NL Central

Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki announced Wednesday night that he would represent Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Seiya Suzuki announces he will play for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic. #Cubs https://t.co/a5icG1Pht5

— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) December 8, 2022

He reportedly had been initially undecided about participating because of the tournament interfering with spring training preparations, per Tim Stebbins of NBC Chicago.

"I put myself in his shoes," manager David Ross told reporters at the winter meetings of Suzuki potentially playing in the WBC. "I would have loved to play for Team USA. How cool is that? You're going to get into the best competition in the world and be able to compete at a high level for your country. I would never want to take that away from anybody and always kind of push that experience. You should play if that's where your heart is."

Suzuki, 28, hit .262 with 14 homers, 46 RBI, 54 runs, nine stolen bases and a .770 OPS in 111 games this past season, his first with the Cubs after joining the team from Japan's NPB.

Ross said he wasn't worried about the WBC impacting Suzuki once the season began.

"He's our starting right fielder. He's going to be in the lineup," he said. "Whether you have a clean spring training and things aren't perfect to start our whatever, if that was the case, or maybe he starts on fire because of already facing great pitching. None of us know that, but I don't think that's something we'll blame or make an excuse."

"It doesn't matter," he continued. "You've got to go out and play and perform and win games. He's our starting right fielder. He'll be prepared. He works his tail off."

Suzuki previously represented Japan at the 2017 WBC and 2020 Olympics, so it always seemed likely he would take up the proverbial banners again for March's WBC.

Japan was slotted into Pool B alongside South Korea, Australia, China and the Czech Republic. They'll open their tournament against China on March 9.

Free-agent catcher Willson Contreras, who spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Chicago Cubs, has reached a five-year, $87.5 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal first reported a deal was close.

Contreras, who is entering his age-31 season, hit .243 (.815 OPS) and posted 22 home runs and 55 RBI in 2022.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported in December 2020 that the Cubs were "extensively shopping" Contreras. A trade never happened, and he and the Cubs agreed to a one-year, $9.6 million deal for the 2021 season to avoid arbitration.

It appeared Contreras could be leaving town last summer as the Cubs conducted a 2021 midseason fire sale that saw 2016 World Series heroes Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Báez all get moved as the team began a significant rebuilding process.

That didn't happen either, but the backstop is now moving on of his own accord.

Contreras will have massive shoes to fill, as he's replacing Yadier Molina behind the plate in St. Louis. The 10-time All-Star retired after the 2022 season.

That obviously left the Cardinals in need of a veteran catcher as they look to make the playoffs for the fifth straight year in 2023.

The New York Mets reportedly came to terms on a contract with free-agent starting pitcher José Quintana on Wednesday.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the deal is worth $26 million over two years.

Quintana, 33, is an 11-year MLB veteran who split last season between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals after previous stints with the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants.

In 32 starts split between the Pirates and Cards in 2022, Quintana enjoyed one of the best statistical seasons of his career.

The lefty posted a career-best 2.93 ERA while going 6-7 and compiling a 1.21 WHIP and 137 strikeouts over 165.2 innings. He was especially good in 12 starts for the Cardinals, going 3-2 with a 2.01 ERA.

Before last season, Quintana's best year unquestionably came in 2016 with the White Sox, when he went 13-12 with a 3.20 ERA and was named an All-Star for the first and only time to date.

The Colombia-born hurler figures to slot in as the Mets' No. 4 starter behind the recently signed Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Carlos Carrasco. He will also serve as the replacement for Taijuan Walker.

Walker was the Mets' No. 4 starter last season, but he signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, per Passan.

MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported the Mets were also in on former New York Yankees starter Jameson Taillon, but he signed a four-year, $68 million contract with the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

Additionally, the Mets lost longtime starter Jacob deGrom to the Texas Rangers in free agency, but they signed Verlander away from the Houston Astros on a two-year deal as his replacement.

Despite the moves to add to the pitching staff, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported the Mets remain interested in Japanese pitcher Koudai Senga.

By and large, the Mets have merely shuffled around some pieces thus far in free agency and are in line to primarily return the same roster from last season.

While things were trending in a hugely positive direction for the Mets for much of the 2022 campaign, they blew a big lead in the NL East to the Atlanta Braves and were upset by the San Diego Padres in the National League Wild Card Series.

With Verlander and Quintana replacing deGrom and Walker, the Mets are undoubtedly hopeful that those tweaks will help take them to the next level in 2023.

St. Louis Cardinals television broadcaster Dan McLaughlin has been arrested on a DWI charge for at least the third time since 2010.

Per Gabe Lacques of USA Today, McLaughlin was charged with a felony count of persistent DWI after police arrested him Sunday following multiple calls about a "vehicle driving erratically in traffic" in Creve Coeur, Missouri.

According to the police report (h/t Lacques), McLaughlin's official charge was "persistent offender of driving while intoxicated," and he was transferred to St. Louis County Justice Center where he is being held on $25,000 bond.

"We are very disappointed to hear this, and are working to gather additional information before offering further comment," Bally Sports Midwest said in a statement about the situation.

