The Cincinnati Reds continued their busy offseason, matching the biggest free-agent contract in team history by agreeing to a four-year, $64 million deal with outfielder Nick Castellanos, sources confirmed to ESPN's Jeff Passan on Monday.

The deal has an opt-out clause after the first season, sources said.

Castellanos, who undoubtedly made some money for himself after his midseason trade from the Detroit Tigers to the Chicago Cubs, continued to be a doubles machine, with 58 between the two teams in 2019.

He has averaged 38 doubles in his six full seasons in the majors.

His power increased last season as well. After hitting 11 home runs in 403 at-bats for Detroit, Castellanos hit 16 with the Cubs in just 212 at-bats. His OPS+ of 151 in 2019 was easily the best of his career.

Castellanos' deal matches the one the Reds gave to infielder Mike Moustakas this offseason. They will be tied as the second-highest-paid players on the roster behind Joey Votto, who makes $25 million each of the next four seasons.

Moustakas hit .254 with 35 homers and 87 RBIs last season and made the All-Star team for the third time.

Left-hander Wade Miley agreed to a two-year, $15 million contract with the Reds in December. The deal includes a club option for 2022 that, if exercised, can bring the total value to $24 million.

Miley, 33, went 14-6 with a 3.98 ERA and 140 strikeouts for the Houston Astros during the regular season, but he tailed off badly down the stretch and -- after making just one appearance during the American League Division Series -- was left off the rosters for both the AL Championship Series and the World Series.

In early January, Cincinnati signed Japanese outfielder Shogo Akiyama to a three-year, $21 million contract.

Akiyama, 31, has played parts of nine seasons for the Seibu Lions of the Japanese Pacific League. The left-handed-hitting Akiyama batted .303 with 20 home runs and 62 RBIs in 143 games for Seibu last season.

Castellanos joins a crowded outfield that will get sorted out in spring training.

Akiyama was a five-time All-Star center fielder for Seibu but could move to a corner spot. The Reds already have center fielder Nick Senzel, who is recovering from shoulder surgery.

Aristides Aquino took over in right field last season after Yasiel Puig was traded to Cleveland and had a sensational debut, but he slumped as the season closed out. The Reds also have Jesse Winker and Phillip Ervin.

Drafted in the first round by Detroit in 2010, Castellanos, who turns 28 in March, has mostly played in obscurity. The Tigers made the postseason in 2014 but haven't sniffed October since. After joining the Cubs, Castellanos was praised for the energy and hunger he brought to a team that was going in the wrong direction.

"He hasn't won in a few years, so I completely understand that," former teammate Ian Happ said. "What I see is just the joy of the game. Playing like a little kid. Enjoying a new team. That's what it looks like."

Upon joining the Cubs, Castellanos famously said that "every day is like Opening Day."

His defense hasn't rated as well as his offense, but he showed no issues in a difficult right field at Wrigley, though he profiles more in left. His big strength on offense is finding the gaps in left-center and right-center.

For his career, Castellanos is a .277 hitter with 120 home runs and 460 RBIs.

The Reds haven't been to the playoffs since 2013, when they won 90 games and lost to the Pirates in the National League wild-card game. Cincinnati then launched into a rebuild, trading stars for prospects. The team lost at least 94 games annually from 2015 to 2018.

The Reds decided to try to become competitive again last season and acquired Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood, Tanner Roark and Sonny Gray, who became an All-Star. Puig, Kemp and Roark were dealt during the season. Cincinnati finally escaped last place, finishing ahead of Pittsburgh with a 75-87 mark, and wasted a lot of solid pitching along the way.

With Castellanos heading to Cincinnati, Josh Donaldson to Minnesota and Marcell Ozuna to Atlanta, the top free agents are now all signed. Puig and utility man Brock Holt are likely the top free agents remaining.

ESPN's Jesse Rogers and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun acknowledges the possibility this might be his final season.

"There's at least a chance this is my last fan fest as a player," he said Sunday during the Brewers' annual winter fan festival and convention. "You definitely get a little nostalgic and think about how quickly it goes by. I've thought about it a little bit, but for me, the goal is always to stay fully present and try to be the best version of myself as a player this year, and then figure out the future when I get through the season."

Braun, 36, is entering the final year of a five-year, $105 million contract. His 13-year career thus far has included the highs of winning the National League Most Valuable Player award in 2011 and the lows of serving a 65-game suspension in 2013 when an investigation linked him to the Biogenesis scandal.

