Done Deals: Angels acquire infielder Yunel Escobar from Nationals

THURSDAY
The Angels have acquired veteran infielder Yunel Escobar from the Nationals
The Winter Meetings have all but wrapped up in Nashville, but teams are still talking trade. In the late afternoon hours, the Angels announced a deal for veteran infielder Yunel Escobar. In return, the Angels will send right-handed pitchers Trevor Gott and Michael Brady to the Nationals.

BLS Take: The 33-year-old Escobar fills a major need for the Angels as a verstatile infielder capable of manning several positions. This will give general manager Billy Eppler some flexibility in his forthcoming moves, as it won't be as essential to focus on a specific position. Escobar batted .314/.375/.415 with Washington last season, so he can defintely help. He just won't provide much power with a career high of only 14 homers.

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Jonathan Broxton re-signs with Cardinals for two years
The Cardinals announced that they’ve signed right-hander Jonathan Broxton to a two-year contract to return to a set up role in their bullpen.

	St. Louis Cardinals @Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals sign RHP Jonathan Broxton to a 2-year contract. Broxton was 3-3, 2.66 ERA in 26 G w/STL in 2015 pic.twitter.com/E69jDMs9Nx 12:51 PM - 10 Dec 2015

BLS Take: Broxton provided solid bullpen depth for St. Louis last season after being acquired from Milwaukee on July 31. The Cardinals will hope for similar production from the former closer as they attempt to keep the bridge to All-Star closer Trevor Rosenthal stronger. At 31, Broxton has appeared in 608 MLB games over 11 seasons. He should still have plenty of gas left in the tank, and given how relievers fluctuate may even have an elite year or two. Broxton was an All-Star with the Dodgers in 2009 and 2010.

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Mark Reynolds signs a one-year deal in Colorado
The Colorado Rockies have been fairly quiet this offseason, but finally struck Thursday. The team added 32-year-old slugger Mark Reynolds on a one-year deal.

	Jon Heyman @JonHeymanCBS
mark reynolds has agreement with rockies. $2.6M plus incentives. lotta power in coors. 9:59 AM - 10 Dec 2015

BLS take: Reynolds may strike out a ton, but who cares. In Colorado, his massive power will be on display every night. Reynolds' career-high in long balls is 44. While it seems aggressive to say he can top that if he receives regular playing time, it's Colorado. The Rockies aren't going to be a great team heading into 2016, so why not pick up a guy who should at least be entertaining every time he steps to the plate?

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Astros further beef up bullpen by re-signing Tony SippFollowing their reported tradetheir reported trade for closer Ken Giles, the Houston Astros added another bullpen arm. This time, it's a familiar face. The team has re-signed lefty Tony Sipp, who was there in 2014 and 2015. MLB.com's Brian McTaggart was first to report the deal. Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal says it's worth $18 million over three years.

 

BLS take: Sipp, 32, had his best season in 2015 with the Astros. He had a 1.99 ERA in 60 appearances and struck out 62 batters. The Astros know what they're getting with Sipp too, which is why re-signing him was a priority. With Giles coming to the team this year and Sipp back, the Astros bullpen should be solid.