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Twins Interested In Re-Signing Carlos Santana, Adding Right-Handed Hitting Outfielder

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The Twins’ offseason checklist includes finding a right-handed hitting outfielder and a first baseman, president of baseball operations Derek Falvey told reporters (including Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune).  In regards to the latter need, Nightengale writes that team still has interest in bringing Carlos Santana back for another stint in the Twin Cities.

Santana signed a one-year, $5.25MM free agent deal with Minnesota last winter, and at age 38 delivered one of the best all-around seasons of his 15-year career.  Santana hit .238/.320/.420 with 23 home runs in 594 plate appearances (translating to a 114 wRC+) and displayed outstanding defense at first base, earning him his very first Gold Glove.  While his hard-contact numbers remained below average for the second straight year, Santana still made a lot of contact and avoided strikeouts, while drawing his customary large share of walks.

Between these numbers and his off-the-field presence in Minnesota’s clubhouse, it is easy to see why the Twins would want him back.  Re-signing Santana for a relatively modest raise also seems feasible, as despite his production, teams are likely to zone in on Santana’s age as a reason to not commit too much money on another one-year deal.  There’s also the fact that 2024 was essentially a bounce-back for Santana after he posted a 94 wRC+ and 2.3 combined fWAR over his previous four seasons, so this last year might be viewed as an outlier.

Santana had 3.0 fWAR in 2024, a number topped by only six hitters in this winter’s free agent class.  Santana tied Christian Walker with a 3.0 fWAR and both were ahead of Pete Alonso’s 2.1 fWAR, to compare Santana to the two top first-base names.  Needless to say, Walker and Alonso will still command much larger contracts than Santana, and Santana’s market might not fully develop until the bigger free agents (and trade targets) have landed on their next teams.  The Twins’ pre-existing relationship with Santana could give them an in, but Santana has also drawn interest from the Mariners, another of his former clubs.

Turning to the Twins’ needs on the grass, Minnesota’s ideal right-handed bat would be a corner outfielder, able to complement left-handed hitters Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach.  Nightengale suggests that Austin Hays might be a fit, as hitting coach Matt Borgschulte is familiar with Hays from their shared time together with the Orioles.

Seeking out only a platoon bat will limit the price tag on a new acquisition, which again fits for a Minnesota team that doesn’t have much available in payroll space.  Technically, the Twins might first have to move some money, as their projected $142.1MM payroll (estimate from RosterResource) is over their $129.6MM payroll from last season, and Falvey has already said that Minnesota will be spending at a similar level in 2025.

Astros Now “Serious Suitor” For Nolan Arenado

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While the Astros have been intent on trying to re-sign Alex Bregman this offseason, the club landed a potential third base backup option in Isaac Paredes, and is now looking at an even bigger option at the hot corner.  The Athletic’s Chandler Rome reports that Houston has “emerged as a serious suitor for” Nolan Arenado’s services, though a trade isn’t “believed to be imminent.”

Since the Cardinals are looking to create more playing time for younger players and reduce payroll, the club has been open about its attempts to trade Arenado this offseason.  The third baseman has a full no-trade clause but is open to waiving it in the right situation, as agent Joel Wolfe stressed that Arenado is only willing to leave St. Louis for “a team that he thinks is going to win now and consistently for the remainder of his career.  He wants a team that has the throttle down….that he believes he can jump right in and they’re going to win right now.”

The Astros would seemingly fit that description as longtime playoff regulars who are trying to keep their contention window, but it is unclear if Arenado would have interest in going to Houston.  The Dodgers, Padres, Angels, Phillies, Mets, and Red Sox are the six teams Arenado would reportedly be willing to play for, but it isn’t known if any clubs beyond this group would also meet his approval for a waiver of his no-trade privileges.

