Hot Stove: 11/24

History of Baseball: 1885
NL Champion: Chicago White Stockings (87-25, .777 WPCT).  AA Champion: St. Louis Browns (79-33, .705 WPCT).
After the 1884 season, the Cleveland Blues dropped out of the National League, while the dominant St. Louis Maroons moved from the failed Union Association to the NL to take Cleveland's spot.  The New York Gothams changed their name to something a little bit more recognizable.  Top player Roger Conner (the guy who hit the first grand slam in history), at 6'3", 215 pounds, sparks the name "Giants".  From 1885 until their move from New York in 1958, they will be known as the New York Giants.  In the AA, the Columbus Buckeyes, Richmond Virginians, Indianapolis Hoosiers, and Toledo Blue Stockings either disbanded or left the league.  The Brooklyn Atlantics changed their name to the Grays, and the Louisville Eclipse changed its name to the Colonels.  A major rule change was enacted in the 1884-1885 offseason.  Baseball was originally played with underhand pitching.  The National League decided to allow overhand pitching, with some restrictions.  The American Association stayed with underhand only, but on June 7th, they lifted the ban and allowed all forms of overhand pitching.  The National League was dominated by two teams for the season.  The Chicago White Stockings and the New York Giants were the only two teams to finish more than two games above .500.  In the end, Chicago finished 87-25, two games ahead of New York, who was 85-27.  30 games behind Chicago was Philadelphia, who finished in third place with a 56-54 record.  The new St. Louis Maroons, fresh from the Union, went just 36-72, 49 games out of first place.  The AA was dominated by one team: the St. Louis Browns.  The superior St. Louis team went 79-33, sixteen games ahead of the second place Cincinnati Red Stockings (63-49).  Roger Conner, namesake of the Giants, ended up leading the majors with a .371 average.  Pete Browning of Louisville lead the AA at .362.  It was his fourth of what would be six straight seasons batting at least .336.  Joe Gerhardt of New York set a major league record that still stands today by batting just .155, the lowest average of all time for a full season player.  Harry Stovey, the big power hitter of the Philadelphia Athletics, led the majors with 13 home runs, his third straight season with double digit homers.  He also scored 130 runs to lead the majors.  In the first year of overhand pitching, some new pitchers emerged as the best in baseball.  Tim Keefe of the Giants led the majors with a 1.58 ERA, followed closely by teammate Mickey Welch at 1.66.  John Clarkson of Chicago had the most wins at 53.  After the season, one NL team would disband, while another new team stepped in to take their place.  A new, all African American league would be created. 

News
The Tigers signed Phil Coke to a $1.9 million deal for 2014 that will avoid arbitration.
The Cardinals are close to signing Jhonny Peralta.

Free Agent Signings
Yankees agreed to terms with Brian McCann (20 HR, 57 RBI, .256 AVG, 0 SB, 2014 age: 30) on a five year, $85 million deal ($17 million per season).
Angels agreed to terms with Joe Smith (6-2, 2.29 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 3 SV, 2014 age: 30) on a three year, $15 million deal ($5 million per season).
Royals signed Brandon Laird (5 HR, 11 RBI, .169 AVG, 0 SB, 2014 age: 26) to a minor league deal.
Cubs signed Casper Wells (0 HR, 1 RBI, .126 AVG, 0 SB, 2014 age: 29) to a minor league deal.

I can't say I didn't see this Brian McCann deal coming.  In fact, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner.  After Russell Martin signed with the Pirates after the 2012 season, the Yankees were left without a reliable catcher.  Instead of signing or trading for one, they planned on using a combination of Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart.  However, Cervelli went down with an April injury and was later suspended in the Biogenesis scandal, leaving New York with just Stewart and Austin Romine.  Stewart played in 109 games, batting just .211 with four home runs.  Romine didn't fare any better, batting .207 with one home run in 60 games.  McCann now gives them a real catcher.  He's hit at least 20 home runs in each of the past six seasons as one of the top offensive catchers in baseball.  He's a seven time All Star and a five time Silver Slugger.  While this move makes all the sense in the world for the Yankees, it is interesting for McCann.  Aside from being in the Atlanta organization since 2002 and with the big league club since 2005, he also grew up in Duluth, Georgia, less than an hour from Turner Field.  This will definitely be something new for the born and raised Georgian.  McCann's best season came in 2006, his first full season, when he hit 24 home runs, drove in 93, and batted .333 in 130 games.  He also had a great year in 2008, when he hit 23 home runs, drove in 87, and batted .301 in 145 games.   Last year, injuries limited him to 102 games, but he still clubbed 20 home runs and batted .256.  In early July, he was named NL Player of the Week for a torrid stretch in which he went 19-32 (.594 AVG) while knocking two home runs and seven RBI in eight games.  His batting average jumped from .233 to .304 in that stretch.  For his career, McCann has hit 176 home runs, drove in 661 runs, and batted .277 in 1105 games with the Braves.

The Angels have signed Joe Smith, who has one of the most boring names in baseball, to be their new late inning reliever.  Smith is one of the most underrated players in baseball, having posted three straight seasons with ERA's under 3.00 while tossing 70 or more games.  Though the sidearmer has been in the majors since 2007, Smith broke out in 2011 with the Indians.  In 71 games, he posted a 2.01 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP as left handers batted just .152.  He was good again in 2012, going 7-4 with a 2.96 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in 72 appearances.  Last year, in 70 appearances, he was 6-2 with a 2.29 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.  For his career, he is 27-16 with a 2.97 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP, striking out 311 batters in 378.2 innings.  He's made 439 appearances over his six year career.  Smith is the second reliever acquired by the Angels in the past few days, joining Fernando Salas.  Salas and Smith will join Ernesto Frieri and Sean Burnett in the back end of the Angels' re-stacked 'pen.  

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Teams followed in this update: Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers
If your team is not included, please leave a comment.
HR: home runs.  RBI: runs batted in.  AVG: batting average.  SB: stolen bases.  ERA: earned run average. WHIP: walks/hits per innings pitched.  K's: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage
Zack Silverman