Mariners Remain Interested In Re-Signing Eugenio Suarez
Of the Mariners’ three primary position-player free agents, Josh Naylor returned to the team on a five-year, $92.5MM contract, and Jorge Polanco headed to the Mets on a two-year, $40MM deal. This leaves Eugenio Suarez on the open market, and in an interview with MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said there’s “certainly a chance” Suarez could join Naylor for another stint in the Pacific Northwest.
“We love Geno. Geno brings a ton not just on the field, the things that people see…but off the field,” Hollander said. “His steady presence, great makeup, [and] what he brings to a clubhouse every day, it’s really hard to replicate. So we’ve maintained contact with Geno’s reps all winter long.”
Re-signing Naylor was known to be Seattle’s clear priority as the offseason began, with reports indicating that Polanco and Suarez (in that order) were the next items on the checklist. The fact that Naylor signed in mid-November allowed the M’s some extra flexibility in accessing the rest of the market, and talks with Polanco reportedly saw the Mariners make a two-year offer at least in the range of the Mets’ $40MM figure.
It isn’t known if the Mariners made any kind of concrete offer to Suarez to perhaps see which of Suarez or Polanco accepted first, or if the M’s held off on diving too deeply into talks with Suarez until Polanco’s fate was decided. Even with Polanco now off the market, Seattle has also been linked to such prominent trade targets as Brendan Donovan and Ketel Marte, so it could be that any substantive negotiations with Suarez are being held off until one or both of these infielders are dealt, or if talks with the Cardinals or Diamondbacks fall apart.
If Suarez did return to the Mariners, he would likely be used more as a DH than as a regular third baseman. Depending on the defensive metric of your choice, Suarez has been generally an average to below-average third baseman for several years now, and both Defensive Runs Saved (-6) and Outs Above Average (-3) weren’t impressed by his glovework in 2025. The M’s have enough good internal third base options that the team has been looking mostly at second base help, and Suarez might be pretty much the only free agent third baseman on Seattle’s radar due to his past history with the franchise.
The Cubs and Red Sox have also been linked to Suarez’s market this winter, but again, it isn’t known if either of these teams or any other suitors have put a contract on the table for the 34-year-old slugger. It has been a fairly cool market for a player coming off a 49-homer season, yet Suarez’s age, high strikeout rates, and subpar defense are red flags for any team considering a long-term commitment. It also didn’t help that Suarez’s production dipped heavily after he was dealt from the Diamondbacks to the Mariners at the trade deadline.
MLB Trade Rumors still ranked Suarez 20th on our list of the winter’s top 50 free agents, and projected him to land a three-year, $63MM deal. That contract still seems possible since there’s still plenty of time left in the offseason, and the market undoubtedly has plenty of twists and turns as free agents come off the board and other players change teams on the trade market. While a hometown discount may or may not be feasible, it is fair to guess that Suarez might favor the Mariners over other teams, due to his familiarity with the clubhouse and the likelihood that Seattle will again be postseason contenders in 2026 and beyond.
Rockies Sign Vimael Machin To Minor League Deal
The Rockies have signed infielder Vimael Machin to a minor league contract, according to ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. The agreement contains an invite for Machin to attend Colorado’s big league Spring Training camp.
Machin heads to the Cactus League in a bid to win a bench spot on the Rockies’ Opening Day roster. He’ll join Nicky Lopez and Chad Stevens as other MLB-experienced players the Rockies have recently signed as non-roster invitees, as Colorado looks to add some veteran depth as a complement to its young infield core.
The 32-year-old Machin played in 112 games with the Athletics from 2020-22, with 73 of those appearances coming in 2022 when the A’s used Machin regularly at third base. This marked the end of Machin’s MLB playing time for the next two seasons, as Machin spent the 2023-24 campaigns playing in the Phillies’ farm system and in the Mexican League.
After inking a minor league deal with the Orioles last winter, Machin hit .286/.347/.476 over 505 plate appearances with Triple-A Norfolk in 2025. This strong production earned him another ticket to the Show when Jordan Westburg hit the injured list in August, and Machin appeared in four games for Baltimore before he was designated for assignment and then outrighted off the 40-man roster.