Beyond the no-trade clause, the Astros and Cardinals also have to work out the terms of the actual deal, and finances could present an obstacle.  Rome writes that “the Astros will ask the Cardinals to help pay down” the $74MM owed to Arenado over the final three years of his contract.  (Only $64MM is technically the Cards’ responsibility, as the Rockies are covering $10MM of that figure as per the term of the 2021 trade that brought Arenado from Colorado to St. Louis.)  Whether or not the Cardinals are willing to cover any of Arenado’s salary is an open question, and if so, it’ll be a matter of whether they can match figures with the Astros or any other suitor, or if St. Louis is willing to take on an unwanted contract as salary offset.

Some additional baggage might stand in a way of an Astros/Cardinals trade in particular.  Former Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa was found guilty in federal court over charges of illegally accessing the Astros’ proprietary baseball operations database in 2013 and 2014, and MLB punished the Cardinals by forcing them to give $2MM and their top picks in the 2017 draft to the Astros as punishment.  Though Houston’s front office has since been overhauled and Chaim Bloom is set to replace John Mozeliak next year as the Cards’ next president of baseball operations, the two teams haven’t completed a trade with each other since 2012, hinting at some lingering bad blood.

Astros GM Dana Brown said yesterday that the team’s decision to trade Kyle Tucker (and get Paredes back in the trade package from the Cubs) didn’t indicate that anything changed in Houston’s pursuit of a reunion with Bregman.  KPRC’s Ari Alexander also hears from a source that the Astros remain among “the strong four” top contenders for Bregman along with the Red Sox, Mets, and Yankees, with the Tigers and Blue Jays also linked to Bregman’s market.

Technically, a scenario exists where Houston could re-sign Bregman, install Arenado at first base, and then have Paredes at DH whenever Yordan Alvarez is in left field.  But, more realistically, trading for Arenado would surely close the door on the chances of a reunion between Bregman and the Astros.  Reports have indicated that Houston has offered Bregman a six-year, $156MM contract, but if he and his camp have indicated that a larger outlay is necessary, that might explain why the Astros now have given more attention to Arenado since the end of the Winter Meetings.  With at least the Mets, Yankees, and Red Sox in on both third basemen, it make sense that the Astros would also explore both options out of due diligence.

Rangers Sign Tucker Barnhart To Minors Contract

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The Rangers have signed catcher Tucker Barnhart to a minor league contract, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports.  The deal includes an invitation to the Rangers’ big league Spring Training camp, and Barnhart will earn $1MM if he makes the Texas roster.

Barnhart is the second veteran catcher the Rangers have acquired in the last two weeks, after inking Kyle Higashioka to a two-year, $13.5MM deal.  Jonah Heim is still the starting backstop in Arlington, but Heim’s struggles in 2024 left the Rangers looking for more depth, so Higashioka is expected to get more playing time than a normal backup.  With these two locked into catching duties on the MLB roster, Barnhart and Sam Huff could be Triple-A depth unless an injury emerges.

A two-time Gold Glover from his days as the Reds’ starting catcher, Barnhart’s glovework helped paper over some only serviceable numbers at the plate.  However, Barnhart’s once-modest offensive production has continued to sharply decline, while his glovework dropped to below-average in the view of Defensive Runs Saved (-2) and Statcast’s Catcher Runs metric (-3).

It should be noted that these numbers came in a limited sample size, as Barnhart appeared in only 31 big league games with the Diamondbacks last season.  Even when starter Gabriel Moreno was injured, the D’Backs preferred Jose Herrera for a lot of playing time, and Barnhart was the one designated for assignment and ultimately released after Moreno returned from the injured list.  Barnhart landed with his old team in Cincinnati on a minors deal in August, but his return to the Reds didn’t result in any MLB playing time.

Barnhart has a .241/.318/.351 slash line in 3088 plate appearances across 11 seasons with the Reds, Tigers, Cubs, and Diamondbacks.  Presumably his contract includes the standard veteran opt-out clauses, so Barnhart could end up back on the open market again if he doesn’t see a clear path to playing time on the Rangers’ roster prior to Opening Day.