"No excuses," McLaughlin wrote in a text message to Taylor Tiamoyo Harris of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I'm dealing with this and seeking the treatment that I need. I ask for your privacy for me and my family."

According to Harris, McLaughlin had two DWI charges in a 13-month span in 2010 and 2011. He received two years' probation for the first charge.

In a 2011 interview with Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, McLaughlin discussed his struggles with alcohol use.

"I'm an alcoholic, and I'm not ashamed to say that because I needed help in a bad way," he said. "Through what's happened, it's turning my life around. That's the truth."

Fox Sports Midwest indefinitely suspended McLaughlin after his second arrest. He was reinstated in February 2012.

McLaughlin, 48, has been the play-by-play voice for Cardinals television games since 2000.

The Philadelphia Phillies may not be the only National League team who signs an impact shortstop this offseason.

After Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the Phillies agreed to an 11-year, $300 million deal with a no-trade clause with Trea Turner, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported the Cardinals are also involved in the shortstop market and are interested in Dansby Swanson.

Signing Swanson could help St. Louis in multiple ways, as Morosi suggested such a move could also help the front office use another position player to land a catcher in a trade. He mentioned Sean Murphy of the Oakland Athletics or Danny Jansen of the Toronto Blue Jays as possible targets.

With Yadier Molina retiring after the 2022 campaign, the National League Central team could use a backstop.

As for Swanson, he would bolster an already formidable infield that includes Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.

The free-agent shortstop is in the middle of his prime at 28 years old and coming off a season that saw him earn his first Gold Glove and All-Star selection. He slashed .277/.329/.447 with 25 home runs, 96 RBI and 18 stolen bases all while playing excellent defense, underscoring his ability to impact the game in a number of ways.

He was also responsible for nine defensive runs saved above average, per FanGraphs.

It is a testament to the shortstop market this offseason that Swanson, who has played for the Atlanta Braves his entire career, is likely the fourth-best option in a free agency class that also features Carlos Correa, Turner and Xander Bogaerts.

Yet he is a difference-maker in the field and at the plate, which is surely what a Cardinals team looking to take the next step after three straight losses in the National League Wild Card round is pursuing this offseason.

Center fielder Bryan Reynolds has requested to be traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Reynolds made the request because contract extension talks between the two sides have reached an "impasse."

Pirates offered to make Reynolds the highest paid Pirate in team history by total $, which means more than Ke’Bryan Hayes’ $70M deal. That says something, but fairly, not that much since Reynolds has much more service time and is a more accomplished big leaguer.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 3, 2022

Mackey reported there is no indication that the Pirates will move quickly to deal him.

The 27-year-old Reynolds, who was a National League All-Star in 2021, signed a two-year, $13.5 million extension with the Pirates in April and is under team control through 2025.

Mackey tweeted a statement released by the Pirates regarding Reynolds, with the team suggesting it has no plans to deal him:

"While it is disappointing, this will have zero impact on our decision-making this off-season or in the future. Our goal is to improve the Pirates for 2023 and beyond. With three years until he hits free agency, Bryan remains a key member of our team. We look forward to him having a great season for the Pirates."

The San Francisco Giants selected Reynolds in the second round of the 2016 MLB draft, and the Pirates acquired him in a trade of Andrew McCutchen in 2018. He made his debut in 2019 and has been a full-time player for the team since.

After hitting .314 with an .880 OPS and finishing fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2019, Reynolds fell off significantly in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign, hitting just .189 in 55 games.

The switch-hitter bounced back with the best season of his career in 2021, slashing .302/.390/.522 with 24 home runs and career highs of 90 RBI, 93 runs and eight triples.

Reynolds was named an All-Star for the first time, and he finished 11th in NL MVP voting.

Reynolds' slash line dropped to .262/.345/.461 last season, but he clubbed a career-high 27 homers and finished with 62 RBI, 74 runs and a career-high seven stolen bases as well.

The Pirates struggled as a team, losing 100 games for the second straight season and missing the playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.

Reynolds was by far Pittsburgh's most productive offensive player, and dealing him would likely send the Pirates even deeper into a rebuild.

They aren't obligated to trade him, but Reynolds would likely land a bigger return than anyone else on the roster, so they figure to at least entertain the idea of moving him for prospects.

The Milwaukee Brewers have made Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Willy Adames unavailable in trade discussions, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

The news comes after ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that the Brewers have traded second baseman Kolten Wong to the Seattle Mariners for outfielder Jesse Winker and infielder Abraham Toro.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Thursday that the Brewers had been receiving calls on the availability of Burnes, Woodruff and Adames. He added that Milwaukee would be more likely to move one or more of those players at the 2023 season's trade deadline.

Burnes, Woodruff and Adames are all under team control through the 2024 campaign.

After finishing the 2022 season with an 86-76 record and missing the playoffs, the Brewers may not be entering a rebuild, but they could be entering a reset, meaning that certain players will undoubtedly be made available for trade.

Burnes, who began his MLB career in 2018, has emerged as one of Milwaukee's best starters. During the 2022 season, he went 12-8 with a 2.94 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 243 strikeouts in 202 innings across 33 starts.