When Braun returned from that suspension in 2014, a series of issues with his back and thumb robbed him of the power he'd flashed earlier in the career. But he's enjoyed a resurgence over the past few seasons and quietly put together one of the Brewers' most consistent performances in 2019, when he batted .285 with a .343 on-base percentage and .505 slugging percentage.

Braun had 22 homers and 75 RBIs last season while playing in 144 games -- his most since 2012.

Braun has played on four of the six teams in franchise history to qualify for the playoffs, including an NLCS appearance in 2018 and a wild-card game loss to the Washington Nationals last season.

Even after a significant amount of roster turnover that saw Milwaukee part with 14 players from its 25-man wild-card game roster, Braun remains confident that the Brewers are again in a position to make the postseason -- and reach the World Series for the first time in his career.

"I don't take for granted this could be my last year playing baseball," Braun said. "Obviously, there's a sense of urgency every year, but for me, knowing that this could be my last chance ever, it's something that adds to that sense of urgency.

"I feel good about the fact that they've put a team together that should be competitive again. We went to the postseason the past two years. The team that we lost to last year ended up winning the whole thing. It's just about finding a way to get into the postseason and finding a way to get hot at the right time."

Braun's contract does include a mutual option for 2021. Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said he hoped Braun would be open to exercising.

"We'll try to convince him to play another year but he does have a third child coming and he's one of those exceptional athletes who wants to go out on top so this could be his last season," Attanasio said. "It's been rare for someone to spend their whole career with one organization, especially when they perform at the absolute highest level, as he has."

Braun said retirement is at least a possibility and noted that he and his wife are expecting their third child in May.

"I don't anticipate being able to make a decision until I get through the season and see how it goes, see where I'm at physically, see how this team looks for next year, and see how the family dynamic changes with this third kid," Braun said.

Braun also was asked about the Astros' sign-stealing scandal and made it clear that the Brewers haven't been among the teams engaging in the high-tech shenanigans that led to a wave of firings earlier this month.

"We've never even given signs from second base in 15 years of my career," Braun said. "Everybody is paranoid that we do it. Everybody is convinced we've done some of those things. But we've literally never even given signs from second base in my 14 years here."

The Brewers have found themselves mentioned at times during the winter as a team that might also have been stealing signs. Those accusations usually point to what are perceived as highly inflated home/road statistics.

Braun pointed to Miller Park's reputation as a hitters' paradise as reason for those numbers.

"I think that's a big part of it," Braun said. "Teams have always been paranoid coming into our ballpark, but I also think most teams are paranoid about going to every ballpark."

With the exception of Yasiel Puig, the last of the big-name free agents - Josh Donaldson, Nicholas Castellanos and Marcell Ozuna - have come off the shelf over the past couple of weeks, but that doesn't mean the cupboard is bare when it comes to finding help among the still-unemployed. While it's not likely that any of the remaining free-agent position players has an MVP-caliber or even All-Star-worthy season in store, teams can still find useful parts for their bench, or even their lineup, most likely at a bargain price.

Here are five such players, listed alphabetically:

Francisco Lindor, Mookie Betts and Nolan Arenado have taken turns at the center of trade rumors all winter. Will any of them be dealt before spring training? Maybe the Cardinals find a way to add Arenado. Maybe the Dodgers, having lost out on Anthony Rendon and Gerrit Cole as big-ticket free agents, will step up and acquire Lindor or Betts as a final piece to an already great team. Or maybe they all stay put for now.

If any of these three players do get traded before the season begins, they will join a list of the best baseball players ever traded during the offseason. Over the past two seasons, Betts ranks second to Mike Trout in position-player WAR, Lindor ranks seventh and Arenado ranks 10th. You might get some disagreement on their exact placement, but all three players are consensus top-10 players in the game.

The initial task here was to arrive at a list of the 10 best players traded during an offseason, but I quickly realized that would be a frustrating assignment -- the list of candidates was much deeper than you would think, and how do you rate the player at the time of the trade?

Lindor, for example, ranked tied for 26th among position players in WAR in 2019. The 26th-best player is hardly blockbuster news. As another example, Ken Griffey Jr. in 1999 led the American League with 48 home runs, drove in 134 runs, won a Gold Glove and certainly was viewed as one of the game's best players at the time, yet he didn't even crack the top 10 in the AL in WAR that season.

So, no, I couldn't quite come up with a list of just 10 trades. Leave Griffey off? No way. I narrowed it down to 50 trades -- although they involved only 48 different players, as Rogers Hornsby was traded in three consecutive offseasons. Nobody could stand the guy.

