Hot Stove Lunch: JBJ-for-Encarnacion doesn't add up; some Cubs need to step up and more

This is a daily BSJ off-season feature that will arrive in time for your lunch, Monday-Friday.

A spin around the leagues with the latest news, notes, and rumors around Major League Baseball

RED SOX

On Wednesday, Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY tweeted the Red Sox and Indians were revisiting a trade proposal that originally was made back in December: Jackie Bradley Jr. for Edwin Encarnacion.

On one hand, such a deal would give the Red Sox the power bat they seek, and it would require an investment of just two years and $40 million -- far less than the Sox have offered free agent slugger J.D. Martinez. Encarnacion made little secret of his interest in coming to Boston a year ago when he was on the market.

But how realistic is it? Not very, according to an industry source. The Indians have already lost one run-producer this winter (Carlos Santana left via free agency to sign with Philadelphia) and wouldn't seem to be in position to lose another.

Moreover, the Indians think highly of former first-round pick Bradley Zimmer, who played 101 games last season and projects as their center fielder of the future. And if the Indians were going to unload Encarnacion for payroll reasons, they would likely seek a player whom they could control longer than Bradley, who is eligible for free agency after the 2020 season.

Finally, where would this leave the Red Sox outfield situation? If the Sox moved Andrew Benintendi to center, who would play left field? There's no one currently on the Sox roster who could handle that full-time.

Perhaps this was nothing more than the Sox attempting to create some leverage in their talks with Scott Boras.

AL EAST

The Yankees made a deal for a football player.

The Orioles are still looking for ways to improve their rotation.

The annual PECOTA projections are out, and they bode well for the Rays.

The Jays are excited to welcome back a healthy Aaron Sanchez.

AL CENTRAL

Detroit is interested to see what it has in former College World Series star Alex Faedo

Are the White Sox one of the teams trying to lose?

The Twins need to bolster their pitching staff.

The PECOTA projections never seem to be kind to the Royals.

AL WEST

How will the Angels handle Shohei Ohtani's bid to become a two-way player?

Dee Gordon is excited to make the transition to CF.

A look at how the Rangers plan to use a six-man rotation.

In recognition of their first World Series title, the Astros will make a temporary uniform change.

NL

The Cubs are counting on some of their own players to improve.

TAKE I MAY REGRET IN A MONTH:

It's highly unlikely that Russell Wilson ever plays a real game for the New York Yankees. He's a football player first, and a pretty good one.

But because Wilson is a good athlete and played baseball professionally for two seasons in the Rockies organization, he wants to keep some ties to the game. Having grown up a Yankee fan, Wednesday's trade from Texas to New York represented a dream come true.

The Yankees are under no delusions -- they're not expecting Wilson to take over at second base, now or in the future. But there's value to having Wilson in camp, sharing his experiences as a Super Bowl champion with some of the young minor leaguers in camp. This isn't Tim Tebow, who's still playing Single-A ball at the age of 30.

If Wilson can help out at all, however, it's a worthwhile endeavor for the Yanks.