Machin’s career slash line is only .204/.286/.264 over 373 PA, but he can handle all four infield positions, and he has spent some time as a corner outfielder. Machin isn’t considered to be much of a defender at any spot on the diamond, but his versatility allows him to be plugged into any position in a pinch. He also has two minor league options years remaining, giving Colorado the flexibility to move him back and forth from Triple-A if his contract is selected.
Details On Ketel Marte’s No-Trade Protection
The seven-year contract extension Ketel Marte signed with the Diamondbacks last April included a five-team no-trade clause, which adds an interesting wrinkle to the trade rumors that have swirled around the former NLCS MVP in recent weeks. As reported by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Athletics, Cardinals, Giants, Pirates, and Yankees are the five teams included on Marte’s current list, which can be updated every offseason.
There are any number of reasons why a player may include a particular team on a no-trade list, and it is worth noting that Marte could still ultimately approve a deal to any of these clubs. There is no obvious geographic link between the five teams, and while the Yankees were the only member of the group to reach the 2025 playoffs, the Giants, Pirates, and even the A’s are all looking to compete in 2026. The Cardinals are in rebuild mode, so it is safe to say they weren’t in the running to acquire Marte anyway.
Interestingly, the Pirates and Giants have been linked to Marte’s trade market. Now that Pittsburgh has landed Brandon Lowe from the Rays in yesterday’s big three-team swap, the Bucs may feel their second base needs have been addressed, though there is a world where Lowe could be a primary DH and Marte could still be brought aboard. Still, there’s such a hefty amount of money remaining on Marte’s contract that a trade to the budget-conscious Pirates always seemed like an imperfect fit, and Marte’s no-trade list might well underline his own reservations about joining a team with just one winning season in the last decade.
San Francisco has also topped the .500 mark only once in the last nine seasons, but the Giants have been much more willing to spend in their bid to return to consistent contention. While ownership is wary about making another long-term financial commitment, Marte’s deal could be viewed as a relative bargain, since he would land way more than $102.5MM on a six-year deal if he was a free agent this winter.
Second base is a need position for the Giants, though perhaps not as pressing as the club’s need for more rotation help. Making a big splash in acquiring Marte might not be as big a priority, in that case, plus there are the added obstacles of Marte’s no-trade protection and the Diamondbacks’ probable reluctance to move the All-Star to a division rival. San Francisco is considered to be one of the favorites to pry Brendan Donovan away from the Cardinals, so that might end up being the Giants’ big move to address the keystone.
The Giants and Pirates each play in pitcher-friendly ballparks, which might factor into Marte’s reasoning for including the teams on his list. Sutter Health Park is extremely hitter-friendly, yet it is fair to wonder if Marte just doesn’t want to play in a minor league stadium for at least the next two seasons while the A’s await the construction of their new ballpark in Las Vegas.
The A’s have a big hole at second base, and acquiring Marte would add another top-tier bat to a lineup that already includes Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom, Jacob Wilson, and Shea Langeliers. While the A’s have been a bit more willing to spend over the last year, Marte’s remaining salary would represent a new spending frontier for the traditionally low-payroll team. Hypothetically, Luis Severino could be included in a Marte trade as salary offset, but that assumes Arizona (who needs rotation help) has any interest in Severino in the wake of his uninspiring 2025 season.
The Yankees are the most interesting inclusion on Marte’s list, as one would think he would welcome a chance to join a perennial contender. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is already playing second base in the Bronx, but Chisholm is a free agent next winter, so Marte would represent a longer-term answer at the position. Purely speculatively, any kind of Diamondbacks/Yankees trade involving Marte could see Chisholm going the other way, to give Arizona a one-year stopgap at second or third base.
Re-signing Cody Bellinger is thought be the Yankees’ top offseason priority, though New York might pivot to other backup plans should Bellinger sign elsewhere. Landing Marte would certainly qualify as a substantial Plan B, yet his no-trade clause might make any potential trade a moot point.
