Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Poll: Would You Rather Have Kyle Schwarber Or Pete Alonso?

By | at

This year’s Winter Meetings were highlighted by two of the game’s premier sluggers signing two of the offseason’s biggest contracts so far: Kyle Schwarber re-upped with the Phillies for five years and $150MM, while Pete Alonso signed on with the Orioles for five years and $155MM. With such remarkably similar contracts and roles to play in the lineup, it’s fair to wonder which player would be better to roster in a vacuum.

Schwarber’s case is obvious, given that he’s coming off a career year where he bashed 56 home runs and finished second in NL MVP voting. Schwarber turned in a brilliant .240/.365/.563 (152 wRC+) slash line for the Phillies this year while playing in all 162 games. In addition to his massive home run total, the slugger added 23 doubles, 2 triples, and even managed to chip in ten stolen bases. That was good enough for 4.9 fWAR and 4.7 bWAR, an incredibly impressive total for a DH who fielded just 66 innings this year.

Alonso’s offensive numbers, while certainly strong, weren’t quite as impressive. The slugger hit .272/.347/.524 with a wRC+ of 141 while also playing 162 games for the Mets. While he hit “just” 38 home runs to Schwarber’s 56, he did manage to swat 41 doubles as well. His contributions on the bases were minimal, but he did play the field in 160 of his 162 games as the Mets’ everyday first baseman. Alonso’s 3.6 fWAR and 3.4 bWAR don’t quite measure up to Schwarber’s gaudy total, but his ability to play a defensive position on a regular basis did free up the DH slot in the lineup to allow the Mets the opportunity to rest their regulars and roster valuable pieces with defensive limitations like Starling Marte.

Digging in a little deeper, the comparison gets even more interesting. Advanced metrics indicate an even smaller gap between Schwarber and Alonso in terms of offense than the raw production does, as Schwarber’s .402 xwOBA eclipses Alonso’s .385 by just 17 points. On the other hand, Alonso benefited from a career-high .305 BABIP in 2025, while Schwarber’s own .253 figure was actually below his career norms. Schwarber’s time in Philadelphia has seen him produce a 133 wRC+ that’s almost a perfect match for Alonso’s own 131 wRC+ over the past four years, and while Alonso is two years younger than Schwarber, he also lacks some of the elite power projection that Schwarber offers. Schwarber’s incredible 54.2% hard-hit rate over the past five years trails only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, while Alonso’s 46.7% figure falls more in line with players a cut below that tier like Ryan McMahon and Max Muncy.

A look at how both players performed in the market would suggest that teams certainly value them similarly. The pair got the same number of years. Alonso signed for an additional $5MM in terms of total guarantee but Schwarber appeared to have a more robust market in terms of total suitors. The Pirates, Reds, and Orioles themselves were all known to have made offers of $120MM or more to Schwarber, with plenty of other teams such as the Mets, Giants and Red Sox rumored to be interested as well. Alonso, by contrast, saw his known suitors mostly limited to the Mets, Red Sox, and perhaps the Cubs in addition to the Orioles. Perhaps more teams simply had an opening at DH than at first base, but it’s also fair to wonder if more teams simply saw Schwarber as a game-changing talent.

Even if that’s true, however, Alonso’s ability to field a position at a competent (if below average) level on a regular basis and his relative youth would certainly be strong arguments in his favor. Schwarber will play the final year of his contract at the age of 37 and few players project well that late into their careers. Perhaps Schwarber’s elite and unique power capacity could make him an exception in the same vein as other great slugging DH-only bats like David Ortiz and Nelson Cruz, but that’s a much bolder gamble to make than expecting Alonso to remain productive through his 35th birthday.

How do MLBTR readers value the two sluggers? If your team had openings at both first base and DH, which one would you rather have installed in your lineup for the next five seasons? Have your say in the poll below:

The Opener: Alonso, Signings, Relief Market

By | at

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:

1. Alonso’s introductory press conference:

The Orioles are holding an introductory press conference for newly-minted first baseman Pete Alonso today at 4pm local time in Baltimore. Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias, principal owner David Rubenstein, and agent Scott Boras will be on hand to give statements and take questions alongside Alonso. The presser should offer some insight into  Alonso’s free agency and departure from the Mets, as well as the Orioles’ future plans — both this offseason and in the longer term.