Justin, Mat Ishbia Interested In Buying Twins Franchise

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It has been over two months since the Pohlad family announced they were looking into selling the Twins, and a prominent potential buyer has now been identified.  According to Bloomberg’s Isis Almeida, Miranda Davis, and Randall Williams, a group led by billionaire Justin Ishbia has expressed interest in purchasing the franchise, and Ishbia has been “meeting with local community leaders across the state to learn more about the community and the opportunity to carry on the Twins legacy.”

The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Dan Hayes, and Dennis Lin have more details, specifying that both Justin and Mat Ishbia would be involved in the ownership group, with Justin acting as the lead investor.  The brothers already own the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, with Mat acting as governor for those franchises and Justin the alternate governor.  Presumably in the same manner that Mat Ishbia is considered the chief “owner” of the Suns and Mercury, Justin Ishbia would take a similar head role in overseeing the Twins, with his brother in a secondary capacity.  Justin Ishbia’s sports interests also include a minority ownership stake in Major League Soccer’s Nashville SC franchise.

There is no sense that the Ishbia or any other potential bidders are close to completing a purchase, as Amick/Hayes/Lin write that the sale process will take a minimum of six months.  Minnesota president of baseball operations Derek Falvey told reporters at the Winter Meetings that the franchise in the initial information-gathering phase of the process, and that the Twins had yet to move onto identifying or vetting potential buyers.

Carl Pohlad bought the Twins in 1984, with the role of day-to-day ownership oversight going to Carl’s son Jim Pohlad in 2009, and then to Jim’s nephew Joe Pohlad in November 2022.  The Pohlad family’s tenure has seen the Twins capture two World Series titles (1987 and 1991) and 11 division titles, but those high points have also been somewhat obscured by consistently limited spending over most of the four decades the Pohlads have been in charge.  The Twins were under consideration to be contracted by MLB in 2001, and the opening of Target Field in 2010 only temporarily boosted the club’s payroll.

Most recently, the team’s decision to slash payroll in the wake of a successful 2023 season (and the abrupt end of the Twins’ broadcast deal with Diamond Sports Group) left Minnesota fans upset, and those feelings only hardened when a late-season collapse cost the Twins a playoff berth.  MLB itself will be running Twins broadcasts in 2025, though with lower fees than the Diamond deal, and thus less revenue coming back to the organization.

It is far too early to speculate on whether or not the Ishbias or any owner would suddenly push a lot more money into roster construction.  The payroll structures of pro baseball and basketball are vastly different, of course, but for some reference, Amick/Hayes/Lee note that Mat Ishbia was almost instantly aggressive after buying the Suns.  Within just a few days after that sale was official in February 2023, Ishbia pushed his front office to swing a blockbuster trade for superstar Kevin Durant.

Cubs Interested In Luis Castillo

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The Cubs are one of the teams who have spoken to the Mariners about Luis Castillo’s trade availability, according to Ryan Divish and Adam Jude of the Seattle Times.  The depth of Chicago’s interest isn’t known, or if this interest still exists now that the Cubs have already swung a blockbuster deal to land Kyle Tucker from the Astros.  Castillo also has a no-trade clause in his contract, so he could veto things entirely if he doesn’t have interest in going to Chicago.

Since the Cubs were known to be looking for pitching, however, it would make sense that they would at least check in on what seems to be an increasingly available trade candidate. Rumors have been swirling about Castillo’s availability in recent days, as while Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has publicly downplayed the idea of trading from Seattle’s rotation depth, it is thought that Castillo might be the most available of the starting five.  The 32-year-old Castillo is at least five years older than any of George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, or Bryce Miller, and much more expensive — Castillo is owed $68.25MM in guaranteed money from 2025-27, plus a $25MM vesting option for 2028 that becomes guaranteed based on health and an innings threshold.

