Considering it was the Monday after the Winter Meetings and before the week of Christmas, this would have been a decent bet for a slow news day. Instead, Pete Rose's ban was upheld and then there was a major free-agent signing.
Here's a quick rundown of everything a baseball fan would need to know from Monday.
Transactions, roster moves, etc.
Braves: The club inked Jhoulys Chacin to a minor-league deal (Jon Heyman).
Cubs: Reliever Jean Machi signed a minor-league deal with the club, according to his agent.
Giants: Johnny Cueto has agreed to a six-year, $130 million deal. The move rounds out a potentially very good San Francisco rotation.
Orioles: The signing of Darren O'Day was made official.
Phillies: Catcher J.P. Arencibia has signed a minor-league deal with the team, they announced.
Royals: They signed pitcher Dillon Gee to a minor-league deal (Heyman). They also signed pitcher John Lannan to a minor-league deal (Jeff Passan).
White Sox: Former Giants catcher Hector Sanchez was signed to a minor-league deal, per his agent.
Reports, rumors and speculation
Todd Frazier: The Reds have been discussing a possible trade of Todd Frazier, with the possible suitors being the White Sox, Indians, Nationals, Royals, Dodgers, Rangers and Angels (Heyman).
Miscellany
Pete Rose: Yes, his ban was upheld by the commissioner, meaning Rose will likely never get back into baseball. Rose initially lied to Manfred and then changed his story regarding if he still gambles on baseball. For more on the long press release, we have you covered. The Hall of Fame is still possible, by the way, and Dayn Perry makes the case that Rose should be put on the ballot.
Hall of Fame: The candidate we profiled on Monday was the great Ken Griffey Jr.