2. Signings to be made official:

With this year’s Winter Meetings now in the rearview mirror, there’s a number of reported signings that have yet to be made official. Agreements between outfielder Lane Thomas and the Royals, reliever Mark Leiter Jr. and the Athletics, left-hander Hoby Milner and the Cubs, lefty Steven Matz and the Rays, right-hander Michael Soroka and the D-backs, closer Kyle Finnegan and the Tigers, and southpaw Gregory Soto and the Pirates have yet to be finalized and formally announced. Most notably, the Dodgers have yet to announce their signing of Edwin Diaz.

Most of those teams have spots available on their 40-man roster, so making the signing official is little more than a formality. For the Diamondbacks, Rays, and Tigers, however, their full rosters mean a corresponding move will be necessary in order for each club to finalize their respective additions. That will likely come by designating a player for assignment, though it’s also possible that those clubs could look to work out a minor trade to clear 40-man space.

3. Top relief options dwindling:

Right-hander Robert Suarez came off the board yesterday when he signed in Atlanta, and in doing so he joined Diaz, Devin Williams, Raisel Iglesias, Ryan Helsley and Kyle Finnegan as established closers who have already found a home this winter. That leaves the pickings as relatively slim for clubs interested in adding to the back of their bullpen at this point. Right-hander Brad Keller, who emerged as an outstanding setup man and part-time closer for the Cubs this past year, longtime Rays closer Pete Fairbanks, veteran submariner Tyler Rogers, and former Yankees righty Luke Weaver are among the top remaining arms on the market. Who will be next to sign?

Athletics To Sign Mark Leiter Jr.

By | at

The Athletics have reportedly reached an agreement with right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. on a one-year, $2.85MM contract. The signing is still pending a physical. Leiter is a client of VC Sports Group.

Leiter, 35 in March, made his big league debut back in 2017 but didn’t fully establish himself at the big league level until joining the Cubs in 2022. He served as a swing man and long reliever for Chicago that year, with a 3.99 in 67 2/3 innings of work in that role, but moved to a short relief role full-time in 2023. In 100 2/3 innings of work for the Cubs over the next two seasons, Leiter pitched to a 3.75 ERA with a 3.12 FIP while striking out 30.9% of his opponents and walking 8.8%.

Those exciting peripherals were enough to convince the Yankees to swing a trade for the right-hander at the 2024 trade deadline, but he struggled in New York even as his peripheral numbers remained strong. In 70 innings of work for the Yankees over parts of two seasons with the club, Leiter posted a 4.89 ERA despite a 4.07 FIP. In 2025, Leiter struck out 24.7% against a 7.8% walk rate while generating grounders on 45.5% of his batted balls allowed. Unfortunately for the righty, the results weren’t there enough for the Yankees to tender him a contract last month, and he wound up reaching free agency a year earlier than anticipated.

Headed into 2026, the A’s can expect Leiter to be a solid middle relief arm at least. His 4.15 ERA over the past four seasons is exactly league average (100) by ERA+, and the right-hander’s impressive splitter actually makes him particularly effective against left-handed batters. In 104 2/3 innings of work against lefties the last three years, Leiter has posted a 2.49 ERA and 2.57 FIP with a 32.1% strikeout rate. With league average results overall and elite numbers against lefties, Leiter has a much higher floor than a typical non-tendered middle relief arm, which is surely why he was able to command a solid guarantee even coming off a tough year in New York.

Leiter hasn’t managed to play up to his peripherals throughout his career, but if he can do so he could wind up a valuable setup man for the A’s this year. The righty’s 3.13 SIERA over the past three seasons ranks 13th among relievers with at least 150 innings of work since the start of the 2023 season, and that puts him on a similar level to well-regarded late-inning arms like Luke Weaver. Leiter’s .359 BABIP and 66.5% strand rate over the past two years indicate extremely poor fortune when it comes to batted balls and sequencing; if those numbers experience enough positive regression to get within spitting distance of league average, Leiter’s a good bet to be impactful at the back of the A’s bullpen next year.

It’s been a quiet offseason for the A’s so far, though there’s certain reasons for optimism regarding the club’s future. Nick Kurtz emerged as a potential superstar this year, and he’s backed by a core of exciting positional talent like Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers, Jacob Wilson, and Lawrence Butler. The club’s pitching staff needs plenty of work if the team is going to contend in 2026, but adding Leiter to a bullpen that already houses respectable arms like Hogan Harris and Michael Kelly should be a small step towards accomplishing that goal. Jeffrey Springs and Luis Severino remain in the fold as solid back-of-the-rotation veterans, though it remains to be seen how much A’s ownership is willing to spend in order to augment that group. Whether the A’s are facing significant budget constraints or not, however, bringing Leiter into the fold as a reliever with possible late-inning upside on a relative bargain can only be a good thing for the club.