I also broke this into two eras (before 1950 and after 1950) to keep the list from being almost exclusively players from the first four decades of the century, when star players routinely posted higher WAR figures than we see today and many stars were also simply sold for cash -- as with Eddie Collins or, more famously, Babe Ruth.

Top 10 since 1950

We'll circle back to the pre-1950 days, but for now let's focus on post-1950 trades. These are the candidates by decade:

2010s: 8 (Paul Goldschmidt, Giancarlo Stanton, Chris Sale, Josh Donaldson, R.A. Dickey, Zack Greinke, Adrian Gonzalez, Roy Halladay)

2000s: 8 (Johan Santana, Miguel Cabrera, Tim Hudson, Randy Johnson, Alex Rodriguez, Curt Schilling, Gary Sheffield, Ken Griffey Jr.)

1990s: 7 (Roger Clemens, Chuck Knoblauch, Kevin Brown, Pedro Martinez, David Cone, Jim Abbott, Fred McGriff)

1980s: 4 (Bob Welch, Gary Carter, Rickey Henderson, Fred Lynn)

1970s: 3 (Bert Blyleven, Reggie Jackson, Bobby Bonds)

1960s: 2 (Frank Robinson, Rocky Colavito)

1950s: 2 (Minnie Minoso, Eddie Stanky)

This might appear to be recency bias. It's not. Star players are traded more often now, as teams look to acquire value before losing a player in free agency. Almost all the players on this list from the past three decades were soon-to-be free agents. Sale and Donaldson were exceptions, as Sale had signed a long-term deal with the White Sox and Donaldson still had four years left of team control.

Given the volatile nature of one-season WAR figures, we ranked the top 10 players traded by their cumulative WAR over the two seasons prior to their trade:

1. Roger Clemens: 20.0 (Blue Jays to Yankees, Feb. 18, 1999)

The trade: Clemens for David Wells, Homer Bush and Graeme Lloyd

The New York Times headline said it all: "Yankees Subtract a Star but Add a Legend." This shocking trade came in mid-February, after spring training had started and after Clemens had dominated the American League in 1997 and 1998, going 41-13 with a 2.33 ERA, leading the league both seasons in wins, ERA and strikeouts. The Yankees had just come off their historic 114-win season and added the best pitcher in the game. In fact, Clemens is the only player on our post-1950 trade list who ranks first in two-season WAR as either a pitcher or position player.

"You can equate this with getting a Michael Jordan," George Steinbrenner said in Buster Olney's story in the Times. "We're getting a man who makes it a notable day in Yankee history." According to the story, the trade came together in less than 10 hours. Clemens, who had two years remaining on his deal, had demanded a trade earlier in the offseason but withdrew the demand before Christmas. Still, Blue Jays general manager Gord Ash was determined to trade him and made the offer to Brian Cashman, who immediately called Steinbrenner.

"Run that by me again," Steinbrenner said, in apparent shock that the asking price wasn't higher than Wells and two players of little consequence.

Clemens wasn't as dominant with the Yankees as he had been with the Blue Jays, although he did win the 2001 Cy Young Award after signing an extension and went 77-36 with a 3.99 ERA in five seasons with the Yankees (before returning for one final year in 2007 after a stint in Houston).

2. Alex Rodriguez: 17.2 (Rangers to Yankees, Feb. 16, 2004)

The trade: Rodriguez and cash for Alfonso Soriano and Joaquin Arias

The Rangers signed A-Rod to a record-shattering $252 million contract in 2001, and even though he led the AL in home runs in all three of his seasons with the team and won the 2003 MVP award, the Rangers won just 73, 72 and 71 games. With Rodriguez eating up a huge percentage of their payroll, they figured they could be just as bad without him and save money in the process. Since they included $67 million in the deal, the Rangers ended up paying Rodriguez about $140 million for three years of service.

"This deal is a win-win-win situation for the Rangers, the Yankees and Alex Rodriguez," Rangers GM John Hart said. "This trade is about flexibility. We've traded the best player in the game, and we're getting tremendous financial flexibility."

The Rangers did win 89 games in 2004 but fell back under .500 the next four seasons. Rodriguez had an inglorious first season in the Bronx, fighting with Jason Varitek, slapping the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove and watching the Red Sox rally in the ALCS. He would win MVP honors in 2005 and 2007 and help lead the Yankees to the 2009 World Series title.

