The Red Sox have reached out to Hiroki Kuroda

By Craig CalcaterraNov 8, 2012, 5:00 PM EDT
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For those of you keeping track, it’s the first full week of the offseason and already the Red Sox have been linked to approximately 79% of all known baseball players, living and dead. Indeed, in the last 24 hours we’ve heard about them and Anibal Sanchez, Mike Napoli, Adam LaRoche, Shin-Soo Choo, Justin Masterson, Justin Upton.  So what’s one more?

 

Kuroda is definitely an interesting free agent, as he has preferred to do one-year deals and has contemplated returning to Japan in the past.  The Dodgers would definitely want him back. So too would the Yankees.  And the Red Sox have both cash and a need.

Cubs to acquire Daniel Murphy from the Nationals

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By Craig CalcaterraAug 21, 2018, 2:44 PM EDT
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The Chicago Cubs are going to acquire Daniel Murphy from the Washington Nationals. Jon Heyman reports that the Cubs will send back prospect Andruw Monasterio and a player to be named later in exchange. Craig Mish of Sirius XM was the first to report that the Cubs were the team that claimed Murphy off of waivers.

Murphy got off to a slow start this year coming off of major surgery but is hitting .300/.341/.442 on the season and has been particularly hot of late. Murphy is primarily a second baseman, of course, but he has played some first base too. The Cubs, at any rate, have a pretty flexible roster so they’ll likely be able to find a good amount of playing time for him at either position and, when he doesn’t start, he’ll be a great option off the bench.

Between this trade and the trade of Matt Adams to the Cardinals, the Nats have officially thrown in the towel on 2018.