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KBO League’s SSG Landers Re-Sign Shin-Soo Choo

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Longtime Major League outfielder Shin-Soo Choo has re-signed for a third season with the KBO League’s SSG Landers, according to reports out of South Korea (hat tip to MyKBO.net’s Dan Kurtz).  Choo will receive 1.7 billion won, or roughly $1.32MM in U.S. dollars.  This represents a significant pay cut from Choo’s 2.7 billion won/$2.3MM salary in 2022, but the two sides agreed to the deal to help the Landers stay under the KBO’s new salary cap.

Choo (who turned 40 in July) will be entering his 23rd season in pro baseball.  Signing an amateur deal with the Mariners as an 18-year-old Choo had never actually played in the KBO League until he joined SSG Landers in the 2020-21 offseason.  Even at his increased age, Choo has still been productive in his home country, hitting .261/.397/.441 with 37 home runs over 1074 plate appearances and 248 games with the Landers since the start of the 2021 season.  This run in the KBO was highlighted by the Landers’ triumphant 2022 campaign, which saw the club post a league-best 88-52 record in the regular season and then capture its fifth Korean Series title.

Over 16 seasons of Major League ball, Choo was usually a very productive hitter, posting a .275/.377/.447 slash line over 7157 career PA in the Show with Seattle, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Texas.  Choo’s defensive struggles limited his overall value, though he still posted 34 fWAR over his MLB tenure, and his career 123 wRC+ was solidly above average.  There was some speculation last winter that Choo might be considering a return to the majors, but no such news publicly surfaced this winter, and Choo will now return to the Landers in search of another championship.

Free Agent Notes: deGrom, Braves, Taillon, Anderson, Gibson

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The five-year, $185MM deal between Jacob deGrom and the Rangers came together pretty quickly, and deGrom didn’t give the Mets a chance to counter the offer, ESPN’s Buster Olney writes.  This isn’t to say that the Mets would have countered, as they “had no intention of offering anything close to where the winning bid landed.”  While the Mets had some sense in November that deGrom might prefer to remain in New York if his offers were all in the same price range, Olney writes that some in the organization felt deGrom was starting to gradually distance himself from the Mets as the season went on.

There was also some mutual interest between deGrom and the Braves, relating back to an October report suggesting deGrom would ideally like to pitch closer to his home in Florida.  According to Olney, the Braves were recently looking into deGrom, but his desired price tag was too high for the team.

Here’s some more buzz from around the free agent market, on players both already signed and still available…

  • The Mets “made a serious run…hoping to close a deal” with Jameson Taillon last week, according to SNY’s Andy Martino.  New York was known to have interest in Taillon, and this increased push seemingly indicates that he is pretty high on the team’s list of targets.  That said, Martino thinks “it’s easy to see another team offering more than the Mets” for Taillon, as Justin Verlander is the Amazins’ top target and Carlos Rodon may be the backup plan.  Past reports indicate that the Mets are looking to acquire an ace (i.e. Verlander or Rodon) and then another starter from the next tier of the free agent pitching market, which includes Taillon and several other arms.
  • The Mariners had interest in trading for Brian Anderson during the 2021 season, The Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish reports, but the Marlins wanted too much in return.  With Anderson now a free agent, Divish wonders if Seattle might again look to add the third baseman/outfielder, who brings some multi-positional ability and perhaps some bounce-back potential.  Anderson has hit only .233/.322/.359 over 647 plate appearances and 165 games since the start of the 2021 season, with injuries limiting his playing time.  Miami opted to non-tender Anderson last month, rather than pay him a projected $5.2MM in arbitration salary.
  • Kyle Gibson agreed to a one-year deal with the Orioles, and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that Gibson turned down a similar offer from an unknown team.  Baltimore’s offer was preferable to Gibson because of the Orioles’ strong infield defense, the more pitcher-friendly left-field dimensions at Camden Yards, and the chance to work with catcher Adley Rutschman.

