MLB Roundup 1/23: Austin Jackson signs with the Giants, excitement is felt around baseball

The Giants signed Austin Jackson

The inaction around baseball is getting really ridiculous, and you needn’t look any further than Monday around the league. The biggest move of the day was the Giants signing Austin Jackson to a two-year, $6 million deal. Woo-hoo! There were a couple of minor-league deals signed too, and the following is an actual description I heard of the night. “The dam is starting to burst, I think, at least on minor players.” We have all lost our damn minds. There was also some talk that Austin Jackson only getting $6 million was a sign that the market is screwed up. It’s no secret that I think there is something wrong with the market right now, but, no offense to Jackson, he’s not the type of player who makes that point. The center fielder had a solid year for Cleveland in 2017, but it came in a part-time role and prior to that he hadn’t been good since 2013. Jackson is fine, but a small deal is about right for him. Anyway, this doesn’t affect the Red Sox at all but it does make us remember this catch from this past summer, one of the best we’ll ever see at Fenway.

• So, I mentioned some minor-league deals above. One of them was Allen Craig, who signed with the Padres. The PawSox just will not be the same. Also, congratulations to old friend Marc Normandin, a dual Red Sox/Padres fan who will get another year of Craig in his life.
• Chris Gimenez, a catcher, also signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs. On the surface, this doesn’t really matter as Gimenez is a decent enough, but not special, catcher. However, he is also one of Yu Darvish’s favorite backstops. Personally, I don’t think that’ll matter much in the ace’s ultimate decision, but what the hell else is there to talk about?