3. Chuck Knoblauch: 15.5 (Twins to Yankees, Feb. 6, 1998)

The trade: Knoblauch for Eric Milton, Cristian Guzman and two others

This is a surprise -- was Knoblauch really that good? In the middle of the steroid era, with all the big sluggers putting up historic numbers, Knoblauch was a different type of player, hitting just 22 home runs combined in 1996 and '97, but he had a .418 OBP, stole 107 bases and is credited with superb defensive metrics. (He won a Gold Glove in 1997.) With an 8.7 WAR season in '96 and 6.8 in '97, he rated behind only Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds and just ahead of Jeff Bagwell and Alex Rodriguez over those two seasons. I don't know if he was really that good, but he was a terrific all-around player.

He was never that player with the Yankees, however, and his defense fell apart with throwing yips. The Twins got Milton, Baseball America's No. 25 prospect before the 1998 season, and Guzman, who would rank 68th heading into 1999. Both became solid contributors and were on the Twins when they broke out of a long stretch of futility with a division title in 2002.

4. Josh Donaldson: 15.2 (Athletics to Blue Jays, Nov. 28, 2014)

The trade: Donaldson for Brett Lawrie, Franklin Barreto, Kendall Graveman and Sean Nolin

As mentioned, this was more of a baseball deal than a financial one. Donaldson would make just $4.3 million in arbitration and still had four seasons left until free agency. He finished fourth in the MVP voting in 2013 and eighth in 2014 -- ranking behind only Mike Trout in position player WAR over the two seasons -- but his numbers slipped slightly in 2014. Billy Beane simply believed the A's were acquiring much-needed depth. They didn't. Donaldson tore it up in Toronto, won the MVP award in 2015 and led the Blue Jays to back-to-back playoff appearances. Lawrie was jettisoned after one season, and the three prospects never did much -- Barreto was the prize and is currently on the 40-man roster, but he has hit .189 in 201 major league at-bats.

5. Kevin Brown: 14.9 (Marlins to Padres, Dec. 15, 1997)

The trade: Brown for Derrek Lee, Rafael Medina and Steve Hoff

The Marlins won the World Series, and then owner Wayne Huizenga ordered general manager Dave Dombrowski to purge the roster in an ugly fire sale. Brown finished second in the Cy Young race in 1996 with a 1.89 ERA -- he should have won it over John Smoltz -- and had a 2.69 ERA in 1997. Under our two-season WAR format, he ranked as the third-best pitcher in the majors behind Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux. With one season left before Brown reached free agency, Dombrowski did pretty well to acquire Lee, Baseball America's No. 15 prospect. Lee would be a centerpiece on the 2003 Marlins team that won it all. Brown, meanwhile, helped the Padres reach the World Series in his one season in San Diego.

6. Gary Carter: 14.6 (Expos to Mets, Dec. 10, 1984)

The trade: Carter for Hubie Brooks, Floyd Youmans, Mike Fitzgerald and Herm Winningham

Carter was going to be an Expo for life. He signed a seven-year contract in 1981 and was beloved in Montreal, and even though he had just finished his age-30 season, he was arguably the best player in the game, with WAR totals of 8.6, 7.1 and 7.5 from 1982 to 1984. Only Cal Ripken Jr. ranked higher on the 1983-84 tally. But the Expos were floundering; attendance fell to 700,000 after a bad season and the franchise lost a reported $3 million in 1984. Carter was making $1.8 million. Team president John McHale ordered new GM Murray Cook to trade the franchise icon.

Carter had just one more mega-season left (6.9 WAR in 1985), but it turned out to be one of the best trades in Mets history, as the team won the 1986 World Series, with Carter finishing third in the MVP vote. The deal didn't do much for the Expos. Brooks was a solid player but not a star. Youmans, Dwight Gooden's high school teammate, was not another Gooden. Fitzgerald and Winningham were bench players.

7. Curt Schilling: 14.6 (Diamondbacks to Red Sox, Nov. 28, 2003)

The trade: Schilling for Jorge De La Rosa, Casey Fossum, Brandon Lyon and Mike Goss

The Diamondbacks had gone 84-78 in 2003, but Schilling had one year left until free agency and Arizona was determined to trade him, setting up a bidding war of sorts between the Red Sox and Yankees. Schilling had a no-trade clause, which factored into the negotiations -- as part of the deal he would procure an extension through 2007 from the Red Sox. After the trade, he said he hoped to bring the Red Sox their first title since 1918 and "hopefully more than one over the next four years." He did. They won in 2004 and 2007.

