royals, so he isn’t included.)

Remember, deals avoiding arbitration can still be reached even after the exchange of numbers. Hearings will be scheduled between February 1st and 21st, so there is plenty of time for the sides to come together before making their cases. In 2014, for the first time ever, no arbitration hearings took place, but several took place again last season.

That being said, some teams are known for their “file and trial” approach to arb-eligible players, meaning that they refuse to negotiate after the exchange deadline and go to a hearing if agreement has not been reached. Of those clubs believed to continue to utilize such a strategy, only the Blue Jays (Josh Donaldson, Jesse Chavez) and Rays (Drew Smyly) have open cases remaining. Also, the Reds reportedly will take any sub-$2MM contracts to a hearing, which could suggest that reliever J.J. Hoover may appear before a panel. The Astros are also said to be taking a “file-and-go” approach with catcher Jason Castro.

Other notable players who have yet to agree upon a 2016 salary include Jake Arrieta of the Cubs; Brandon Belt of the Giants; Zach Britton of the Orioles; Aroldis Chapman of the Yankees; Neil Walker, Lucas Duda, and Jeurys Familia of the Mets; Mike Moustakas of the Royals; Trevor Plouffe of the Twins; and A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks. Be sure to keep a close eye on MLBTR’s pages for information on those and other situations, and in the meantime click here to review MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz’s projections for all arbitration-eligible players.

MLBTR’s Steve Adams joins host Jeff Todd to talk about a variety of topics. In a wide-ranging discussion, Steve and Jeff chatted about the Marlins’ extension of Dee Gordon and signing of Wei-Yin Chen, creative uses of opt-out clauses, and the still-developing free agent market for outfielders.

Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and please leave a review! The podcast is also available via Stitcher at this link.

The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast runs weekly on Thursday afternoons.

Yet another Cuban ballplayer has departed the island, as 32-year-old outfielder Alexei Bell has left in search of an opportunity in the majors, according to Jorge Ebro of Baseball de Cuba. Bell is preparing for a showcase in two or three weeks, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez adds.

Bell, a long-time mainstay on the national team, is said to have left Cuba legally. It’s unclear whether that will impact his clearance timeline in any way, but regardless, the first order of business for his representatives at DPX Sports will presumably be to obtain an official declaration of free agency. Bell will not be subject to international bonus restrictions due to his age and long experience in Cuba.

Starring with Santiago in Cuba’s Serie Nacional for many years, Bell compiled a robust .319/.417/.547 batting line in 3,441 career plate appearances. That made him one of the island nation’s most productive hitters. Notably, he has just eight more strikeouts (439) than he does walks (431) in that span, and didn’t end a Cuban campaign with more K’s than walks in a single season after 2008.

As Ben Badler of Baseball America wrote this time last year, however, Bell has shown inconsistency at times with the Cuban national team. He does feature a plus arm and could fit in right field, said Badler.

Bell’s current status and major league prospects remain somewhat unclear, however. He spent the 2015 season with the Capitales of Quebec, in the Canadian-American Association, and the results weren’t all that promising. Over 241 plate appearances, Bell slashed .317/.363/.424 with two home runs (and an uncharacteristic 24:14 K:BB ratio).