Hot Stove: 12/17

A quick note.
I have been selected to represent the United States in a baseball tournament in Spain and am fundraising to help finance my trip.  Please consider purchasing from the websites below, where a portion of all revenue will support my trip.Here are the fundraising links.
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History of Baseball: 1895
National League Champion: Baltimore Orioles (87-43, .669 WPCT).
Just 37 days into the new year, at 216 Emory Street in the Baltimore neighborhood of Pigtown, the Ruth family welcomed a boy named George.  That baby would go on to hit 714 home runs and be ranked among the greatest to ever play the game.  The 1895 went similarly to the 1894 season.  The Orioles won the National League again, finishing 87-43 for a .669 winning percentage.  The Cleveland Spiders, led by greats Cy Young and Jesse Burkett, went 84-46, therefore qualifying to meet Baltimore in the Temple Cup.  For the second straight season, Baltimore won the National League then lost the Temple Cup to a second place team, as Cleveland took the series four games to one.  Also for the second straight season, Louisville finished last in the NL at 35-96, 52.5 games out of first.  Two more hitters reached .400 in 1895; Cleveland's Jesse Burkett batted .409 to take home the title, while Philadelphia's Ed Delahanty batted .404.  Delahanty's teammate, Sam Thompson (Hall of Fame 1974), put up the best year of his career, batting .392 with 18 home runs and 165 RBI, missing out on the Triple Crown by just .017 in batting average.  Baltimore's Wee Willie Keeler (HOF 1939), who stood at just 5'5" and 140 pounds, batted over .370 for the second of what would be six straight seasons.  Philadelphia's Billy Hamilton just barely missed 100 stolen bases again, having stolen 98 in 1894 before stealing 97 in 1895.  Cleveland's Cy Young, like always, was arguably baseball's best pitcher, going 35-10 with a 3.26 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 47 games (40 starts).  The 35 wins and 1.18 WHIP both led the NL.  Pittsburgh's Pink Hawley posted a league leading 3.18 ERA while going 31-22 with a 1.29 WHIP.  Rookie Bill Hoffer was a large reason for Baltimore's success (along with Keeler), as he went 31-6 with a 3.21 ERA.

News
Former reliever Hideki Okajima returned to Japan to play for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.

Trades
White Sox traded Addison Reed (5-4, 3.79 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 40 SV, 2014 age: 25) to the Diamondbacks for Matt Davidson (3 HR, 12 RBI, .237 AVG, 0 SB, 2014 age: 23).

This trade is a great example of two teams swapping young players to give them opportunities.  The Diamondbacks already had Martin Prado at third base, so they moved third baseman Matt Davidson to the White Sox for pitcher Addison Reed.  Reed, who will turn 25 in a week, will serve as a set up man to J.J. Putz and will likely take over as the permanent closer once 36 year old Putz is gone.  The San Diego State alum already has closer experienced, having registered 29 saves in 2012 and 40 in 2013.  Last year, he posted a 3.79 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP in 68 appearances to go along with his 40 saves.  He also struck out 72 in 71.1 innings.  For his career, he is 8-6 with a 4.17 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and 69 saves in 136 appearances.  
In return for their closer (who was the second reliever Chicago had dealt this offseason, after Hector Santiago), the White Sox brought on offensive prospect Matt Davidson.  I'm going to say now: look for this guy when it comes to the 2014 AL Rookie of the Year.  He's got 80 career minor league home runs and a solid .268 average already, and he's just 22.  Last year, with AAA Reno, he knocked 17 home runs, drove in 74, and batted .280 in 115 games.  The D-Backs brought him up for 31 games, where he batted .237 with three home runs and six doubles.  With a hitting prospect like Davidson, it's always good to look at doubles numbers, because in young, developing players, minor league doubles often translate to major league home runs.  Davidson has 160 minor league doubles, including 39 from 2011, which he spent with High Class A Visalia.  He knocked 32 last year.  Combine his AAA and major league stats from this past season, and he hit 20 home runs, drove in 86, and batted .274 with 38 doubles in 146 games.  I'm telling you; I like this guy.  I think the White Sox got a great deal out of this one.  Davidson is from the big time baseball town of Yucaipa, California, a town of about 51,000 that is way out east in the San Bernardino Valley.  Yucaipa High School has produced many active baseball players, including Davidson, Taijuan Walker (Mariners), Mark Teahen (Rangers), Corky Miller (Reds), Matt Carson (Indians), as well as minor leaguers Kent Walton (A's) and John Eshleman (Giants).  

