Winter Meetings Day Five Open Thread

The last day of the winter meetings opens, with the Rule 5 draft the main event on what is expected to be a light day of action, as teams prepare to head home. The D-backs do have room on their 40-man roster to make a selection or two, so it will be interesting to see if they take action, perhaps to bolster their bullpen or snare a catching prospect (Though the signing of Jeff Mathis would appear to make the latter less likely, in my opinion).

The big overnight news is, of course, the signing of Aroldis Chapman back to the New York Yankees for a contract that last five years and is worth a staggering $86 million. That’s easily the record for any relief pitcher, blowing past the mark set earlier in the off-season by Mark Melancon. The deal leaves only Kenley Jansen among the top tier of elite relievers, and the Florida Marlins, having missed out on Chapman, are looking to be the front-runners to acquire Jansen at this point. We’ll keep an eye on that as it develops overnight.

Otherwise, the Rule 5 draft will be starting at the time of posting, so we’ll update you as to whether the Diamondbacks take the plunge, as things unfold.