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- The first big offseason transaction occurred less than 24 hours after game 7 of the World Series. That transaction being, Justin Upton signing an 5-year contract extension with the Angels. Upton, who had an opt-out clause in his contract, made a quick decision to remain teammates with Mike Trout. The deal is reportedly worth $106 million and will keep Upton a member of the Angels through 2022. Upton had a great season with the Tigers and then Angels in 2017. He hit .273 with a career high 35 HR and 109 RBI.
- The Red Sox decided to pick up club options on Chris Sale and Craig Kimbrel for 2018. Pretty easy decision for the 2017 AL East Champions. Sale and Kimbrel enter 2018 as elite options at their respective positions.
- Daniel Murphy underwent knee surgery a couple of weeks ago and now Nationals GM Mike Rizzo is sharing optimism that Murphy will be ready for Opening Day. Murphy finished 2017 dealing with the ailment and previous reports indicated he could miss some time at the start of the 2018 season. Murphy has become a reliable top 50 fantasy option and this new report from Rizzo sheds positive light on Murphy’s 2018 outlook.
- The Seattle Mariners declined the $10 million club option of Hisashi Iwakuma. This makes Iwakuma a free agent heading into the offseason. Iwakuma had a rough season making only 6 starts in 2017 while posting a 4.35 ERA. The 36-year-old pitcher has a career ERA of 3.42 and could be a decent option for a team needing rotation help.