Amidst all of the reports and speculation, it remains unclear if the Diamondbacks actually will trade away a star player who received such a lengthy contract extension less than a year ago. With Lowe now in Pittsburgh, however, one big second-base trade chip has been removed from the board, leaving other teams in need of keystone help perhaps more open to meeting Arizona’s demands for Marte. Beyond the Pirates and Giants, such teams as the Mariners, Rays, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Phillies, and Tigers have all reportedly shown some degree of interest in a Marte trade this winter.
Braves Sign Elieser Hernandez To Minors Contract
The Braves signed Elieser Hernandez to a minor league deal back in November, as per the right-hander’s MLB.com profile page. Hernandez spent the end of the 2025 season in the Blue Jays’ farm system, and he elected minor league free agency at season’s end.
Atlanta saw plenty of Hernandez during his days with the Marlins from 2018-22, as Hernandez posted a 5.04 ERA over 287 2/3 innings as both a starter and a reliever. Miami parted ways with Hernandez in November 2022 by sending him to another NL East rival in the Mets, but Hernandez didn’t see any big league action during his lone season in New York, as injuries sidelined him for the majority of the year.
The righty caught on with the Dodgers and Brewers in 2024 and tossed 15 2/3 innings at the MLB level before electing free agency rather than outright assignment off of Milwaukee’s roster. He then signed with the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization since July 2024, and posted a 4.14 ERA, 27.17% strikeout rate, and 8.5% walk rate over 113 innings across the 2024-25 seasons. This caught the attention of the Jays, but Hernandez’s minor league contract with Toronto resulted in just a 7.91 ERA in 19 1/3 frames with Triple-A Buffalo.
Over his 303 1/3 career innings in the Show, Hernandez has a 5.10 ERA, 7.6% walk rate, and a 21.8% strikeout rate. His biggest problem has been the long ball, as Hernandez was taken yard 73 times during his relatively limited Major League career. This inability to keep the ball in the park limited Hernandez’s effectiveness in any capacity as a starter or long reliever.
While Hernandez did do a better job of limiting homers in the KBO League and even in his brief stint with the Jays, his tough results in Buffalo suggest that the right-hander is still a work in progress. The Braves will become the latest team to take look at Hernandez, and he’ll be one of many pitchers with MLB experience in Atlanta’s spring camp on minor league contracts. Hernandez’s ability to start games might give him at least a leg up on a Triple-A assignment, though the Braves have plenty of starter-capable pitchers already on hand in a depth capacity.
Dodgers Sign Chuckie Robinson To Minors Contract
The Dodgers have signed Chuckie Robinson to a minor league deal, according to the catcher’s MLB.com profile page. It is a reunion between the two sides, as Robinson spent the bulk of the 2025 season in the Dodgers organization after being claimed off waivers from the Angels in May.
Robinson was designated for assignment and then outrighted off the 40-man roster within a few days of joining the Dodgers, and his previous stint with the team included a single MLB game on September 15. This marked Robinson’s only big league playing time of the 2025 campaign, and the Braves then claimed the backstop off waivers a week later. Atlanta outrighted Robinson off its 40-man roster in early November, and because he had a previous outright on his resume, Robinson exercised his right to become a free agent.
That lone game on September 15 was the 52nd Major League appearance of Robinson’s career, as he previously played in 25 games with the Reds in 2022 and 26 games with the 2024 White Sox. Robinson has only a .131/.169/.192 slash line to show for his 138 plate appearances in the bigs, and even his career Triple-A numbers are pretty modest (.268/.329/.405 with 27 homers over 1039 PA).
Despite the lack of offensive pop, Robinson’s excellent defensive reputation has kept him on the radar as a backup option for multiple clubs. He’ll now return to Los Angeles in a depth role, as the Dodgers are set behind the plate with All-Star Will Smith as the starter and former top prospect Dalton Rushing acting in a backup role. Robinson is the only other catcher in the Dodgers’ system with any big league experience, so L.A. might look to bring in more catching help for Spring Training just purely for evaluation purposes, or so the team’s younger pitchers can work with another seasoned backstop.
Tigers Sign Kenley Jansen
December 17th: The Tigers officially announced Jansen’s signing today. It’s a $9MM salary with a $2MM buyout on a $12MM club option for 2027.