Rockies, Yankees, Braves Interested In Bryan Reynolds

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Bryan Reynolds’ trade request has sparked a new round of speculation that the Pirates might look to deal the outfielder, and any number of teams could be fits to make bids for the All-Star.  The Rockies are a new team with interest in Reynolds, according to The Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders, while Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hears that that from a source that the Yankees are still “very much” part of the mix after initially trying to land Reynolds both last winter and at the trade deadline.  The Braves are another team who has previously been linked to Reynolds on the rumor mill, and could re-emerge with “a strong, under-the-radar push for Reynolds this winter,” a source tells The Athletic’s Rob Biertempfel.

The fit is apparent on any of these clubs, as a switch-hitting All-Star who is controlled through the 2025 season is naturally a good fit on almost any roster.  Reynolds could slide right into Atlanta’s left field position, teaming with Michael Harris and Ronald Acuna Jr. as one of baseball’s best starting outfields, and allowing the Braves to move Marcell Ozuna and Eddie Rosario into part-time or DH duty (or possibly into trade bait, if any deals can be found).  Reynolds can likely move right into regular left field work for the Yankees, also moonlighting in center field to spell Harrison Bader once in a while, and Reynolds’ switch-hitting bat will help balance out a New York lineup that is heavy on right-handed hitters.

Colorado is the most likely of this trio to primarily keep Reynolds in center field, though Kris Bryant’s versatility allows the Rockies with some flexibility in figuring out their lineup.  The Rockies’ first goal will be to just get Bryant back onto the field after an injury-plagued 2022, but assuming that Bryant returns in good form, he can bounce around to either corner infield or outfield position, and even play the occasional game in center field.  Bryant played only left field and DH last year, and the Rox might opt to have Bryant and Reynolds in the corner outfield spots flanking Yonathan Daza and Randal Grichuk in center field.  Lineup balance would also be a factor for a mostly right-handed Colorado batting order.

Of course, it remains to be seen if the Pirates will trade Reynolds anywhere.  In response to Reynolds, the Bucs flatly stated that the trade request “will have zero impact on our decision-making this off-season or in the future.”  Pittsburgh’s asking price in any Reynolds trade has been said to be extremely high, as the Pirates seem to regard Reynolds as a building block rather than the latest player to be dealt away as part of their lengthy rebuild.  The two sides were even engaged in extension talks, though the lack of progress in these talks seems to have been a major reason why Reynolds asked to be dealt.

Back in August, Baseball America’s midseason organizational talent rankings put the Rockies (in 10th place) well ahead of both the Yankees (17th) and Braves (28th) in terms of farm system strength.  In theory, Colorado might have some advantage in a bidding war depending on the types of young talent the Pirates would want in return for Reynolds, though BA’s rankings do reflect players that still qualify as minor leaguers.  Not that Atlanta would move Harris or Spencer Strider for Reynolds anyway, but the Braves’ lower ranking reflects how those two young stars had graduated to the big leagues, thus removing two very prominent prospects from BA’s evaluation.  If the Pirates are hopeful of becoming competitive perhaps even as early as 2024, they could be more apt to ask for MLB-ready young players, which would help the Braves and Yankees in the Reynolds talks.

Blue Jays “Remain Engaged” On Justin Verlander’s Market

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Justin Verlander strongly considered joining the Blue Jays last winter, to the point that the Jays may have been the runner-up to the Astros in the race to sign the future Hall-of-Famer.  Toronto’s interest is still active a year later, and Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi writes that the Jays “remain engaged with” Verlander in the right-hander’s latest trip to the open market.

After a Cy Young Award-winning season, Verlander’s price tag has naturally gone up.  Verlander landed a two-year, $50MM deal from the Astros last offseason despite missing virtually all of the 2020-21 seasons due to Tommy John surgery, and even though 2022 was Verlander’s age-39 season.  Still, Verlander was more than worth the investment, as he posted one of the finest years of his incredible career and helped lead Houston to a World Series championship.

