Kris Bryant made headlines Tuesday night when he announced on Twitter he asked his longtime girlfriend Jessica Delp to marry him.
Bryant tweeted along with a photo, “Only took me eight years, but I can’t wait to marry my best friend! Perfect way to end an unforgettable year.”
One of his teammates was not very happy about the announcement. Anthony Rizzo tweeted, “It’s a night of crying and pouring my feelings into ice cream now that Bryzzo is over.” Obviously Rizzo was just giving his teammate a hard time.
Congratulations to the NL Rookie of the Year!
Javier Baez
For the first time this winter, Javier Baez played back-to-back games in center field.
Baez started in center Tuesday and played all nine innings in Santurce’s 5-3 win over Caguas. Baez batted clean-up and went 1-for-4 with a double, a run scored and a strikeout.
Baez had five balls hit his way according to the game recap. Baez caught fly balls in the fifth, sixth and ninth innings. And he snagged the final out of the game in center.
In 14 games this winter, Baez has played center field four times, second base in seven games and he has lined up at shortstop in three games. Baez has not been charged with an error in center field.
Offensively, Baez is riding a six-game hitting streak and has reached base with a hit or a walk in each of his last 10 games. After a slow start, Baez is batting .265/.359/.353 with a .712 OPS over that span.
Javier Baez is hitting .229/.327/.354 with three doubles and a home run for a .681 OPS. Baez has walked seven times with 10 strikeouts in 48 at bats in 14 games.
Transactions
The Cubs confirmed several minor league signings Tuesday on the official transactions page.
The team signed RHP Miguel Mejia, LHP Scott Barnes, RHP Fernando Cruz, LHP Luis Cruz, OF Kelly Dugan and RHP Stephen Fife.
Each of the signings were reported but had not been verified by the team until Tuesday.
The Cubs have not released the list of players that received non-roster invites to Spring Training. Under the current administration, the complete list of minor league signings and NRIs has been posted in mid-January.
Free Agent Outfield Market
The free agent outfield market could be getting ready to explode. And with Ken Rosenthal taking a weeklong vacation, it is almost guaranteed to happen while he is trying to take a break.
Yoenis Cespedes and Alex Gordon could be getting close to signing.
According to Ken Rosenthal, the White Sox “remain active in outfield market” and both Cespedes and Gordon are “among the possibilities.”
Jesse Sanchez reported after Rosenthal that the Cespedes market is taking shape. According to his sources, the White Sox and Orioles “are emerging as leaders for now.” The Angels and Giants are also in the mix for Cespedes. The Rangers are “monitoring the situation.”
Jon Heyman reported Tuesday night the White Sox are looking at both Cespedes and Gordon to fill an outfield spot. The Southsiders would sign one or the other, not both.
And Denard Span could be closing in on a deal with a team. During an interview Tuesday on MLB Network Radio, Scott Boras told Mike Ferin and Jon Paul Morosi that teams have watched Span work out. Boras expects him to sign “in the near future.” Span was scheduled to hold a work out for teams in January. Based on Boras’ comments Tuesday, Span could ink a deal before then.
- Matt Snyder: Yoenis Cespedes market finally heating up?
- Joel Sherman: Cespedes to Nats? 10 Teams Lurking for MLB’s Prized Sluggers
- Comcast SportsNet: White Sox reportedly continue to pursue Alex Gordon, Yoenis Cespedes
- Jim Bowden: Market for Yoenis Cespedes and Justin Upton
News, Notes and Rumors
• Jim Callis was asked on Twitter where he would rank the Cubs’ farm system … Callis said, “Without breaking them all down, I’d think the Cubs would fit in the 6-10 range, even after all the graduations.” The system has moved down the rankings slightly from where it was mid-season which was around No. 5 depending on the publication.
• Comcast SportsNet posted its Top 15 Chicago sports stories of 2015 … No. 12 – Banks and Minoso pass away prior to 2015 MLB season … No. 11 – Cubs clean up in MLB awards … No. 7 – Cubs land Jason Heyward in crazy off-season … No. 6 – Jake Arrieta throws no-hitter in Los Angeles … No. 2 – Cubs post-season run follows 97-win season
• Adam Berry reported in 2015, NL Central trio displayed dominance, and it should be more of the same in 2016.
• And according to MLB.com, the 2015 Rookie class rivals the best ever.
• According to Jon Heyman, the Nationals signed INF Stephen Drew to a one-year, $3 million contract. Drew’s deal includes $1.25 million in incentives. And he becomes the latest Scott Boras client to sign with the Nationals.
• The Washington Post reported lawyers for Ryan Zimmerman and Ryan Howard sent letters demanding Al Jazeera retract PED use.
• The Brewers inked Eric Young Jr. to a minor league contract that includes a non-roster invite to Spring Training.
• Hardball Talk is posting the top baseball stories of 2015 … No. 19: The Cardinals hack the Astros’ database
• According to Peter Gammons, for the Yankees, Aroldis Chapman was a gamble worth taking.
This Day In Cubstory
2014 – Cubs signed free agent Jorge De Leon
2003 – Cubs signed free agent Todd Dunwoody
2002 – Cubs signed free agent Mickey Lopez
1997 – Cubs signed free agent Bry Nelson
1996 – Cubs signed free agent Julio Valera
1988 – Drew Rucinski, born
1985 – Sean Gallagher, born