December 13th: The Tigers have agreed to a one-year contract with veteran closer Kenley Jansen, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports. The deal pays Jansen $11MM, as per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, and The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen adds that the contract contains a club option on Jansen’s services for the 2027 season. Earlier today, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reported that the two sides were “deep in talks” and heading towards the final stages of a deal. Jansen is represented by the Wasserman Agency.
Will Vest is coming off a strong season as Detroit’s primary saves candidate, but Vest will now move back into a high-leverage setup role to accommodate one of baseball’s most experienced closers. Jansen has 476 career saves, and is just three saves away from passing Lee Smith for third place on the all-time list. It certainly seems possible that Jansen can reach the 500-save plateau this season, though catching Trevor Hoffman (601 saves) for the second-highest total in history doesn’t seem possible unless Jansen reaches his goal of pitching until at least through the 2029 season.
For now, however, the 38-year-old Jansen has a one-year commitment from Detroit, with the 2027 option representing a possible continuation into the right-hander’s age-39 campaign. The Tigers entered the offseason looking to reinforce their bullpen, and the team has signed Jansen and re-signed Kyle Finnegan just within the last week. Jansen’s deal probably takes the Tigers out of the running for another target in former Rays closer Pete Fairbanks.
Even after 16 Major League seasons, Jansen still has some gas in the tank, as evidenced by his 2.59 ERA over 59 innings with the Angels in 2025. However, his secondary metrics left something to be desired, as Jansen’s 24.4% strikeout rate and 44.6% hard-hit ball rate were both easily the worst of his career. A .195 BABIP and 85.2% strand rate helped Jansen’s bottom-line numbers remain in check, though his 3.94 SIERA was much higher than his actual ERA.
Jansen did post better numbers as the 2025 season went on, and the Tigers themselves were responsible for a big chunk of the damage on the righty’s ERA. (Of the 17 earned runs charged to Jansen in 2025, Detroit scored six of them in an ugly meltdown for Jansen back on May 2 in a 9-1 Tigers win over the Angels.) The stronger finish to the season provides some hope that Jansen can more fully get on track next year, and he might also be energized by again pitching for a contender after a year with the struggling Halos.
For a team that has thrived on “bullpen chaos” over the last couple of seasons, the Tigers will now move in a different direction by installing a true closer in place for the ninth inning. If Jansen can come close to his 2025 production, that’s a nice plus for the team, as Vest’s move to a set-up role will strengthen things all the way down the depth chart.
More bullpen moves may still be coming, as between Finnegan and Jansen’s 2025 numbers, the Tigers still haven’t solved their primary goal of adding more punchout power to their bullpen. Detroit had the second-lowest bullpen strikeout rate (20.1%) of any team in baseball in 2025, ahead of only the lowly Rockies.
Mets Sign Jorge Polanco
December 16th: The Mets have now officially announced the Polanco deal.
December 13th: The Mets and free agent infielder Jorge Polanco have agreed to a two-year contract, The Athletic’s Will Sammon reports (multiple links). The deal is worth $40MM, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Polanco is represented by the Octagon Agency.
It’s a big strike for a Mets team that lost Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz to free agency just within the last week, not to mention last month’s trade that sent another longtime Met in Brandon Nimmo to Texas. New York acquired Marcus Semien in the Nimmo deal, and while Polanco also has a long history of playing second base, Passan writes that the Mets will deploy Polanco primarily as a first baseman and DH. Polanco could also potentially chip in at third base, though it looks as it the Mets view Polanco a piece of the puzzle in replacing Alonso at first base.
The 32-year-old Polanco hit .265/.326/.495 with 26 home runs over 524 plate appearances for the Mariners last season, playing a huge role for a Seattle team that won the AL West and fell just short of reaching the World Series. It was a fine bounce-back performance for Polanco after a down year in 2024, which still resulted in a one-year guarantee to return to the Mariners in 2025. That deal paid Polanco $7.75MM in guaranteed money, and he made enough plate appearances to turn an $8MM mutual option for 2026 into a $6MM player option, and Polanco unsurprisingly rejected that player option to re-enter the market after his much improved platform year.