The Diamondbacks had reportedly asked for Nick Johnson and Alfonso Soriano from the Yankees, which the Yankees turned down. Arizona settled for a package of flotsam from the Red Sox. The four pitchers would combine for 0.6 WAR with the Diamondbacks.

8. David Cone: 14.1 (Royals to Blue Jays, April 6, 1995)

The trade: Cone for Chris Stynes and two minor leaguers who never made it

Cone, the 1994 Cy Young winner, ranked behind only Greg Maddux in two-season WAR, but four days after the strike was settled, the Royals traded Cone to the Blue Jays. It would prove to be the second time the Royals traded Cone with disastrous results. In spring training of 1987, they traded Cone as a rookie to the Mets for catcher Ed Hearn and two others who weren't as good as Hearn.

Cone didn't last long in his second stint with the Blue Jays. In July, sitting 13 games under .500 and in last place, they traded him to the Yankees (and that trade didn't net the Blue Jays anything either). Cone would re-sign as a free agent with the Yankees after 1995 and help them to four World Series championships in five seasons.

9. Zack Greinke: 13.9 (Royals to Brewers, Dec. 19, 2010)

The trade: Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt for Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress

This would prove to be a rare win-win deal. Greinke had won the 2009 Cy Young Award with a huge season for a terrible team, and his two-season WAR ranked behind only Roy Halladay. He still had two years left of team control, but the Royals needed depth to help their dormant franchise rebuild. They acquired four players who would all go on to have significant major league careers. Given that many of these trades end up netting little in return, credit Royals GM Dayton Moore for a deal that helped turn the franchise around. Cain and Escobar were huge parts of the 2014-15 World Series teams, while Odorizzi was later included in the James Shields trade.

But the trade worked for the Brewers as well. Greinke helped the team reach the NLCS in 2011. The following season, he was traded to the Angels, which brought back Jean Segura for Milwaukee. A few years later, Segura was traded to the Diamondbacks for Chase Anderson and Isan Diaz. Anderson won 38 games for the Brewers, and Diaz would become part of the Christian Yelich trade.

10. Fred Lynn: 13.6 (Red Sox to Angels, Jan. 23, 1981)

The trade: Lynn and Steve Renko for Joe Rudi, Frank Tanana and Jim Dorsey

This was a complicated one. Lynn had a monster 1979 season, hitting .333/.423/.637, worth 8.9 WAR. Even with an injury-shortened 1980 season, his two-season WAR ranked fifth among position players. He had one year remaining until free agency, but he and teammate Carlton Fisk both filed grievances against the Red Sox, asserting the team mailed their contracts two days after the Dec. 20 renewal date. The trade actually came in the middle of Lynn's hearing, an appeasement of sorts to both sides, and Lynn immediately signed a four-year contract with the Angels.

Under duress due to the grievance, the trade made little sense for the Red Sox. Rudi and Tanana also had just one year left until free agency. Tanana would go 4-10 in the strike-shortened 1981 season, while a washed-up Rudi hit .180.

George Steinbrenner also tried to acquire Lynn to give the Yankees a dream outfield of Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson and Lynn. ''Without knocking the trade, it appears that the Red Sox under pressure could not get the value you'd want for Lynn," Yankees GM Cedric Tallis said. "It's not possible to get full value. Tanana has been injured and Rudi has been hurt a lot in recent years."

After a poor 1981, Lynn had his best season with the Angels in 1982 at 4.7 WAR -- good but nothing close to his 1979 numbers or 1975 MVP season.

OK, that's a fun list, but subjectively, I might include these five in my top 10:

Ken Griffey Jr.: 11.5 (Mariners to Reds, Feb. 10, 2000)

The trade: Griffey for Mike Cameron, Brett Tomko, Antonio Perez and Jake Meyer

At the time, the consensus view was that the Mariners got fleeced. As one columnist put it in The Sporting News, "For Junior Griffey, the man most likely to break Hank Aaron's all-time home run record, the game's most perfect all-around player in the prime of his career, the Reds gave Seattle ... bits and pieces, drips and drabs of major leaguers and wanna-bes."

The Mariners also had limited options. Griffey reportedly turned down an eight-year, $138 million extension the previous summer. He then requested a trade to a team closer to his offseason home in Orlando -- the Reds, Braves, Astros or Mets (teams with spring training camp in Florida). He had 10-and-5 rights, so he could veto any trade. Griffey's demand was apparently later amended to just the Reds. The negotiations between new Mariners GM Pat Gillick and Reds GM Jim Bowden dragged on all winter before the trade was finally consummated on Feb. 10, with Griffey signing a below-market nine-year, $116.5 million extension.

