Hot Stove Update: Winter Meetings Day 2

Bobby Evans spent Day 2 of the Winter Meetings looking and sounding terrific in interviews while a couple of other teams made some significant moves(just kidding there, Bobby).  First off the Cubs made a pair of moves which clarified their middle IF situation, signing 2B/OF Ben Zobrist to a 4 year/$56 M contract, then shipping SS Starlin Castro to the Yankees for RHP Adam Warren and great field/no-hit IF Brendan Ryan.  Zobrist is not the 5-WAR stud he was in his Tampa Bay heyday, but he's still a solid veteran ballplayer.  He will likely help the Cubs for at least the first 2 years of the deal, although it covers his ages 35-38 seasons.  The deal also clears the way for Addison Russell to be the undisputed starter at SS.  As for Castro, his career has kind of plateaued at a much lower level than was projected a few years ago.  He may have balked at moving to 2B with the Cubs.  Now he'll do that with the Yankees and like it.

The Giants were rumored to be a possible destination for Zobrist, although that outcome seemed unlikely after it came out that he preferred to play 2B than OF.  I like Zobrist as a player, but he's not getting any younger.  I kind of feel like the Giants are better off not signing him.  I don't know what they will do with LF, but I feel like they still have an opportunity to do better than Zobrist.

The other big deal that went down on Day 2 was the D'Backs trade for RHP Shelby Miller from the Braves.  Now, Miller is a good pitcher and he will make the D'Backs rotation better, but they paid a frightfully high price to get him giving up OF Ender Inciarte, RHP prospect Aaron Blair and their 2015 #1 overall draft pick Dansby Swanson.  Miller was a lot better than his 6-15 W-L record last year would indicate, but he may also not have been as good as his 3.02 ERA would indicate either.  His K/9 and BB/9 were good but not great while his ERA was helped by a ridiculously low HR/FB ratio pitching in a very pitcher friendly ballpark.  His adjusted ERA's were not nearly as good as the 3.02 he put up.  He earned a respectable 3.4 fWAR on the season.  His contract is controlled for 3 more years before he hits free agency.

Here's the thing.  Ender Inciarte put up 3.3 fWAR last year in his first full season in there majors and his contract is controlled for 5 more years.  You could make a case that a straight up trade of Inciarte for Miller would have been a fair deal for the Braves!  Instead, they also got a potential mid-rotation SP who has pitched at the AAA level and put up respectable numbers in the extremely hitter-friendly PCL.  But, that wasn't enough either.  They also got the #1 overall draft pick from 2015, Dansby Swanson!  I mean, not only does Swanson have the potential to become a 5-6 WAR stud in his own right, he will probably move through the system very fast.  2017 is a good bet for his ETA, but don't be shocked if you see his name in a MLB lineup in 2016.

The D'Backs may be thinking they can mitigate the loss of Inciarte with Socrates Brito and/or Yasmany Tomas, or they may be thinking they will pick up another OF this offseason.  If that is the case, then Miller is a pure addition and makes the D'Backs better this year.  In the long run, the Snakes paid a frightfully high price and the Braves turned around their struggling rebuild in one trade.