The 132 wRC+ Polanco posted in 2025 was the highest of his career, and he drastically cut back on his strikeouts after seeing his K% balloon in each of the previous four seasons. While Polanco walked less than usual, his 45.8% hard-hit ball rate was a career best. Overall, the advanced metrics suggest that Polanco’s resurgence in 2025 was legitimate, and if anything, his .269 BABIP indicates that he perhaps deserved even better numbers.
One concern within Polanco’s otherwise strong year was that he made 89 appearances as a designated hitter, after amassing only 45 DH days over his 11 previous big league seasons. Polanco sustained an oblique injury early in the 2025 season that wasn’t quite serious enough to merit a trip to the injured list, but the Mariners compensated by using Polanco less frequently in the field, and cut back on the switch-hitter’s usage against left-handed pitching.
While there hasn’t been any concern that Polanco will be similarly limited going forward, the Mets’ plan to use him as a first baseman may also reflect Polanco’s age, his modest defensive numbers as a second or third baseman, and the fact that a stellar fielder like Semien is already in place at the keystone. Throughout his long pro career, Polanco has made exactly one career appearance as a first baseman, and it was just a late-game cameo for a single at-bat in Seattle’s 5-4 loss to the Giants last April 6.
Polanco is an experienced enough infielder that the Mets obviously feel he’ll be able to learn the position in due course. For all of Alonso’s pluses at the plate, he was a poor enough fielder that Polanco will be a defensive upgrade even if he’s just an average first baseman. Because the DH spot is open and because Polanco could also be utilized at third base, this signing also doesn’t necessarily close the door on the Mets’ chances of signing other known targets like Cody Bellinger or even a more first base-specific player like the Cardinals’ Willson Contreras.
Between losing both Alonso and Nimmo, the Mets’ offense has taken a hit by essentially replacing the duo with Polanco and Semien, given how Semien struggled in 2025. Run prevention has been a stated goal for Mets president of operations David Stearns, and upgrading the defense is another way of making the lineup better, even if the team will still need to add some more pop as the offseason develops.
MLB Trade Rumors ranked Polanco 23rd on our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents, and projected a three-year, $42MM deal for the veteran. Polanco ended up just about matching that dollar figure on a two-year deal, as he opted for the higher average annual value rather than the extra security of the three-plus years he was seeking in his next deal.
The shorter term lines Polanco up for another free agent bid when he’s 34, and some continued production could line him up for another lucrative shorter-term pact. Stearns is known to prefer shorter-term commitments for free agents, so this also aligns with the PBO’s ideal method of roster-building.
The Pirates and Red Sox were known to have interest in Polanco this winter, and the infielder was also drawing a lot of attention from the Mariners about a possible reunion. Adam Jude of the Seattle Times hears from a source that the Mariners’ last offer to Polanco was also a two-year contract, and was “very competitive” price-wise with the Mets’ $40MM offer.
Seattle achieved its top offseason priority of re-signing Josh Naylor, and the team’s plan was then to explore Polanco and Eugenio Suarez as candidates to return. With Polanco now in Queens, the Mariners could turn to Suarez as a DH candidate and part-time third baseman, or explore some other infield options on the free agent or trade fronts. With plenty of internal candidates for third base, the M’s have been primarily looking at second basemen during their infield pursuits this winter.
Inset picture courtesy of Jordan Godfree — Imagn Images
Brewers “Open To” Using Angel Zerpa As A Starter
The Brewers and Royals officially announced the three-player trade (reported yesterday) that sent Isaac Collins and Nick Mears to Kansas City in exchange for Angel Zerpa. Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold spoke to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the trade today, and revealed the interesting detail that the club was “open to” the idea of Zerpa moving from the bullpen back to rotation work.
“We have some scouts that think he can do it. He has done it in the past,” Arnold said. “This guy also has postseason experience, too, which we obviously value a lot. Having a guy with that kind of versatility and experience in big games is something we think will really help us.”