This salary might be the chief reason the M’s would be open to trading Castillo, as the club is known to be operating within pretty limited payroll parameters.  Divish and Jude note that the Mariners are thought to have around $15MM in spending space, and for a team with several needs to address on offense, their options for signings or other trades widen greatly if Castillo’s contract was off the books.  Freeing up some money might allow the M’s to make a more full-on pursuit of Christian Walker, who the Mariners have had “atop their wish list since the start of the offseason,” Divish and Jude write.

A deal that saw Castillo go to Wrigleyville could also logically bring at least one bat back in Seattle’s direction.  The M’s have already been linked to Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, so a swap involving the two of them (if not necessarily a one-for-one) would address both teams’ needs.  Hoerner is owed $23.5MM over the next seasons, so that represents some salary offset if Chicago absorbed all of Castillo’s contract.

On the other hand, sending Isaac Paredes to Houston in the Tucker trade package has already cost the Cubs one starting infielder, so Chicago might now be less willing to move Hoerner.  Top prospect Matt Shaw is viewed as the likeliest candidate to step in at third base in Paredes’ place, and while James Triantos is another highly-touted youngster who might be ready for the big leagues at second base, entrusting two infield jobs to rookies is a risk for the Cubs.

Getting Castillo for Cody Bellinger or Seiya Suzuki would be a cleaner fit for Chicago in dealing from its outfield depth, but the Mariners already have Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena, and Victor Robles slated for starting jobs.  The M’s have Luke Raley set for at least part-time duty at first base and Mitch Haniger penciled in at DH, as well.  This all being said, the Mariners have such a broad need for hitting that it certainly isn’t beyond Dipoto to target a big outfield bat and then get creative in either fitting that bat into the lineup, or perhaps trying to deal Raley or Haniger to land the infield help Seattle more clearly needs.

Installing Castillo alongside Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, and the newly-signed Matthew Boyd would suddenly give the Cubs one of the more appealing rotations in baseball.  Plenty more pitching would be on hand as well, since acquiring Castillo would turn fifth-starter candidates Javier Assad, Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, or top prospect Cade Horton into depth arms.  Speculatively speaking, one of these younger depth arms could also be sent to Seattle in a hypothetical Castillo trade, to give the Mariners a ready-made replacement for the new vacancy in their rotation.

Royals Receiving Trade Interest In Angel Zerpa

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After a solid season in the Royals’ bullpen, left-hander Angel Zerpa is drawing trade attention from rival teams, MLB.com’s Anne Rogers writes.  There is no sense a deal is close or even if Kansas City is open to moving Zerpa, but Rogers notes that the Royals could deal from what seems to be a surplus of left-handed pitching.

Cole Ragans sits atop the K.C. rotation and obviously isn’t going anywhere, and Kris Bubic probably won’t be dealt since the Royals want to see how he fares in a return to starting pitching.  Zerpa, Daniel Lynch IV, Sam Long, and prospects Noah Cameron and Evan Sisk are the other left-handers on the Royals’ 40-man roster, with Rogers noting that Lynch and Cameron will also be competing for a rotation job in Spring Training.

Kansas City might wish to see how the rotation competition plays out before making any decisions on trades, in order to gauge Bubic’s health now that he is a bit further removed from an April 2023 Tommy John surgery, and to monitor Kyle Wright’s return after he missed all of 2024 recovering from shoulder surgery.  There’s also the fact that Zerpa is not just one of several lefties, but he is currently the top left-handed option in the Royals bullpen.  Given how the relief corps was middling on the whole in 2024, the Royals might prefer to add to the pen rather than subtract, especially since the team’s pitching depth already took a hit when Brady Singer was dealt to the Reds.