Big win for the Reds? Nope. Griffey was never the same player in Cincinnati, battling injuries throughout his tenure there. Three of the players the Mariners acquired were duds, but Cameron became an All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner in Seattle. In his four years in Seattle, the Mariners made the ALCS twice and won 90-plus games each season, and he compiled 18.4 WAR. Griffey was worth just 12.8 WAR in nine seasons with the Reds.

So why doesn't Griffey crack the top 10 in two-year WAR? It's Ken Griffey Jr. in his prime! Over 1996 and 1997, he ranked first among position players in WAR. Over 1997 and 1998, he ranked third in WAR behind Barry Bonds and Craig Biggio. In 1999, however, while he still led the AL with 48 home runs, his WAR dropped to 4.8, so his two-year total ranked just 15th among position players. Griffey hit .285/.384/.576 in 1999 -- but didn't even crack the top 10 in the AL in OPS. His defensive metrics also had slipped as he started to put on weight. Maybe the second half of his career would have turned out differently if he remained in Seattle, but this would turn out to be the blockbuster the Mariners wouldn't regret.

Pedro Martinez: 13.0 (Expos to Red Sox, Nov. 18, 1997)

The trade: Martinez for Carl Pavano and Tony Armas Jr.

Martinez was coming off his breakout, Cy Young-winning season in 1997, and with one season left until free agency, the Expos knew they couldn't re-sign him. While Martinez initially told the Expos he wouldn't sign a long-term deal with the Red Sox, hindering trade talks, he quickly signed a six-year, $75 million extension after the deal, which made him the game's highest-paid pitcher. The Expos got Pavano, the No. 9 prospect in the game heading into 1998, according to Baseball America, but after injury issues in Montreal, his best seasons would come for the Marlins and Twins.

Martinez doesn't crack the top 10 in two-year WAR, but he was coming off a 9.0 WAR season, the highest of any of the players traded:

Pedro Martinez, 1997: 9.0
Alex Rodriguez, 2003: 8.4
Randy Johnson, 2004: 8.4
Roger Clemens, 1998: 8.1
Giancarlo Stanton, 2017: 7.9
Josh Donaldson, 2014: 7.5
Gary Carter, 1984: 7.5
Bob Welch, 1987: 7.1
Kevin Brown, 1997: 7.0
Roy Halladay, 2009: 6.9
David Cone, 1994: 6.9

Rickey Henderson: 12.9 (A's to Yankees, Dec. 5, 1984)

The trade: Henderson and a minor leaguer for Jose Rijo, Jay Howell, Stan Javier, Eric Plunk and Tim Birtsas

Henderson ranked just eighth among position players in WAR over the 1983 and '84 seasons -- which may or may not be an accurate assessment. He would have one of his greatest seasons with the Yankees in 1985, when he probably should have won the MVP award. Henderson had one year left until free agency and the deal was contingent on the Yankees extending Henderson within a 48-hour window, which they did with a five-year, $8.6 million deal.

(Notice how many of these trades required signing the player to an extension? We don't really see that happen too often now. Paul Goldschmidt did sign an extension last year with the Cardinals, but that came more than three months after the trade.)

Anyway, the A's did pretty well -- and would have done even better if they hadn't given up too soon on Rijo, trading him for Dave Parker. Javier and Plunk were solid role players, and Plunk was part of the trade with the Yankees in 1989 that brought Henderson back to Oakland. Howell was part of the trade that brought Bob Welch to Oakland in 1988.

By the way, if Lindor does get traded, it would be as he enters his age-26 season in 2020 (Mookie is entering his age-27 season). The youngest players traded from our candidates:

Miguel Cabrera: 25
Jim Abbott: 25
Rickey Henderson: 26
Pedro Martinez: 26
Rocky Colavito: 26

Reggie Jackson: 12.4 (A's to Orioles, April 2, 1976)

The trade: Jackson and Ken Holtzman for Don Baylor, Mike Torrez and Paul Mitchell

Here's how baseball worked in 1975. Jackson helped the A's to three straight World Series titles from 1972 to '74, tied for the AL lead with 36 home runs in 1975 and finished fifth in the MVP vote that year. He asked the A's for a three-year contract at $200,000 per year. Charlie Finley said he wouldn't pay Jackson a penny more than the $140,000 he made in 1975, citing Jackson's .253 batting average. When Jackson refused to sign for that amount, Finley unilaterally renewed him ... at a 20% pay cut, the largest amount allowed under the CBA at the time. Yes, Charlie Finley was the worst.