As we’ve seen teams move away from traditional pitching roles in recent years, there has been an increased willingness to explore turning relievers (sometimes even career relievers) into starting pitchers. If clubs no longer expressly need their starters to throw more than five innings or take more than two turns through an opposing lineup, stretching a reliever out to handle this increased workload is more of a realistic goal than stretching a reliever to handle seven-plus innings.
Zerpa began his pro career as a starting pitcher, and worked as a starter in three of his first four career games in the majors (in 2021-22). He started only three of his 15 appearances for the Royals in 2023, however, and hasn’t since started a game in anything outside of an opener capacity. Instead, K.C. used Zerpa as a southpaw bullpen weapon, and the hurler posted a 4.03 ERA, 20.8% strikeout rate, 8.0% walk rate, and a whopping 60.6% groundball rate over 118 1/3 innings in 2024-25.
Right-handed hitters were quite productive against Zerpa even as he mostly dominated lefty swingers, and he allowed a lot of hard contact along with his uninspiring strikeout and walk numbers. Zerpa is a hard thrower whose fastball averaged 96.2mph in 2025, but his standard four-seamer hasn’t been very effective over the last two years, while his 96.6mph sinker is his top pitch. The slider was thrown 44.6% of the time in 2025, with a slider used 31.9% of the time and the four-seamer 19.8% of the time. As Hogg noted, increased usage of a changeup might be necessary to help the 26-year-old Zerpa adjust back to starting pitching.
It isn’t the kind of arsenal that immediately stands out as a rotation candidate, and it might be that Zerpa just winds up as a reliever if the Brewers decide against the role change in Spring Training. That said, the fact that the Brewers in particular see starting potential in Zerpa is probably a plus in favor of the experiment working. Milwaukee’s ability to turn unheralded pitchers into capable or even elite starters or relievers has been perhaps the key element of the team’s success over the last decade, so nobody should rule out the possibility that the Brew Crew could help Zerpa unlock another level of performance no matter his role.
Arnold said the Brewers had “been trying to access [in a trade] for a long time,” as “I think that our group felt like this was a really strong arm to access with really, really good ingredients. We’re very excited to get him with our coaches who have done a great job tapping into arms like this for a number of years.”
Zerpa is arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason, and is arb-controlled through the 2028 season. Because he has primarily operated as a non-closer, Zerpa’s first-year arbitration projection is only $1.2MM. This is a solid price tag even if the left-hander stays in the pen, but he can successfully move into the rotation, he’ll be even more of a bargain over Milwaukee’s period of team control.
One reason why Zerpa may remain in the Brewers’ pen is the club’s current rotation surplus. Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff, Quinn Priester, Chad Patrick, and Jacob Misiorowski line up as the projected starting five, and plenty of other starting candidates (i.e. Logan Henderson, Robert Gasser, Carlos Rodriguez, Tobias Myers) are depth options. The “you can never have too much pitching” mantra applies here since this group is likely to be naturally thinned out by injuries, plus Woodruff and Peralta are both set to become free agents next winter. As trade rumors persist about Peralta, it is even possible the Brewers could suddenly have a big hole atop their rotation this offseason.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Mark P
- The Weekend Chat is here! We’ll get things rolling after a few questions get into the queue….
Giants fan
- Any truth to the rumors of the Giants being close on a Ketel Marte trade? Chances of that happening and what would the Giants have to give up to get him?
Mark P
- I’d find it surprising if the D’Backs moved Marte to a division rival, of all teams. One would imagine SF would have to significantly outbid other teams to make that happen, which might mean Eldridge would have to be involved.
Bloom
- Is there a way you’d see the cardinals both buying and selling?
Mark P
- As in, trying to make an effort to contend in 2026? Probably not, though the Cardinals aren’t turning up their noses at players who can be MLB contributors immediately. Fitts, for instance, can help next year.
CBA
- What’s one thing you want to see in the next CBA? Any chance the league would go after establishing max contracts?
Mark P
- The union would push back hard on max contracts, as they would anything directed at limiting salaries.
One thing I’d like to see in the next CBA is a longer-term agreement, so we only have to suffer through all of this depressing lockout talk every 6-7 years instead of every four years
Dave
- Hi mark, do you think the royals make another trade for a bat?
