Cardinals Acquire Matt Liberatore

6:16PM: Harrison Bader and Lane Thomas aren’t expected to be part of the trade, Passan reports.  Fowler also isn’t thought to be part of this deal, though he could eventually be on the move elsewhere since the Cardinals have been discussing him in other trade negotiations.

5:37PM: The trade is shaping up as a multi-player blockbuster, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (Twitter links) reports that the Cardinals and Rays are each sending three “pieces” to the other in the deal.  “At least two of those pieces are draft picks,” Rosenthal notes, indicating that Competitive Balance Round selections (the only type of draft picks that can be traded) are in play.  The Cards are slated to pick in Competitive Balance Round A following the first round of the draft, whereas the Rays draw after the second round in Competitive Balance Round B, so there is roughly a 30-slot gap between the two picks.

4:57PM: The Cardinals have discussed Tyler O’Neill with the Rays and other teams this offseason, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports, though there isn’t yet any indication that O’Neill could be involved in the Liberatore trade.

3:53PM: The Cardinals have acquired left-hander Matthew Liberatore from the Rays, ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter link).  The return headed back to Tampa Bay is expected to include at least one player from the Cards’ Major League roster, and hints at a very notable trade given Liberatore’s status as one of the top prospects in the Rays’ system.

Other sources are indicating that Jose Martinez is also part of this trade.

Ahoy, San Diego: 2019 Winter Meetings Preview

Commentary on what to expect from the Winter Meetings- here is a sample of this approach:

Major League Baseball vs. Minor League Baseball

One thing a lot of people don’t know about the Winter Meetings is that it’s put on, primarily, by Minor League Baseball as an organization and the vast majority of the people on the ground at the Winter Meetings either run or work for or are trying to sell stuff to minor league teams. Almost every team’s owner comes and brings along some staffers. Coaches, trainers, scouts, and other team employees who spend most of their year out in the bushes as opposed to back at the big club’s home base attend meetings and hobnob with one another.

Normally that’s all pretty routine. This year, however, it probably won’t be thanks to Rob Manfred’s plan to contract 42 minor league clubs and rearrange a great many more of them across levels and leagues.

As we noted earlier today, that scheme has set off a political firestorm and is no doubt the top agenda item and point of concern for every single minor league official and employee at the Winter Meetings. There are, reportedly, already meetings going on in San Diego about all of this. Expect some news about it at any point in the next week. At this point I’d expect anything from Manfred totally scrapping the plan, to him doubling down on it, to reports of general acrimony and possible legal action and everything in between.

Giants acquire Scooter Gennett from Reds

The Giants acquired second baseman Scooter Gennett from the Reds in exchange for cash considerations, per Jon Heyman.

Gennett, 29, has played in only 20 games this season due to a severe groin strain. He came off of the disabled list in late June but has only mustered a .489 OPS in 69 plate appearances.

On the plus side, it enables the Giants to stockpile more nicknames, in a sport running alarmingly low on them….

Astros land Greinke from DBack at deadline

HOU: Zack Grienke, $24MM
ARI: Seth Beer, J.B. Bukauskas, Corbin Martin, Josh Rojas

That’s a haul.  Beer could be a star, Martin looks like a decent mid-rotation guy, Bukauskas is K’ing more than 10/9 (albeit in AA), Rojas is a flier who is killing it this year.  This is how you restock a farm system.

Bauer headed to Reds in 3-team deal

CIN: Trevor Bauer
SD: Taylor Trammell
CLE: Franmil Reyes, Yasiel Puig, Logan Allen, Scott Moss, Victor Nova

Me: WTF?

Remembering the Time Luis Tiant Was Traded for 500 Teddy Bears

Baseball’s trade deadline has brought about a flurry of rumors surrounding some of the game’s biggest stars. Pitchers Trevor Bauer, Noah Syndergaard and Madison Bumgarner are among the top arms rumored to be on the market. However, those deals will seem relatively normal compared to a transaction 30 years ago involving three-time All-Star and 200-game winner Luis Tiant. He laughs when thinking about the terms of the agreement.

The Cuban pitcher, known as much for his moustache, cigar-chomping habit and twirling windup as his success on the mound, retired from MLB in 1982. Yet in 1989, he was a part of one of the most obscure trades in baseball history.

That year, Tiant joined the Senior Professional Baseball Association, a short-lived winter league designed to showcase some of the best ballplayers of yesteryear. The Cuban pitcher entered the SPBA thinking he’d pitch for the Winter Haven Super Sox. But at the beginning of the season, Tiant learned he was headed to the Miami-based Gold Coast Suns…in exchange for 500 teddy bears and the rights to outfielder Ralph Garr.

“It was a great deal for Winter Haven,” Ray Negron, GM of the St. Lucie Legends, said at the time. “They weren’t just teddy bears, you know. They were Ruxpin bears.” (For reference, Ruxpin bears retailed for $69.99 when they debuted in 1985.)

Well, folks, I think I found an explanation for why the BBWAA didn’t give much of a thought to Luis Tiant’s HOF candidacy….

Montgomery traded, but place in Cubs history secure

It took 108 years for the Cubs to end their championship drought, so the final play of that 2016 World Series won’t be forgotten any time soon.

Mike Montgomery, who at that point had no saves in his big league career, got Michael Martinez to hit a weak grounder for the last out of Game 7 in Cleveland. Chicago won 8-7 in 10 innings.

Montgomery was traded to Kansas City this past week in a deal that sent Martin Maldonado to the Cubs, closing the book on the left-hander’s stint in Chicago. Although he hasn’t had a very effective 2019 season, Montgomery’s place in Cubs lore is secure because of his contribution to the title team.

Brian Wilson begs to differ….