The sport changed in December 1975, however, when an arbitrator ruled Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally free agents after they played without a contract. Any player who didn't sign a contract for the 1976 season -- like Jackson -- would now be eligible for free agency after the season.

With Jackson and Holtzman (who went 18-14 with a 3.14 ERA in 1975) holding out in the spring of 1976, Finley decided to trade his disgruntled stars on April 2, just before the season. Despite his feuds with Finley over the years, Jackson was at first so shocked by the trade that he threatened to sit out the season. He did finally agree to go to Baltimore, had a good season (he led the AL in slugging percentage) and then signed with the Yankees.

It wasn't really a smart trade by Finley -- Baylor left as a free agent after the 1976 season and Torrez was traded in 1977 before he too became a free agent. So it was one year of Jackson and one year of Holtzman for one year of Baylor and two years of Torrez. By 1977, the A's were awful. But hey, at least Finley didn't have to pay Reggie.

Frank Robinson: 13.0 (Reds to Orioles, Dec. 9, 1965)

The trade: Robinson for Milt Pappas, Jack Baldschun and Dick Simpson

This is one of the most famous trades in baseball history. Robinson hit .296/.386/.540 with 33 home runs and 113 RBIs in 1965 but was entering his age-30 season, leading Reds owner Bill DeWitt to call Robinson an "old 30," words he would never live down. Pappas was a solid starter, winning 28 games in two seasons with the Reds before he was traded away, but Robinson in 1966 won the Triple Crown, captured MVP honors and led the Orioles to a World Series title (and they won again in 1970).

To be fair to DeWitt, Robinson had fallen off in 1965. While WAR obviously didn't exist in 1965, his fell from 7.9 to 5.1. He had been bothered by leg injuries. There were reasons to believe he might be in decline. He wasn't.

OK, so those are the heavyweight candidates. Now to answer our initial question:

Some recent highlights from the world of athletics

Jake Wightman broke the British indoor 1000m best in Boston, where Chris O’Hare, Donavan Brazier and Nia Ali were among the winners, and you can find a report on that action here.

The weekend also saw the England area cross country championships take place (report here) and other recent highlights from the world of the sport are below.

4J Studios Scottish National Indoor Senior and U17 Championships, Glasgow, January 26

Alisha Rees broke the Scottish 60m record, clocking 7.33 to improve on Susan Burnside’s mark of 7.35, set in 2003.

Her time also improves on the CBP of 7.34 set by Katharine Merry in 1994.

Nikki Manson was also among the Scottish record-breakers as she cleared 1.92m to improve the women’s high jump record and move to joint ninth on the GB indoor all-time list.

Guy Learmonth ran an 800m CBP of 1:48.77 to break the 26-year-old previous best set by Tom McKean.

Abigail Pawlett was also among the winners as the 17-year-old won the senior 60m hurdles title in 8.48.

Welsh Indoor Championships, Cardiff, January 25

Sam Gordon won the 60m in 6.69, while Tom Gale cleared 2.28m for high jump victory.

Curtis Mathews won the 60m hurdles in 8.46.

Curtis Mathews of Cardiff wins the men's 60m hurdles at the Welsh Indoor Champs in 8.46. via @JohnShepherdFit pic.twitter.com/iu3EqaIWLE

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) January 25, 2020

Sophie Cook claimed the pole vault title with a clearance of 4.41m, while Sarah Abrams jumped a PB of 6.42m to win the long jump.

Sarah Abrams of Blackheath & Bromley takes the lead in the women's long jump at the Welsh Indoor Champs with 6.42m. #WelshChamps20 pic.twitter.com/iFXGzyqQBy

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) January 25, 2020

Nantes, France, January 25

Triple jumper Naomi Ogbeta achieved a 13.68m season’s best and victory, while Adam Hague cleared 5.53m in the men’s pole vault.

Bethan Partridge won the high jump with a PB of 1.91m.

Albuquerque, USA, January 25

USA’s world indoor champion Kendra Harrison won the 60m hurdles in 7.81.

Britain’s Amber Anning ran 23.71 for 200m indoors, a quicker time than her outdoor PB.

Osaka Women’s Marathon, Japan, January 26

Mizuki Matsuda won in 2:21:47, moving her to sixth on the Japanese all-time list and putting her in the running to be considered for an Olympic place.