Still, there’s no harm in hearing what teams might have to offer for the 25-year-old Zerpa, who is team-controlled through the 2028 season.  An amateur signing out of Venezuela in 2016, Zerpa has spent his whole career in the K.C. organization, and made it to the majors for a single appearance during the 2021 season.  The Royals shuttled him back and forth from Triple-A several times in 2022-23, but Zerpa also dealt with two notable injuries — a patellar tendon tear in his right knee cut short Zerpa’s 2022 season, and a shoulder problem kept him from making his 2023 debut until August.

With a 3.84 ERA in his first 58 2/3 innings (starting six of 19 games), Zerpa broke camp in 2024 in a full-fledged relief role.  He just about matched his previous career ERA with a 3.86 ERA in 53 2/3 relief frames last year, along with an outstanding 58.2% grounder rate.  Zerpa’s ability to keep the ball on the ground helped him paper over below-average strikeout (20.4) and walk (8.3) rates, and notwithstanding his .325 BABIP, a lot of the hard contact he allowed ended up staying on the ground.

It isn’t your standard recipe for bullpen success, and so it seems plausible the Royals might consider selling high on Zerpa if another club has enough interest.  Rogers suggests that rival teams might even be looking at returning Zerpa to a starting role, which might also bump up his value in trade talks to some extent.

Latest On Yankees, Christian Walker

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The Yankees’ interest in Christian Walker was initially reported on last month, but it wasn’t until Juan Soto signed with the Mets that the Yankees were seemingly able to devote more attention to other position-player targets.  The change of focus apparently happened pretty quickly, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the Yankees “renewed contract discussions” with Walker’s camp on Sunday evening, which was the same time that news broke of Soto’s record $765MM contract.

While the pitching and hitting markets aren’t exactly the same, the Bombers’ eight-year, $218MM megadeal with Max Fried is easy evidence that New York has been able to quickly pivot into the rest of its target list with Soto off the board.  First base help and lineup help in general are both needs, and signing Walker would address both issues in one fell swoop.

Fried’s deal adds another wrinkle to the Yankees’ pursuit of Walker, or any other free agent who rejected a qualifying offer.  Because New York was a luxury tax payor in 2024 and because Fried turned down the Braves’ QO, the Yankees had to give up $1MM in international bonus pool money as well as their second- and fifth-highest picks in the 2025 draft in order to complete the signing.  Inking Walker to a deal would cost the Yankees another $1MM in int’l pool funds, as well as two more draft picks — their third- and sixth-highest selections.

As much of a hit this could be to New York’s 2025 draft plans, Brian Cashman’s front office might view it as a necessary cost in order to capitalize on the team’s contention window.  Fried adds another top-flight arm to pair with Gerrit Cole atop a deep Yankee rotation, Aaron Judge is still arguably the best hitter in the sport, Giancarlo Stanton has a bounce-back 2024 season, and a younger core of Jazz Chisholm Jr., Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe, and (New York hopes) Jasson Dominguez can all contribute both now and in the future.

Walker would represent another big piece to this puzzle, bringing both elite first-base defense and a strong bat.  Walker is turning 34 in March but hasn’t shown signs of slowing down, plus his age might be a feature and not a bug in terms of the Yankees’ needs.  MLB Network’s Jon Morosi said that a shorter-term contract might be more preferable for the Yankees than a longer deal for a younger first base option, which is why Morosi notes that Walker “is more of a priority for the Yankees than Pete Alonso would be.”

Reds Among Teams Interested In Luis Robert Jr.

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Apart from Garrett Crochet, Luis Robert Jr. is the biggest trade chip the White Sox have on offer as the club looks to continue its rebuilding process.  Though 2024 was another injury-marred season for Robert, Sox GM Chris Getz told the Chicago Sun-Times’ Daryl Van Schouwen (multiple links) and other reporters that his team has “gotten a lot of interest” in Robert’s services during the Winter Meetings.  The Reds appear to be one of those interested parties, as Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Ohio team has “at least checked in on Robert.”

It’s no secret that Getz is asking for a lot in return for Robert, and the general manager defended his stance by saying that the White Sox are looking for a trade package commensurate to “the talent that he brings to the table” since Robert’s “tools haven’t changed.”