With his 40th birthday approaching in February, Verlander is reportedly looking for a three-year deal worth roughly $130MM, akin to the deal Max Scherzer received from the Mets when Scherzer was entering his age-37 campaign (Scherzer turned 38 last July).  The Scherzer deal represents the highest annual average value for any contract in baseball history, so speculatively, it would seem likely that Verlander and his representatives would want to top that AAV even if by just a bit, in order to set a new benchmark.

It’s a steep asking price for any team to meet, even if Verlander is a unique case as an all-time great who is still pitching at an elite level this late into his career.  Such a large AAV is a risk for a player who will be in action only once every five days, and if Verlander gets hurt or has any kind of performance dropoff, the contract could quickly start to look like an albatross.

Spending that much on Verlander would also set a new standard for the Blue Jays, whose payroll is already at a record high for the franchise.  Adding a $43MM-ish salary to the ledger would also put the Jays over the luxury tax threshold for the first time in club history — Roster Resource projects Toronto’s current tax number at slightly over $201MM, so a big AAV for Verlander would send the Blue Jays well over the initial $233MM tax threshold.

As Davidi puts it, signing Verlander “may very well cut [the Jays] off from other significant moves.”  That is no small matter for a team that several other needs to be addressed beyond the rotation, even if starting pitching is Toronto’s top need.  The Jays could use some more outfield depth after trading Teoscar Hernandez, second base is a somewhat unsettled area, and the bullpen could use some more reinforcement even after the addition of Erik Swanson from the Mariners in the Hernandez swap.  If ownership did allow the front office to spend up to the tax threshold, it can be argued that the extra money would be better served being spent on multiple players, rather than a single superstar in Verlander.

All this to be said, signing Verlander would still make some baseball sense for the obvious boost he’d bring to the pitching staff.  Verlander, Alek Manoah, and Kevin Gausman would become arguably the top rotation trio in the sport, Jose Berrios would be an overqualified fourth starter if he can regain his form after a mediocre 2022 season, and the Jays might feel better about Yusei Kikuchi and Mitch White battling over one starting spot than entrusting two spots in the rotation to question marks.  If payroll or roster needs are a concern, the Jays could look to cut some salary in other areas, plus Toronto could still trade from its catching depth to acquire more talent.

Fred McGriff Elected To Baseball Hall Of Fame

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Longtime first baseman Fred McGriff was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the only player elected out of the eight nominees under consideration by the 16-person Era Committee. McGriff was a unanimous vote, getting votes from all 16 members.

Twelve votes were required for selection, and of the other seven players on the ballot, Don Mattingly came closest with eight votes.  Curt Schilling received seven votes, Dale Murphy six votes, and the other candidates (Albert Belle, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro) each got fewer than four votes.

McGriff hit .284/.377/.509 with 493 home runs over his career, which spanned 19 seasons (1986-2004) with the Blue Jays, Padres, Braves, Rays, Cubs, and Dodgers.  The Crime Dog’s impressive resume included a World Series ring with the 1995 Braves, as well as the individual honors of five All-Star appearances, three Silver Slugger awards, and six top-10 finishes in MVP voting.  McGriff’s highest finish in the MVP race was fourth, during a 1993 season split between San Diego and Atlanta.

The Yankees actually drafted McGriff in the ninth round in 1981, but he was dealt to the Blue Jays in 1982 as part of a trade that longtime Bronx fans still remember with regret — ironically, Mattingly’s presence as the Yankees’ first baseman of the future was one of the reasons New York was comfortable in dealing McGriff.  Blossoming as a star in Toronto, McGriff nevertheless found himself dealt to the Padres almost exactly 32 years ago to the day, in one of baseball’s most memorable blockbuster trades.  The Jays moved McGriff and Tony Fernandez to the Padres for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter, in a swap that set the table for Toronto’s World Series titles in 1992 and 1993.