Bahrain’s Mimi Belete was second in 2:22:40.

Hastings, New Zealand, January 25

Two-time Olympic shot put champion Valerie Adams achieved an Olympic qualifying mark of 18.65m in her first competition for almost 18 months and following the birth of her second child last March.

Seville Half Marathon, Spain, January 26

Italy’s Eyob Faniel won the men’s race in 60:44 as Poland’s Izabela Trzaskalska won the women’s in 71:09 from Spain’s Marta Galimany (71:13) and Britain’s Lily Partridge (71:31).

Andy Farrell's reign as Ireland head coach will begin against Scotland on 1 February in Dublin.

With Ireland keen to put their World Cup woes behind them, how are they going to line up for the start of a new era?

Let's pretend that you are the boss, who would you select?

Match abandoned: Pakistan v Bangladesh

Persistent rain forced the third T20I between Pakistan and Bangladesh to be called off at the Gaddafi Stadium on Monday. The prospect of such an end to the series had begun to increase substantially over the past couple of days, with rain forecast for today, but the intensity and longevity of the downpour meant there was little choice but to call it off 40 minutes before the official cut-off time.

The series never really took off, with Pakistan wrapping up two straightforward wins in the first two T20Is. That means they wrap up the series - their first T20I series win after four losses on the spin - and retain the world number one ranking in the format, which they would have lost with one defeat this series. Bangladesh will return home tonight, and return next week for the first of two Test matches at Pindi Cricket Stadium, which begins on February 7.

It is "totally incorrect" that the PCB had brought Bangladesh to Pakistan by promising them hosting rights for the Asia Cup later this year, board CEO Wasim Khan has said, adding that it's for the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to figure out what would happen if India refuse to travel for the tournament.

The PCB had earned the Asia Cup hosting rights for the first time in over a decade for the 2020 edition, but at the time of the allotment of the tournament in 2018, it wasn't clear whether it would take place in Pakistan or in the UAE. Now, after successfully hosting a number of international series and Pakistan Super League matches - the entire tournament is scheduled to be played at home this year - on their soil, the PCB wants to organise the Asia Cup in Pakistan in September this year too.

But there could be a question mark over India's participation then - the 2018 edition was supposed to be held in India but was moved to the UAE to ensure Pakistan's participation in it.

"When we are supposed to go to India for the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup, we also might face a reverse situation because of the safety and uncertainty on players' visas" Wasim Khan

"This is totally incorrect and we haven't spoken with Bangladesh about the Asia Cup at all," Khan told reporters in Lahore when asked if the PCB had used the Asia Cup as a bargaining chip for Bangladesh to travel to Pakistan.

The BCB was initially apprehensive about travelling to Pakistan but, after lengthy negotiations, agreed to play a series of three T20Is, an ODI and two Tests in three parts. "This is ACC tournament and the hosting rights were allotted to us by them, and we can't change it," Khan said. "It's in our mind and it's our wish to host the Asia Cup in Pakistan."

When asked about India's participation in the Asia Cup later this year, keeping in mind the strained political relationship between the two countries, Khan suggested that the ACC would take the final call and that Pakistan would try to work out a plan including holding the tournament across two venues.

"Maybe two venues for these circumstances," Khan said. "When we are supposed to go to India for the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup, we also might face a reverse situation because of the safety and uncertainty on players' visas. But we are confident that things will ease out over the period of time."

England and Harlequins prop Kyle Sinckler has agreed a two-year contract with Bristol Bears.

The 26-year-old British & Irish Lion will switch Premiership clubs in the summer of 2020.

Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam said: "Kyle is an outstanding player and it's fantastic to bring someone of his international calibre to the Bears.

"He's coming into his peak years as a front rower and has a wealth of experience at the very highest level."

Sinckler, who made his professional debut for Quins in September 2011, was a key part of England's 2019 World Cup side, but he only played three minutes of the final against South Africa after being knocked unconscious in a collision with team-mate Maro Itoje.

He impressed throughout the tournament and scored his first international try in the quarter-final victory over Australia.

Sinckler said he could not turn down the opportunity to play under Lam at Bristol.

"The Bears are an ambitious club on the up and it was great to visit the city and the facilities that they have," he added. "There's a clear plan in place for long-term success and I'm looking forward to contributing.

"I'm grateful to Harlequins for everything they have done for me and my career. I'd like to thank the coaches, fans and my team-mates for all their support over the years."