“Obviously, the injury last year was disruptive to [Robert’s] production, but the reason there’s so much interest is because maybe a team feels like they can capture something that perhaps didn’t show up last year,” Getz said.

Cincinnati is an interesting potential trade partner because the Reds also have a lot of high-ceiling younger players coming off disappointing 2024 seasons.  The Reds went 82-80 in 2023 and went into last season looking to make a step forward into contention, but instead fell back to 77 wins because Elly De La Cruz and Tyler Stephenson were basically the only members of the team’s younger core that met expectations.  Whether due to injuries or just plain under-performance, players like Matt McLain, Spencer Steer, Noelvi Marte, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand now head into the coming season with plenty left to prove about their building-block status.

Speculatively, working out a trade package involving Robert and at least one of these players could help offset some of the concerns the Reds might have about Robert’s long-term health.  Granted, Getz isn’t likely to sell low on Robert unless he absolutely has to, but taking on a player in a trade package that is also a bit of a question mark doesn’t seem like an unreasonable approach on the Reds’ part.  Just as Getz can argue that Robert’s underlying talent is the key factor in trade talks, Cincinnati might take that same argument in regards to any of its potential trade chips.

The outfield is known to be a target area for the Reds, and Robert would address that need in a big way.  With Robert stepping in as new regular center fielder, TJ Friedl could be shifted to left field, if Steer is subsequently moved back to the infield.  There are plenty of ways manager Terry Francona could juggle his lineup around Robert as one of the everyday cornerstones, and if another injury did arise, Friedl, Will Benson, or Stuart Fairchild would presumably still be on hand to step back into center field.

Part of Robert’s trade value is tied to his contract, which is a bargain if the outfielder is as healthy and productive as he was in his All-Star 2023 season.  Robert is set to earn $15MM in 2025, and the White Sox have a pair of $20MM club options (with $2MM buyouts) for both the 2026 and 2027 seasons.  While not huge money by superstar standards, the Reds’ trade efforts could be complicated if the team is indeed operating within very limited payroll parameters.

Ownership might be willing to allot more money to the Reds’ payroll in the special circumstance of a Robert trade coming to fruition, or another creative answer could be explored.  From Chicago’s perspective, Getz is open to ideas, noting that the White Sox have had some talks about three-team trades (presumably involving Robert or Crochet).  “If that’s the best way to acquire the talent for your organization, you do it,” Getz said.

Red Sox Among Teams Interested In James McCann

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Veteran catcher James McCann has received offers from at least four teams, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo writes, and the Red Sox are one of the suitors checking in on the backstop’s services.  McCann has spent the last two seasons with the Orioles, and while Baltimore had shown interest in a potential reunion, the club’s recent signing of Gary Sanchez likely closes that door.

Sanchez is one of many available catchers who have already found new teams, leaving the Sox in a bit of a scramble to address the position.  Speaking with Cotillo and other reporters during the Winter Meetings, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow noted simply that “there were more teams in need of catching than there were available catchers.  That was the demographic that moved really, really quickly.”

Boston’s need is less glaring than most clubs, as the Red Sox are specifically looking for what Breslow described as “the right complement and right backup” for Connor Wong.  McCann and Wong are both right-handed hitters, though manager Alex Cora downplayed hitting balance as less important than strong defense.  This might not ideally fit McCann either, as Statcast’s metrics were particularly down on his overall defense in 2024, and a little mixed in general throughout his career.

A pair of strong seasons with the White Sox in 2019-20 lined McCann up to score a four-year, $40.6MM contract from the Mets during the 2020-21 offseason.  Unfortunately, McCann’s hitting numbers tumbled in the aftermath of the signing, and the Mets then dealt him to the Orioles in December 2022 with New York eating the majority of McCann’s remaining salary.  McCann hit only .228/.274/.382 in 459 PA and 134 games with the O’s over the last two seasons, but his ability to handle a bit more than just a backup’s share of catching duties allowed Baltimore extra flexibility in keeping Adley Rutschman’s bat in the lineup as a designated hitter.