The Padres’ own hopes of contention faded, and McGriff was one of many notables dealt during a fire sale in 1993.  The first baseman became one of the stalwarts of the Braves’ success throughout the 1990’s, and enjoyed some championship success himself with Atlanta’s 1995 title.  Over his career in the postseason, McGriff continued to swing a mighty bat, hitting .303/.385/.532 with 10 homers over 218 PA in the playoffs.

McGriff then joined the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998, with the Tampa native getting a chance to play in his hometown.  Over five seasons with the Devil Rays and then in brief stints with the Cubs and Dodgers, McGriff was still at least an above-average hitter until well into his late 30’s, before finally starting to slow down with L.A. in 2003 and then a final season with Tampa Bay in 2004.

Though McGriff was a staple of any “professional hitter” discussion, he was also somewhat underrated during his career, perhaps owing to the fact that he played for several teams during his career rather than becoming an iconic figure for one particular franchise.  The 1994-95 players’ strike was also often cited as a reason for McGriff’s lack of Cooperstown recognition, as those lost games surely cost McGriff the chance of surpassing the 500-homer threshold, leaving him with “only” 493 big flies.

These may have been reasons why McGriff never came close to the 75% voting threshold required for induction via the writers.  It also didn’t help that McGriff had the bad luck of being up for election amidst a crowded era for candidates, including several players dogged by PED suspicions or other off-the-field issues — including Bonds, Clemens, Palmeiro, and Schilling.

The “veterans committee” is the catch-all name for an annual panel of rotating membership, organized by the Hall Of Fame every year to gauge the cases of players who weren’t elected or considered by the writers, or non-playing personnel who aren’t a part of the writers’ ballot.  Candidates are considered from the “Contemporary Baseball” (1980-present) and “Classic Baseball” (1980 and earlier) time periods, and broken down into a three-year rotation…

  • Contemporary Baseball, players: 2022, 2025, 2028, etc.
  • Contemporary Baseball, managers/executives/umpires: 2023, 2026, 2029, etc.
  • Classic Baseball, all candidates: 2024, 2027, 2030, etc.

As such, the seven players who weren’t voted in on this year’s ballot will have to wait until December 2025 to receive another look, and it isn’t necessarily a guarantee that any of those seven will even make the 2025 shortlist.  However, since several of the names on the veterans committee change every year, it is quite possible that a HOF candidate who missed out this time might be regarded more favorably by a future committee.

That being said, the rather drastic lack of support for Bonds and Clemens on this ballot might be a strong hint that it will be some time before the hard feelings dissipate over the two superstars’ alleged use of PEDs.  While Bonds and Clemens weren’t inducted by the writers, their final year on the ballot saw them each obtain at least 65% of the vote, falling respectably close to that 75% threshold.  Likewise, Palmeiro (who was suspended for PED usage in 2005) lasted only four years on the writers’ ballot before falling off, and was perhaps even a surprise candidate for inclusion on this year’s Contemporary Baseball shortlist.  Schilling’s history of inflammatory and controversial public statements and tweets also stalled his support from the writers, and his first appearance on an Era Committee also saw him fall well short of induction.

It also seems possible that the overwhelming show of support for McGriff was also something of a repudiation of the PED era.  McGriff, Mattingly, and Murphy were seen as the most controversy-free candidates on this particular eight-player ballot, with no ties to PEDs or other off-the-field issues.  Though McGriff’s power numbers were impressive in their own right, the overwhelming homer totals posted by some of McGriff’s peers in the late 90’s and early 2000’s had the effect of making his numbers look lesser in comparison, which may have been another reason why McGriff never quite got his full due either during his career or on the writers’ ballot.

McGriff will be inducted into Cooperstown on July 23.  He will be joined by any players elected via the writers’ ballot, and those results will be announced on January 24.

