The Cubs sent cash to the A's for Ferguson, who was an up-down guy whom the A's had recently designated for assignment. Rather than try to get him on waivers, and presumably anticipating interest ahead of them in the claiming order, the Cubs made the trade to get him with a little extra money.
Right-hander Merrill Kelly was slated to be the Opening Day starter but a back issue has scuttled those plans, even though an exact diagnosis has proved elusive. Manager Torey Lovullo tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that Kelly still has enough time to be stretched out for Arizona's second series of the season.
The Marlins have an agreement with right-hander Chris Paddack, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Miami had been looking to add an affordable back-end starter after trading Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers this offseason. It's a one-year MLB deal, according to Craig Mish of SportsGrid. Paddack is guaranteed $4MM with another $500K available in incentives, Heyman adds. More to come.
The A's have the thing every team is looking for: pitching depth. Jump, Arnold and Lin are all potential No. 2 to No. 4 starters who throw from the left side. Nett and Morris are either No. 4 starters or eighth-inning relievers depending on how their command develops. Behind them on the team prospect list are upper-level arms including Henry Baez, Mason Barnett, Gunnar Hoglund and Eduarniel Nunez.
Pope, 27, joins a new organization for the first time in his career. He was added to the roster in the final week of the regular season and got to make one appearance. On September 25th, with the Snakes down 8-0 to the Dodgers, Pope tossed two scoreless innings of mop-up duty. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out one.
Joining Cease in the starting five are Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, and Jose Berrios, a formidable group that each brings something a little bit different to the table in how they get the job done. It's a good mix of youth and veteran status that should be pretty strikeout-heavy while beating you with offspeed pitches, whether it's a fastball, splitter, changeup, or slider.
The Giants are expected to add Justin Meccage as their pitching coach, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Meccage has spent the majority of his coaching tenure in the Pirates' organization. He was most recently a minor league coach in the Brewers' system. After a brief playing career, Meccage got his coaching start in the college ranks. After seven years spent between the University of Texas-Pan American and Arkansas State University from 2004 to 2010, Meccage headed to the pros.
