Rival Roundup, Vol. 75: South Side Surprise

Christmas is a-comin’, and the goose is getting fat. So, too, are the wallets of those lucky few who signed contracts with Central division teams this week. And as an early Christmas present to me, we actually got ourselves some headlines this weekend!

• The Chicago White Sox sent the weekend out with a bang, landing Japanese third baseman Munetaka Murakami on a two-year, $34MM deal, a contract which both fell way under the projected salary value, and stunned those who did not believe the Sox were reasonably in play for such a high-profile posting. The latest home run champ in the NPB signs an effective prove-it deal, which could see him finishing out a season and a half in Chicago before working a trade to a contender, then hitting the free market again for the kind of big MLB payday he was hoping for this winter. Either way, he shakes up the composition of the Chicago lineup and gives the Twins something more pressing to worry about at Rate Field.
• The Kansas City Royals helped keep the stove on for us during the middle of the week, acquiring 2024 All-Star reliever Matt Strahm in a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

• Strahm, who will enter his age-34 season, ranks third among all lefties with a 2.90 ERA, and actually started his career with the Royals all the way back in 2016.
• It’s been a good idea to poach from the Tampa Bay Rays for quite some time now. The White Sox became the latest team to do just that, hiring Carlos Rodriguez to an assistant general manager role this week. Rodrigiuez had been a free agent since October, when he departed from the Rays following 15 years with the franchise.
• Luis Robert Jr. has been the centerpiece of Chicago trade discussions for a while, ever since he transformed from can’t-miss, perpetual-thorn-in-side status to a 1.5-WAR outfielder/DH making $20 million a year. A few big NL teams — and, as has strangely been the case this offseason, the Pittsburgh Pirates — have all been linked to the former All-Star.
• The Sox also grabbed Tampa Bay DFA job Tristan Peters in a cash/PTBNL trade. Busy first week for Carlos Rodriguez.
• The Chiefs made bigger news this week in the NFL, but a quote from the Kansas state senate president believes that the Royals will join them in a move away from Missouri.
• The Cleveland Guardians picked up Justin Bruihl in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, officially inked Shawn Armstrong to a one-year deal, then snuck Bruihl into DFA-land to make room on the roster. Where he stops, nobody knows.
• Finally, legendary general manager Dave Dombrowski will join the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.