Woodruff began his major-league career in 2017, and he has also emerged as one of the team's top pitchers. He went 13-4 in 2022 with a 3.05 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 190 strikeouts in 153.1 innings across 27 starts.

Adames, while not one of baseball's premier shortstops, is still very good. Last season, he slashed .238/.298/.458 with 31 home runs, 98 RBI and eight stolen bases in 139 games. Further, the Brewers likely can't afford nor make a run at one of the league's top free-agent shortstops, such as Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson.

It's unclear if the Brewers have any intentions of trading other players. Wong was the team's top player made available in trade discussions.

The Milwaukee Brewers announced they have promoted Marti Wronski to chief operating officer (COO), making her the only female leader to hold that title for an MLB franchise, according to the organization.

Congratulations to Marti Wronski on her promotion to Chief Operating Officer and Jason Hartlund on his promotion to Executive Vice President – Chief Commercial Officer.

This promotion places Wronski as the only female executive leader to hold the COO title for an MLB Club. pic.twitter.com/Rt4jGjJCVR

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) December 2, 2022

Per the Brewers, Wronski is the highest-ranking female executive in the Brewers' organization since Wendy Selig-Prieb was president and chairman.

Wronski is entering her 20th season with the Brewers. She previously held titles as the team's general counsel and senior vice president (administration).

As noted by the Associated Press, Wronski's expanded role will include oversight of the business analytics and strategy team.

In her time with the Brewers, she has presided over legal, information technology and human resource departments as well as legal affairs, governmental relations and compliance.

Before her time with the Brewers, Wronski worked as a litigation associate for Foley and Lardner, LLP from 1997 to 2001.

Two other women serve as heads of business operations for MLB teams.

Catie Griggs is the president of business operations with the Seattle Mariners. The recently promoted Caroline O’Connor is the Miami Marlins' president of business operations. Kim Ng also runs baseball operations as the Marlins' general manager.

Coming off a stellar 2022 season split between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, José Quintana is attracting a lot of attention on the free-agent market.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Cardinals "have competition" as they attempt to re-sign the 33-year-old left-hander.

Teams that need a starting pitcher but don't want to spend at the top of the market will likely take a hard look at Quintana.

It's unclear at this point which clubs are in on Quintana. The New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox had interest in him before the trade deadline. The Cardinals ultimately acquired him and Chris Stratton from the Pirates in exchange for Malcom Nunez and Johan Oviedo.

The Pirates signed Quintana to a one-year, $2 million deal that turned into a massive bargain last offseason. He finished 2022 with a 2.93 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 165.2 innings over 32 starts between Pittsburgh and St. Louis.

It was the first season since 2016 that Quintana posted a sub-4.00 ERA and first time since 2019 he threw at least 100 innings.

Given the inconsistency in his performance and lack of durability in recent years before 2022, Quintana does present significant risk to teams as a free agent.

One encouraging sign for teams was the performance of Quintana's fastball last season. It was tied for the 19th-most valuable pitch in Major League Baseball with a minus-17 run value. His curveball was also an above-average pitch with a minus-10 run value.

Quintana's age and durability questions do make him an affordable option for clubs that want another starter. He probably won't get back to being an All-Star player at this stage of his career, but a solid mid-rotation starter who can eat innings has a lot of value.

Bryan Reynolds' name continues to pop up in trade rumors, though it's not a given the Pittsburgh Pirates will trade the All-Star centerfielder.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Pirates are willing to listen to offers for Reynolds, but it "remains unlikely" he will be moved this offseason.

It's not a surprise to see Reynolds' name pop up in trade rumors. There were rumblings he could be moved during the season before the trade deadline, but the Pirates elected to hang on to him.

The Athletic's Jim Bowden reported in July that the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins did "not stop calling" the Pirates about Reynolds.

Reynolds could bring back a huge return to Pittsburgh if the team decided to make a deal. The 27-year-old has a .281/.361/.481 slash line with 74 homers and 239 RBI in 493 career games.

With the exception of the 2020 season that was shortened to 60 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Reynolds has had a 126 OPS+ in each of his three full years in the big leagues. He ranks fifth among all centerfielders in FanGraphs wins above replacement since 2019 (12.5).

Mike Trout (19.1), George Springer (14.8), Ronald Acuña Jr. (14.3) and Starling Marte (13.2) are the only players ahead of Reynolds on the fWAR list over the past four seasons.

Rather than trying to trade him, Reynolds should be a player the Pirates look to build around. He has three years of team control remaining before hitting free agency after the 2025 season.

Pittsburgh has a promising farm system that MLB.com ranked No. 7 overall in August. Oneil Cruz and Roansy Contreras graduated from prospect status last season and both have tremendous potential. Nick Gonzales, Henry Davis and Mike Burrows are among the top players in the system who could get called up in 2023.

The Pirates have lost 100 games in back-to-back seasons and fans have been outraged for years with how cheap owner Robert Nutting has been with spending on the roster. Trading the best player they have wouldn't do anything to help repair the already fractured relationship.