The annual Winter Meetings are subsequent week in Dallas and we’re in “any second now” territory with Juan Soto. He is predicted to conform to a deal by the tip of the Winter Meetings on the newest, and presumably as early as this week. As I mentioned, it might be any second now, and as soon as Soto comes off the board, the remainder of the market will transfer. Here now are Thursday’s scorching range rumors.
Astros make a suggestion to Bregman
The Astros have supplied third baseman a six-year, $156 million contract, studies MLB.com. That can be the biggest contract in franchise historical past, surpassing Jose Altuve’s $151 million extension in 2018. Bregman and agent Scott Boras are mentioned to be searching for a deal north of $200 million. We ranked Bregman because the third-best free agent accessible this offseason.
Six years and $156 million is a contact greater than the six-year, $151 million extension the Giants gave Matt Chapman in September. Chapman’s deal recommended Bregman might command a bigger contract. The Astros have a historical past of letting homegrown stars depart as free brokers (Carlos Correa, Dallas Keuchel, George Springer, and many others.). They’re not less than attempting to retain Bregman, although it seems there’s a sizable hole in talks in the mean time.
Guardians open to affords for Naylor, Thomas
The Guardians are open to commerce affords for first baseman Josh Naylor and outfielder Lane Thomas, studies The Athletic. Naylor and Thomas will each be free brokers after 2025. Naylor is projected for roughly $12 million by way of arbitration in 2025, which might make him the crew’s second-highest paid participant behind José Ramírez. Thomas is projected for $8 million or so.
Cleveland has Naylor’s first-base substitute able to go in high prospect Kyle Manzardo, who performed effectively down the stretch and within the postseason subsequent yr. The membership is brief on outfielders past Steven Kwan, nonetheless, so protecting Thomas is sensible. There isn’t any hurt in listening to affords although. Perhaps buying and selling Thomas, who hit some enormous residence runs in October, might web the Guardians one or two youthful gamers with long-term management.
D-backs receiving curiosity in starters
Teams are calling the Diamondbacks about their beginning pitchers, GM Mike Hazen advised the Arizona Republic. Arizona at the moment has six starters for 5 rotation spots: Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Jordan Montgomery, Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt, and Eduardo Rodriguez. Montgomery stands out as an apparent commerce candidate following proprietor Ken Kendrick’s feedback just a few weeks in the past.
Montgomery picked up his $22.5 million participant choice after the season, and whereas that is dear for a man coming off a 6.23 ERA and a demotion to the bullpen, beginning pitching could be very costly proper now and there may be motive to imagine Montgomery can bounce again in 2025. Gallen and Kelly can be free brokers after subsequent season and re-signing Gallen (a Scott Boras consumer) particularly might be powerful, so maybe the D’Backs will take heed to affords for him. Montgomery appears most certainly to go, nonetheless.
Yankees meet with Burnes
One day after we discovered the Yankees had a 90-minute Zoom name with Max Fried, the New York Post studies the Yankees additionally met remotely with Corbin Burnes. The assembly is alleged to have gone “very effectively,” although all these conferences go effectively. The subsequent time we hear considered one of these conferences did not go effectively would be the first. We ranked Burnes because the second-best free agent accessible this offseason.
The Yankees meet with each high free agent each offseason out of due diligence, so it’s no shock they’ve met with Burnes (and Fried). They are after all targeted on Soto, and it is unclear whether or not they’re open to signing Burnes along with Soto, or view him as a part of a Plan B. On paper, the Yankees have six starters for 5 spots (Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Luis Gil, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, Marcus Stroman), although Burnes would make any rotation higher.
Rays prepared to commerce starters
The Rays are prepared to commerce their beginning pitcher and have gotten inquiries about lefty Jeffrey Springs, in line with ESPN. Tampa usually trades their costliest gamers each offseason, and with matching $10.5 million salaries, Springs and infielder Brandon Lowe are scheduled to be the crew’s highest-paid gamers in 2025. Springs is with out query a commerce candidate.
Springs, 32, had a 3.27 ERA in seven begins after getting back from Tommy John surgical procedure this previous season. His breakout yr was 2022, when he threw 135 ⅓ innings with a 2.46 ERA, together with a 2.66 ERA in 125 innings as a starter. Starting pitching could be very costly today, so though elbow surgical procedure restricted Springs to 10 begins during the last two years, he is interesting with $10.5 million salaries in 2025 and 2026, plus a $15 million membership choice for 2027.
Soroka drawing curiosity as starter
Free-agent righty Mike Soroka is receiving extra curiosity as a starter than as a reliever, studies The Athletic. Still solely 27, Soroka started final season within the rotation with the White Sox, although he was ineffective and moved to the bullpen in May. He was terrific in a reduction function: 2.75 ERA whereas putting out 39.0% of batters confronted. As a starter, it was a 6.39 ERA and 12.4% strikeout charge.
The transfer into the bullpen got here with a change in pitch utilization as effectively. Soroka scrapped his sinker and changeup, and have become a four-seam fastball/slider reliever. He additionally had a velocity spike, which isn’t unusual when starters develop into relievers. The query is whether or not Soroka can translate his bullpen success again right into a beginning function. Two Achilles tears have derailed his profession since ending second within the 2019 NL Rookie of the Year voting.
Hanshin Tigers righty Koyo Aoyagi has formally been posted for MLB groups, the NPB membership introduced Wednesday. His 45-day posting window runs by way of Jan. 17. Aoyagi, 31 subsequent week, had a 3.00 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 114 innings in 2024. As a sidearmer who sits within the upper-80s along with his sinking two-seam fastball, Aoyagi tasks as extra of a depth arm or reliever than difference-making starter. He will command a a lot smaller contract than Shota Imanaga, by no means thoughts Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