Free Agent Signings
Mets signed Bartolo Colon (18-6, 2.65 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 2014 age: 41) to a two year, $20 million deal ($10 million per season).
Rockies signed Boone Logan (5-2, 3.23 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 2014 age: 29) to a three year, $16.5 million deal ($5.5 million per season).
Cardinals signed Mark Ellis (6 HR, 48 RBI, .270 AVG, 4 SB, 2014 age: 37) to a one year deal.
Braves signed Gavin Floyd (0-4, 5.18 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 2014 age: 31) to a one year deal, $4 million deal.
Cubs signed Wesley Wright (0-4, 3.69 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 2014 age: 29) to a one year, $1.425 million deal.
Indians signed Shaun Marcum (1-10, 5.29 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 2014 age: 32) to a minor league deal.
Orioles signed Chris Marrero (0 HR, 1 RBI, .125 AVG, 0 SB, 2014 age: 25-26) to a minor league deal.

Anytime you give a multi-year deal to a 40 year old, 265 pound pitcher, you're gambling.  The Mets are no exception in this situation.  Bartolo Colon is a 16 year major leaguer who's battled weight, injury, and PED issues, but has still managed to come out dealing into his 40's.  He's really an interesting player who's found himself in many situations with historical footnotes over the years.  Anyhow, the Mets brought on the 40 year old right hander to replace Matt Harvey for the 2014 season, where he will join Dillon Gee, Jon Niese, and Zack Wheeler, while the Mets have one more spot to fill.  Colon, returning from shoulder and elbow damage that required stem cells, went 8-10 with a 4.00 ERA for the Yankees in 2011 after missing the entire 2010 season and much of 2008 and 2009.  In 2012, he built on his success, going 10-9 with a 3.43 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in 24 starts for the A's.  In 2013, still with the A's, he put together what could be called the best year of his career, as he went 18-6 with a 2.65 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP.  That says a lot for a two time 20 game winner and the 2005 AL Cy Young Award recipient.  He was the AL Pitcher of the Month for June 2013, going 5-0 with a 1.75 ERA in five starts in the month following his 40th birthday.  For his career, he is 189-128 with a 3.94 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP in 411 games (405 starts).  He is 2-4 with a 3.70 ERA in ten postseason starts, 

The signing of Boone Logan, a good but not great lefty reliever, to a $16.5 million deal will have a ripple effect on the market, driving up the prices for similar guys like J.P. Howell, Eric O'Flaherty, and Scott Downs.  Of course, this makes me mad because the Nationals need another lefty (I want O'Flaherty).  Anyways, Logan is a very solid addition to the Rockies, giving them a third lefty in the bullpen to go along with Rex Brothers and Josh Outman.  Of the three, Logan, having played eight years in the majors, is easily the most established.  He had his best year in 2010 with the Yankees, when he was 2-0 with a 2.93 ERA and a .231 BAA, where lefties batted just .190 in his 51 appearances.  Last year was another great year, when he was 5-2 with a 3.23 ERA and a career best 1.18 WHIP, with lefties batting .221.  For his career, he is 24-12 with a 4.39 ERA and a .268 BAA in 420 appearances.  He owns a 2.35 postseason ERA in 13 appearances, having not allowed a postseason run since 2010.

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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