Robbie Hyde of Foul Territory first reported the agreement. Janie McCauley of The Associated Press reported the $2.85MM guarantee, after ESPN’s Jesse Rogers first noted it would close to $3MM.

Forst: “We’ve Made Offers” In Extension Talks With Young Core

By | at

It’s been a relatively quiet offseason for the A’s so far, today’s one-year deal with non-tendered right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. notwithstanding. While there hasn’t been much hot stove buzz about the team yet this winter, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com relayed comments from GM David Forst where he made clear that the club has opened extension talks with a number of the club’s players. “Without naming anyone, we’ve made offers,” Forst said. “We’re having conversations here. I’m hopeful we’ll make progress.”

While Forst declined to get into specific extension targets, Gallegos notes that AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz and runner-up Jacob Wilson as well as catcher Shea Langeliers and slugger Tyler Soderstrom all make up the young core that the team is hoping to work out extensions with. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the A’s have made offers to all four of those players, or even plan to do so, but it does seem reasonable to expect that the team is having conversations with at least some of these names.

Trying to lock up young talent is a sensible approach for the A’s at this point. 2025 was a disappointing year for the A’s in some ways, as they finished with a meager 76-86 record. On the other hand, however, Wilson and especially Kurtz emerged as impact talents while the team played to an impressive 35-29 record after the All-Star break. That’s a nearly 89-win pace if maintained over a full season, which provides some hope that the team will be able to put together a stronger season in 2026 and get themselves into the playoff conversation despite a highly competitive AL West division.

Whether the club can break through to that next level and become true contenders or not, however, the A’s need to be building something. With a ballpark in Las Vegas under construction and an anticipated move-in date of the 2028 season, the team is clearly hoping to put itself in the best position possible to entice would-be fans into following the team once they arrive in their new home. Solidifying long-term deals with established players has been a big part of the team’s strategy so far, with contracts for Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler already on the books.

All four of the players mentioned above are already under team control through the start of the A’s anticipated time in Las Vegas. Assuming the A’s do move into their new ballpark for the 2028 campaign, Langeliers would spend one season in Nevada before reaching free agency while Soderstrom would spend two. Both Wilson and Kurtz would spend three years there before reaching free agency during the 2030-31 offseason. With so many of the team’s core pieces set to come off the books within their first few seasons in Las Vegas, it might be easier to convince fans in Las Vegas to adopt the A’s as their new favorite team if at least one or two of those big names were to sign extensions that would reliably keep them in town for a half-decade or longer.

While signing these young players to extensions might sound like an obvious call to make on paper, it wouldn’t be a shock if those deals proved too costly. The A’s have typically been among the lowest-spending teams in MLB under John Fisher’s ownership and the biggest deal in franchise history is Luis Severino’s $67MM guarantee. While they started to spend more last winter with some suggestions of increasing payroll as they get closer to their move to Las Vegas, it’s anyone’s guess whether the club would actually offer what it would take to get some of these impact players locked up for the long term.

The last first baseman to sign an extension (according to MLBTR’s Contract Tracker) with between one and two years of service time was Anthony Rizzo back in 2013. With over a decade of inflation, Kurtz should easily clear that $40.5MM guarantee. The mega deals signed by players like Roman Anthony ($130MM), Jackson Merrill ($135MM), Corbin Carroll ($111MM), and Julio Rodriguez ($210MM) are in an entirely different stratosphere, as all of those players provide additional defensive value as outfielders capable of handling center. Yordan Alvarez’s $115MM deal is perhaps somewhat applicable. He wasn’t a first baseman but was a designated hitter/left fielder with big offensive potential. He was closer to free agency than Kurtz is now but still hadn’t qualified for arbitration.

The other three extension candidates surely would not be as expensive as Kurtz to extend, though a deal for Langeliers that rivals the $73MM extension Sean Murphy signed in Atlanta (not to mention Cal Raleigh’s nine-figure pact in Seattle) would still constitute unprecedented spending under Fisher. The $63.5MM extension shortstop Ezequiel Tovar signed with the Rockies could be a viable benchmark for a deal with Wilson that would fall more realistically in the A’s price range, though, and it’s fair to suggest that Soderstrom might be the most affordable of the quartet given his lack of a certain defensive position and less impactful track record on offense as compared to Kurtz. That should leave the A’s with some viable extension candidates even if the club isn’t willing to break new ground in terms of spending, though for a star-caliber player to extend with the team, they could be looking for assurances that the organization would continue to build around them once they arrive in Las Vegas in order to field a consistent competitor.