Mark P
- I’d think so. Collins and Thomas are upgrades over what they had, but I’d suggest more is needed to really get things cooking.
Motor City Beach Bum
- Who is the best non-Bregman bat the Tigers will realistically pursue?
Mark P
- A quick glance at the Tigers’ entries on MLBTR this winter reveals a real push towards pitching. Bregman, Ketel Marte, and HS Kim are the only position players really linked to Detroit so far, which makes sense since Jeff Greenberg literally said pitching was the Tigers’ priority this winter.
The link to Marte was a little odd since Gleyber will be back at 2B. I’d think Detroit fans wouldn’t be too enamored by Kim as the fallback plan to Bregman, but that might be as realistically big as it gets for Detroit on the position-player side
Giants Showing Interest In Cody Bellinger
It’s been a pretty quiet offseason so far in the Bay Area, though the Giants have at least been linked to several notable trade candidates and free agents. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser adds another big name to the list, writing that the Giants “have checked in on” Cody Bellinger.
While Bellinger’s ability to play first base probably wouldn’t be a factor for a team with Rafael Devers and Bryce Eldridge lined up for first base/DH duty, Bellinger would slot perfectly into the Giants’ vacancy in right field. San Francisco could also slide Bellinger into left field or center field on occasion, depending on how Heliot Ramos or Jung Hoo Lee are deployed. Bellinger is more of a serviceable center field candidate than a true regular, but he is a strong defender in the corners — his work as a left fielder and right fielder for the Yankees in 2025 earned +15 Defensive Runs Saved and +6 Outs Above Average.
Bellinger’s bat would also be a nice fit in the Giants’ lineup, as the 30-year-old is coming off a 125 wRC+ season (29 home runs, .272/.334/.480 in 656 plate appearances) in New York. Bellinger hit far better at Yankee Stadium than he did on the road, which could be a concern for the Giants if Bellinger was playing his home games at pitcher-friendly Oracle Park. On the plus side, the left-handed hitting Bellinger hits both right-handed and left-hand pitchers well, and he has been one of the harder batters in the sport to strike out over the last three seasons.
The Giants have been linked to Bellinger a couple of times during his past forays into free agency, though that was back when Farhan Zaidi was in charge of San Francisco’s front office. Current president of baseball operations Buster Posey was still on the team’s board of directors at the time, and of course Posey has plenty of on-field experience in facing off against Bellinger back during Bellinger’s days as a staple of the Dodgers lineup. Posey has also done business with another Scott Boras client in Matt Chapman, as Posey was instrumental in getting Chapman’s extension finalized late in the 2024 season.
It is possible the Giants’ call on Bellinger might have been routine due diligence, or just to test the waters to gauge Bellinger’s interest in coming to San Francisco. The larger question, of course, is whether or not the Giants are willing to meet Bellinger’s asking price. MLB Trade Rumors projected the former NL MVP (who ranked eighth on our top 50 free agents list) for a five-year, $140MM contract, as Boras is surely looking to finally land the guaranteed long-term deal that eluded Bellinger during the 2023-24 offseason.
Giants team chairman Greg Johnson has been openly wary over long-term contracts in general, particularly for pitchers. Bellinger being a position player might mean the Giants would be more open to signing him to a big contract, yet the team already has a lot of money invested in Devers, Chapman, Lee, and Willy Adames through at least the 2029 season.
For as many holes as San Francisco has in its lineup, starting pitching is a more glaring need, as the Giants have only Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, and Landen Roupp lined up for rotation spots. If the Giants are truly hesitant about heavy investments in starting pitchers, they could look to address their rotation needs via trade, and perhaps use any free agent dollars to sign a prominent position player (like Bellinger).
The Yankees have been the team most directly linked to Bellinger’s services, as New York was known to be prioritizing a known quantity in Bellinger ahead of other top targets like Kyle Tucker. The Mets, Angels, Blue Jays, and Phillies have also reportedly shown interest in Bellinger this winter, though Philadelphia is probably a less likely suitor now that Kyle Schwarber has re-signed.