This year’s 16-person Contemporary Baseball committee was comprised of Angels owner Arte Moreno, former Blue Jays president Paul Beeston, Twins president/CEO Dave St. Peter, Diamondbacks president/CEO Derrick Hall, White Sox executive VP Ken Williams, Marlins GM Kim Ng, former Red Sox/Cubs front office boss Theo Epstein, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, longtime statistician and broadcaster Steve Hirdt, and Hall-of-Fame players Greg Maddux, Jack Morris, Ryne Sandberg, Lee Smith, Frank Thomas and Alan Trammell.  Chipper Jones was initially supposed to be part of the committee, but couldn’t participate due to illness and was replaced by Hall.

Athletics Moving Closer To Sean Murphy Trade; Braves Not The Acquiring Team

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5:47PM: The Braves aren’t going to be the team that lands Murphy, Feinsand tweets in a new update, though the A’s do still look like they’re nearing a deal.  Anthopoulos told Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter links) and other reporters that the Braves are planning to go into the spring with Contreras, d’Arnaud and Pina behind the plate.  Offers could be considered out of due diligence, but Anthopoulos said “I do not anticipate a trade, so just to shut that down.”

5:03PM: After months of trade speculation, Sean Murphy may on the verge leaving Oakland, as MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (Twitter link) reports that “the Athletics appear to be getting close to” moving the catcher.  While multiple teams are in the running, the Braves are somewhat surprisingly “considered the frontrunners” to pry Murphy away from the A’s.

This isn’t the first time Atlanta has been linked to Murphy, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported about the Braves’ interest just two days ago.  However, that interest was characterized mostly as a case of due diligence, and how Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is open to exploring all trade possibilities, even if his team is seemingly set at a position.

Even with William Contreras, Travis d’Arnaud, and Manny Pina all on the catching depth chart, it makes sense why Atlanta could view Murphy as a preferable option to its in-house choices.  Murphy is both a quality hitter (.236/.326/.429 slash line over his career, 116 wRC+) and a quality defender (excellent framing numbers and a Gold Glove in 2021), plus he is still arbitration-controlled through the 2025 season.  Projected for a modest $3.5MM salary in 2023, Murphy’s team control is naturally attractive to any club, and perhaps particularly so for a Braves team that has started to approach the luxury tax threshold for the first time since 1998.

Due mostly to several contract extensions for incumbent players, Atlanta is projected for a luxury tax number just shy of $228MM in 2023, and thus not far below the $233MM tax threshold.  To be clear, the threshold isn’t a barrier, as the team is already considering exceeding the tax line to help further reinforce a contending roster.  With new ballpark revenue streaming in and one World Series title in 2021 already claimed, it makes sense that the Braves would be willing to keep spending at franchise-record amounts to keep the good times rolling.  That means Atlanta could consider moves like acquiring Murphy and also possibly re-signing free agent shortstop Dansby Swanson.

Adding Murphy would also naturally create a surplus behind the plate, even with Contreras perhaps getting the bulk of his time at the DH spot.  d’Arnaud is owed $8MM in 2023 with an $8MM club option for 2024, while Pina is owed $4.5MM next season with a $4MM club option for 2024.  Pina already seemed like something of a trade candidate even before the Murphy rumors began swirling, but the injury-prone d’Arnaud could also potentially be shopped.  Moving Contreras would be the biggest of the possible moves, as between his hitting potential and team control through the 2027 season, the Braves could land a nice return in any Contreras trade.

If the A’s did trade Murphy to Atlanta, it would mark the third time that the Billy Beane/David Forst front office (now with Forst in charge of baseball operations) has swung a blockbuster trade with Anthopoulos.  It was less than a year ago that Matt Olson was acquired by the Braves as Freddie Freeman’s replacement, with Oakland receiving Cristian Pache, Shea Langeliers and right-handers Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes in return.  Back when Anthopoulos was the Blue Jays’ general manager, he and the A’s combined on the major deal that brought Josh Donaldson to Toronto in December 2014, with Oakland getting another four-player package back.

