Hot Stove: 12/17

Record of the Day

First and only player to finish first and second in a GIBBY category: David Freese (2011, Postseason Moment of the Year).

Yesterday, David Freese became the first player in GIBBY (Greatness In BaseBall Yearly) history to finish both first and second in one category, with his two run, game tying double in the bottom of the ninth off Neftali Feliz in Game 6 winning the gold and his walk off home run later that night finishing second. Actually, Cardinals took all of the top five slots, with Albert Pujols' trifecta of home runs finishing third, the final out of Chris Carpenter's shutout of the Phillies in Game 5 of the NLDS finishing fourth, and Lance Berkman's game tying RBI single in the 10th inning of Game 6 finishing fifth.

Free Agent Signings

Rockies agreed to terms with Michael Cuddyer (20 HR, 70 RBI, .284 AVG, 11 SB, 2012 age: 33) on a three-year, $31.5 million deal ($10.5 million per season). 

Mets signed Chuck James (0-0, 6.10 ERA, .293 BAA, 2012 age: 30) to a minor league deal.

Angels resigned Jerome Williams (4-0, 3.68 ERA, .269 BAA, 2012 age: 30) to a one-year, $820,000 deal (plus up to 120,000 in incentives).

Michael Cuddyer is the outfielder the Rockies have been looking for. After showing interest in Carlos Beltran, they brought Michael Cuddyer on to fill the gap. Cuddyer can play virtually anywhere on the field, even pitching an inning for Minnesota last year. Since 2006, Cuddyer has actually played every position except catcher and shortstop. This may be a hard blow for Twins fans, as Cuddyer has played in Minnesota for 11 years since he first stepped onto the diamond in 2001. He actually played in parts of three years from 2001-2003 before he played his first full season in 2004, hitting 12 home runs and batting .263 in 115 games. After a 2005 where he hit 12 home runs and batted .263 once again, this time in 126 games, the back of his baseball card said that he was due for a breakout year. Was he ever. In 2006, he hit 24 home runs, knocked in 109 runs, and batted .284 with six stolen bases in 150 games. After a down year in 2007 where he hit 16 home runs, Cuddyer missed half of 2008 to injury, finishing with three home runs and a .249 average in 71 games. Many thought his 2006 was a fluke. It wasn't. Cuddyer surged back in 2009, hitting 32 homer runs and batting .276 in 153 games. He only hit 14 home runs in 2010, but smashed 20 in 2011, tied a career high with a .284 average, and set a career high with his 11 stolen bases. He even tossed a scoreless inning against the Rangers. After 11 years in Minnesota, he finished with 141 home runs, 580 RBI, a .272 average, and 52 stolen bases in 1,139 games. He leaves the Twins as the No. 12 player in home runs. 

Trades

Padres traded Aaron Cunningham (3 HR, 9 RBI, .178 AVG, 1 SB, 2012 age: 26) to the Indians for minor leaguer Cory Burns (2-5, 2.11 ERA, .220 BAA, 35 saves at AA Akron, 2012 age: 24).

Cunningham, who has long shown the promise to be a star player, was never panned out in the expansive PETCO Park. Every time he was demoted to AAA, he showed that he deserved to be in the show, but once promoted, couldn't figure out big league pitching. He was promoted to the bigs in 2008 after batting .329 with 17 home runs in the minors, and batted .250 with a home run in a 22 game debut for the A's. He couldn't figure anything out in 2009, batting .151 with a home run in 23 games, despite hitting .302 in AAA. He was sent to the Padres and had his best year in 2010, hitting only one home run but batting .288 in 53 games, but could not get started in 2011, setting a career high with three home runs but batting just .178. Over his four-year career, he hit six home runs and batted .231 in 150 games. The only Alaskan in the major leagues still won't turn 26 until April, so there is still some hope that he may be a late bloomer. 

The Padres received AA closer Cory Burns in return for Cunningham. The eighth round pick of 2009 has shot quickly through the minor leagues and may compete for a spot in the Padres bullpen in 2012. He began his professional career in 2009 at Rookie level Mahoning Valley, posting 11 saves and a 1.93 ERA in 22 games. He was promoted to Class A Lake County in 2010, and saved 12 games with a 2.30 ERA in 14 appearances before a promotion to High Class A Kinston, where he saved 30 games with a 1.83 ERA in 40 appearances. He finished the year with a 1.96 ERA and 42 saves in 54 appearances. He was promoted to AA Akron for 2011, where he posted a 2.11 ERA and 35 saves in 54 appearances.

Other News

Barry Bonds has been sentenced to one month of house arrest, 250 hours of community service, and $4,100 in different fines/fees on accounts of Obstruction of Justice. 

The GIBBY (Greatness in BaseBall Yearly) awards have been announced. Winners include Matt Kemp (Player of the Year, 33.2% of vote), Justin Verlander (Starter of the Year, 58%), Craig Kimbrel (Rookie of the Year, 54.5%), Jose Valverde (Closer of the Year, 54%), David Robertson (Set-Up Man of the Year, 27.2%), Asrubal Cabrera (Defensive Player of the Year, 27%), Ian Kennedy (Breakout Player of the Year, 35.4%), Lance Berkman (Comeback Player of the Year, 55.4%), Robinson Cano (Wow Factor of the Year, 33.5%), Kirk Gibson(Manager of the Year, 45.6%), John Mozeliak (Executive of the Year, 25.1%), David Freese (Postseason MVP, 79.5%), Ben Revere's Willy Mays-esque Catch (Play of the Year, 32.2%), Dan Johnson's Game Tying Home Run on Wild Card Wendesday (Moment of the Year, 33.7%), Derek Jeter's 5-5 Night With 3,000th Hit (Single Game Performance of the Year, 46.3%), Ryan Braun's Stumble Around Third (Oddity of the Year, 32.9%), Evan Longoria's Wild Card Wednesday Walk Off (Walk Off of the Year, 62.6%), D-Back's Fan's Giving up of the Ball to a Younger Fan (Fan Moment of the Year, 45.4%), and David Freese's Two Run Double in Game 6 (Postseason Moment of the Year, 45.4%).

-- 
Teams followed in this update: Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves

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. BAA: batting average against. K's: strikeouts. WPCT:winning percentage

Zack Silverman