Nico Hoerner Drawing Trade Interest

By | at

Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner has come up in trade conversations, according to a report from Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. The report emphasizes that while president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer gauges the market value of virtually every player on the roster during the offseason, that shouldn’t be taken as an indication the Cubs intend to move Hoerner.

It’s easy to see why teams would be asking after the 28-year-old. Hoerner is coming off a career year where he won his second career Gold Glove for his defense at second base while slashing .297/.345/.394 (109 wRC+) with 40 extra-base hits and 29 steals in 156 games. He struck out at a career-best 7.6% clip while walking 6.0% of the time. Only Luis Arraez (3.1%) and Jacob Wilson (7.5%) struck out less often among qualified hitters, and that trio was joined by Steven Kwan and Caleb Durbin to make up the full list of batters to strike out less than 10% of the time in 2025.

That contact-oriented offense combined with arguably the best defense in the sport at second base, creates a consistent four-to-five win package according to Fangraphs. Over the past four seasons, Hoerner has posted a 105 wRC+. His 123 stolen bases are the fifth-highest total in the majors over that time, and his 17.5 fWAR ranks 18th, tied with Alex Bregman. That’s the sort of player that virtually any team with a hole at second base would like to add, and Hoerner’s $12MM salary for the 2026 campaign is entirely affordable as well for even smaller market clubs. While Hoerner has played second base in deference to Dansby Swanson during the latter’s years in Chicago, he served as the club’s everyday shortstop in 2022 with elite fielding metrics and could surely provide plus defense at the position again if needed.

Speculatively speaking, teams like the Braves, Yankees, and Red Sox would all surely love to bring Hoerner into the fold ahead of his final season before free agency, but it would be surprising to see the Cubs actually deal their star infielder. Hoerner was a key piece of the team that took the Cubs back to the playoffs for the first time in half a decade last year, and the club could be better off simply holding onto him with the hope of either working out an extension before free agency or making him a qualifying offer next winter. After all, the Cubs have no clear internal option to replace Hoerner at the keystone. Jefferson Rojas is the club’s top infield prospect, but the 20-year-old struggled badly in 39 games at Double-A last year and isn’t likely to be ready for the majors in 2026.

Perhaps dealing Hoerner could become a more serious consideration if the club’s rumored interest adding help at third base were to come to fruition. The Cubs have been connected to both Alex Bregman and Eugenio Suarez this winter, and signing one of them would displace Matt Shaw at third base. Shaw, of course, was worth just 1.5 fWAR with a 93 wRC+ last year. That’s hardly a player who needs to be in the lineup on an everyday basis, but Hoyer offered Shaw a vote of confidence earlier this week that would suggest he remains a key part of the club’s plans for 2026. If the Cubs were to add Bregman or Suarez at the hot corner, trading Hoerner and installing Shaw at second base might be the easiest way to keep Shaw in the lineup on a regular basis.

With that being said, Shaw could also simply back up the rest of the infield while splitting time at DH with Moises Ballesteros and Owen Caissie, serving as a right-handed complement to those big lefty bats. Even if an addition at third base happens, it certainly wouldn’t indicate that the Cubs would need to trade Hoerner. On the other hand, doing so could provide an alternative pathway to bringing in rotation help this winter if Chicago finds itself unable to lure in one of the top starters available in free agency. The Cubs have made no secret of their desire to bolster the club’s rotation this winter, and reuniting with Shota Imanaga after he accepted a qualifying offer won’t be enough.

The Opener: Mets, Orioles, Rotation Market

By | at

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Mets turn the page on an era:

The departures of Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso during the Winter Meetings, in conjunction with last month’s trade of Brandon Nimmo, mean that three of the Mets’ longest-tenured players will all play elsewhere in 2026. President of baseball operations David Stearns was already facing plenty of pressure this winter to improve the roster after a disappointing year where his club missed the postseason in Juan Soto’s first season on the roster. With Diaz and Alonso officially out of the organization, that pressure is rising even more.

How will the Mets respond to those losses? A pursuit of Munetaka Murakami or Kazuma Okamoto could make some sense to replace Alonso at first base, and Robert Suarez remains a logical replacement for Diaz (alongside Devin Williams) in the ninth inning next year. Those replacements won’t be enough by themselves, however. New York remains in desperate need of help in the outfield and continues to look for help at the front of their rotation. Bringing in a top free agent like Kyle Tucker in the outfield or Tatsuya Imai in the rotation would surely help fans in Queens get over the losses of franchise stalwarts like Alonso this winter.