This familiarity between the front offices and the Athletics’ familiarity with the Braves’ farm system are certainly reasons why Atlanta may be outpacing other teams for the heavily sought-after Murphy.  The White Sox, Guardians, Rays, Cardinals, and Red Sox are just some of the teams known to have asked about the All-Star, and it’s probably safe to say that any team with a vacancy behind the plate has been in contact with the A’s.  In fact, Murphy’s overall value is high enough that probably even some seemingly unlikely suitors like the Braves have also been checking in about his services.

Red Sox Haven’t Made “A Competitive Offer” To Xander Bogaerts

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Such varied teams as the Padres, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Twins, Orioles, Phillies, and Cubs have all been linked to Xander Bogaerts so far this winter, and the list of suitors could stretch even further beyond these teams.  Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports that between eight and 11 teams have shown interest in Bogaerts, and yet the Red Sox weren’t “positioned in that group as of Sunday afternoon.”  According to two sources, Bogaerts’ former team hasn’t yet made “a competitive offer” to re-sign.

This relative lack of interest on Boston’s part is perhaps a little surprising, given how chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has said on multiple occasions that retaining Bogaerts is one of the team’s top priorities.  However, as Abraham notes, there has been plenty of indications that the Red Sox haven’t been entirely committed to keeping the All-Star, ranging from their lowball extension offer last spring to the team’s signing of Trevor Story last offseason as a seemingly backup plan for shortstop if Bogaerts departed.

While a front office can obviously work on multiple things at the same time, it is perhaps also telling that the Sox have largely been focused on other roster areas thus far in the offseason.  The Red Sox made a big push to sign Jose Abreu before Abreu landed in Houston, and are among the many teams interested in Mitch Haniger.  Boston is also exploring a wide range of pitching options for the rotation and bullpen, and the Sox have already made two notable additions in relievers Chris Martin and Joely Rodriguez.  This isn’t to say that the Red Sox couldn’t make an offer to Bogaerts at any time, but it would seemingly have to be a very substantial offer to outpace the several other teams who have shown a lot more direct interest.

There hasn’t been much indication that the Sox could pivot to one of the other star free agent shortstops (Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, or Dansby Swanson) rather than Bogaerts, and the team might just use some combination of Story, Enrique Hernandez, Christian Arroyo, Jeter Downs, and the newly-acquired Hoy Park to handle the two middle infield positions.  Long-term, Marcelo Mayer is Boston’s shortstop of the future, and prospect Ceddanne Rafaela could also be a factor at shortstop or other positions after a breakout 2022 season at high-A and Double-A ball.

Bogaerts rejected Boston’s qualifying offer, and since the Red Sox exceeded the luxury tax in 2022, their compensatory pick (if Bogaerts signed elsewhere) would fall only after the fourth round of the 2023 draft.  It wouldn’t make for much of a consolation prize for one of the best players in recent franchise history, especially since exceeding the tax threshold didn’t even result in a winning record for the 2022 Red Sox.

Astros Interested In Andrew Benintendi

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Left field is something of a question mark for the Astros, but the team might be looking to fill the position with a former Gold Glover.  Houston has had some discussions with free agent Andrew Benintendi, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports.

With Jose Abreu already acquired and Rafael Montero re-signed, adding Benintendi would be the Astros’ latest step towards fortifying their roster for another World Series bid.  The team was already known to be looking for a left-handed hitting corner outfielder, to add both a bit more balance to a mostly right-handed lineup, and to provide more assurance in left field.  Should an everyday player like Benintendi be signed, Jake Meyers would likely split time with Chas McCormick in center field, while Yordan Alvarez might see the occasional game in left field but would continue to primarily work as the designated hitter.