Angels Interested In Gleyber Torres

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Free agent second baseman Gleyber Torres is getting attention from multiple teams, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports (X link), with the Angels cited as a new suitor.  The Blue Jays were also mentioned, and while Toronto’s interest in Torres dates back to early November, Morosi’s report today was published before the Jays seemingly addressed their second base position by acquiring Andres Gimenez.

An inconsistent 2024 season left Torres with a .257/.330/.378 slash line over 665 plate appearances in his walk year, as well as 15 home runs for the pennant-winning Yankees.  This works out to a 104 wRC+ that is slightly above league-average offensive production, but also a step down from the 118 wRC+ that Torres posted over the 2022-23 seasons.  Torres’ 35.4% hard-hit ball rate and 6.3% barrel rate were both career-lows of a full season, and he saw his strikeout rate drop back to average-ish career norms after a great year of avoiding swings and misses in 2023.

This doesn’t tell the full story of Torres’ 2024 campaign, however, as his numbers were diminished by an ugly early-season slump that cost him the leadoff spot in the Yankees’ lineup.  Getting regularly slotted back into the leadoff spot in mid-August seemed to restore Torres’ confidence — he hit .236/.309/.349 in his first 481 PA, but .313/.386/.454 in 184 PA from August 16 until the end of the season.  Torres continued to hit well during the ALDS and ALCS before the Dodgers’ pitching cooled off his bat during the World Series.

Finishing strong gives Torres some level of momentum heading into free agency, but clubs must have some natural concerns over the dropoff in Torres’ power.  Home run pop and a decent walk rate are Torres’ bread and butter, as public defensive metrics have graded his second-base glovework as subpar across the board in each of the last two seasons.

On the plus side, Torres is still only a couple of days short of his 28th birthday.  A case can be made that a change of scenery might be beneficial, as Torres was often a target of fan criticism during his up-and-down seven-season run in the Bronx.  Moving from New York to Los Angeles would technically be a lateral move in terms of market size, but obviously the Angels have a much lower profile, as the team is mired in a string of nine straight losing seasons and is playing second fiddle to the Dodgers within the area.

MLBTR ranked Torres 20th on our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents, with a very fluid projection of a two-year, $36MM deal.  It is easy to imagine Torres taking even a one-year deal with the intention of testing the market again after a strong 2025 season, or he might prefer to lock in the security of a longer-term contract if such an offer is on the table.  The free agent market for second basemen isn’t exactly deep, plus second base-needy teams like the Blue Jays (with Gimenez), Giants (by signing Willy Adames and moving Tyler Fitzgerald to second base), Royals (Jonathan India), and Rockies (Thairo Estrada) have already addressed the position in other ways.  A reunion with the Yankees has never seemed likely.

Luis Rengifo is penciled in as the Angels’ top second base option at the moment, but Rengifo’s versatility would allow him to be deployed in plenty of other ways if Los Angeles brought Torres into the fold.  Rengifo could play shortstop until Zach Neto is healthy, or get more work at third base given the Angels’ willingness to either move Anthony Rendon to other positions or perhaps reduce Rendon’s playing time entirely.

Despite the questions that exist about Torres’ bat, it still feels like he would help an Angels lineup that was one of the worst in baseball in 2024.  The Halos have been aggressive in trying to upgrade their roster this winter, already bolstering the lineup with Jorge Soler and Travis d’Arnaud and bringing Yusei Kikuchi and Kyle Hendricks into the rotation.  Owner Arte Moreno has traditionally been wary about the luxury tax threshold, but RosterResource’s estimate of a current $207.1MM tax number still leaves L.A. with plenty of room for more additions before approaching the $241MM tax line.

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