Benintendi wouldn’t come cheap, as MLBTR projects the 28-year-old to land a four-year, $54MM deal.  This price point factors in Benintendi’s relatively young age as he enters the free agent market, as well as a skillset that makes him a pretty safe bet to be a productive (if not necessarily a star) player going forward.

Being “only” a productive player seems like a respectable middle ground for Benintendi, who looked like a potential superstar early in his career with the Red Sox but then almost like a lost cause in the wake of a brutal 2020 season.  Benintendi rebounded with solid showings with the Royals and Yankees the last two seasons, moving to New York at the trade deadline before his season was ended by hamate bone surgery in early September.

This isn’t to say that Bentenindi might not yet have another breakout ahead of him, especially if he can turn around his drastic power dropoff in 2022.  Even without much pop, Benintendi still had a 122 wRC+ and a .304/.373/.399 slash line over 521 plate appearances last season.  A .352 BABIP aided that production, but Benintendi did an excellent job of taking walks, avoiding strikeouts, and putting the ball in play.  Combining that offensive profile with above-average defense and solid baserunning made for a 2.8 fWAR season for Benintendi in 2022, the second-highest fWAR total of his seven MLB seasons.

The Astros have just under $198MM in luxury tax commitments for 2023, so if Benintendi was signed to something in the range of that projected $13.5MM average annual value, Houston would still have plenty of room under the $233MM tax threshold to make further moves.  Owner Jim Crane recently said that the Astros “certainly have the ability to go at or over” the threshold, and spending on multiple players (Abreu, and perhaps at least one of Benintendi or Willson Contreras) might be more of a preferable strategy than splurging on a short-term, high-AAV deal on Justin Verlander.

Orioles Among 8-9 Teams Interested In Carlos Rodon

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Roughly eight or nine teams are known to have interest in Carlos Rodon, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post (Twitter links).  Many of the suitors are already known, as past reports have indicated the Mets, Yankees, Giants, Twins, Dodgers, and Rangers have all checked in on Rodon’s market at different points this offseason.  However, Heyman also lists the Orioles as a new name in the mix for the left-hander’s services.

Baltimore has already made one notable rotation move in signing Kyle Gibson to a one-year deal earlier today.  Needless to say, signing Rodon would take a much heftier financial commitment, and the first major acquisition of the Orioles’ post-rebuild era.  Though past reports suggested that the O’s were wary of shopping at the very top of the pitching market, Rodon might represent something of a bridge between the “top tier” and “secondary tier,” depending on how one would define such players.

Entering his age-30 season, Rodon is considerably younger than either Justin Verlander or Jacob deGrom, so Rodon might make more sense for a young Baltimore team that appears to be just entering its competitive window.  As Orioles GM Mike Elias noted last month, the club has “got a lot of interesting starters.  But they’re not guys who have a track record of being front-end-of-the-rotation starters.” 

Baltimore hopes at least one or two of their young arms can eventually develop into being ace-level pitchers, but waiting on that development might not be too helpful for a team that wants to win in 2023.  Gibson has had some quality seasons and was an All-Star just in 2021, but he struggled in his time with the Phillies, and he is more of a veteran innings-eater than a true frontline pitcher.

In other Rodon news, Heyman writes that Texas is still in on the southpaw even after already signing deGrom to a five-year, $185MM deal yesterday.  As expected, the Rangers have put a heavy emphasis on rotation upgrades this winter, between signing deGrom, re-signing Martin Perez, and acquiring Jake Odorizzi from the Braves.  That trio joins Jon Gray and Dane Dunning in the projected starting five, but the Rangers have been so aggressive over the last two offseasons that it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see them also sign Rodon.  In this case, one of Dunning or Odorizzi could become a depth starter or swingman, or potentially even a trade chip.

Both the Mets and Yankees have been linked to Rodon and Verlander, with Heyman tweeting that the two New York teams seem to have differing top choices.  Rodon seems to be the Yankees’ chief target, while Verlander seems like the Mets’ preferred option.

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