2. What’s next for the Orioles?

On the other side of the coin, fans in Baltimore were jubilant as their club finally made the big splash they’ve been hoping to see for years. With Alonso now in the fold for the next five seasons, the Orioles seem unlikely to take their foot off the gas just yet. They remain involved in the market for high-end rotation pieces, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see them add someone like Framber Valdez to the front of their rotation in free agency alongside Alonso. Of course, the free agent market isn’t the only avenue for improvement available. The addition of Alonso displaces Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle on the team’s depth chart, and Mayo in particular could be the sort of high-end trade chip who makes landing a top starter in trade like Edward Cabrera or MacKenzie Gore (both of whom Baltimore has been connected to this winter) all the more feasible. What’s the next move for president of baseball operations Mike Elias?

3. When will the dam break in the rotation market?

For all the activity in and around this year’s winter meetings, things have remained quiet on the rotation front this winter. The market for relievers has been bustling all winter, with only a handful of the top closing options still available. The market for position players has been slower, but hitters did start to come off the board after Kyle Schwarber re-upped in Philadelphia, with Alonso and Mike Yastrzemski both signing yesterday. Every top free agent starter remains on the market besides Dylan Cease, however, and the trade market has seen no movement outside of the Red Sox adding Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo.

Will things get moving in the coming days? It’s certainly possible. This week’s meetings surely hosted a number of important conversations between buyers and sellers on the trade markets, giving teams like the Mets, Orioles, and Cubs a better idea of which starters could actually be attainable for them while allowing sellers like the Marlins and Nationals to see which teams might come closest to their asking prices. In free agency, meanwhile, some reporting has indicated that Imai will begin visiting teams now that the Winter Meetings have come to a close with an eye towards signing before the holidays. Given that Imai’s posting window closes on January 2, the right-hander’s free agency could potentially serve as a catalyst that kicks the larger market for starting pitching into gear.

The Opener: Rule 5 Draft, Polanco, Relief Market

By | at

As the Winter Meetings continue, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Rule 5 Draft today:

Baseball’s annual Rule 5 Draft is scheduled to take place at 1pm CT this afternoon. International players and high school draft picks who signed in 2020 and college draft picks signed in 2021 who have not yet been added to their club’s 40-man roster are vulnerable in today’s draft, where any club can select them for a $100K fee. If the player does not stick on their new club’s 26-man roster for the entire season, he must be offered back to his original club for $50K. Teams must have open space on their 40-man roster to select a player in the draft, meaning the Twins, Orioles, Braves, Rays, and Diamondbacks would each need to clear space on their 40-man roster before the draft begins in order to participate.

Players selected in the Rule 5 draft occasionally go on to impact their team in the future, as free agent outfielder Anthony Santander famously did following his selection in the 2016 Rule 5 Draft. 2025’s draft saw White Sox right-hander Shane Smith and Marlins catcher Liam Hicks stick with the clubs that drafted them on the 26-man roster through the entire year, while right-hander Mike Vasil was claimed off waivers by the White Sox and remained in Chicago for the whole year as well. Smith, in particular, is noteworthy for earning an All-Star appearance and down-ballot consideration in AL Rookie of the Year voting thanks to his 3.81 ERA in 29 starts for Chicago. Will a similarly valuable diamond in the rough be unearthed today?

2. Could the Pirates pivot to Polanco?

The Pirates were among the teams most aggressive in pursuing slugger Kyle Schwarber, but after he turned down the club’s four-year, $120MM offer they could still look to reallocate at least some of those resources to other pursuits in their efforts to upgrade the offense. Pittsburgh has been connected to infielder Jorge Polanco in the past, and Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reported yesterday that the Pirates were expected to put an offer on the table for the switch hitter’s services soon. Will Polanco be the big free agent fish Ben Cherington’s front office has been working to land, or will they end up looking elsewhere for offensive talent to support Paul Skenes and the rest of their excellent rotation?

3. Relief market buzzing:

The market for relievers has been the busiest part of free agency so far this winter, and yesterday was no exception as Edwin Diaz landed with the Dodgers on a three-year agreement. Diaz wasn’t the only significant name to come off the market yesterday either, as the Pirates signed southpaw Gregory Soto to a one-year deal and the Tigers re-upped with Kyle Finnegan on a two-year pact. That takes three more late-inning arms off the market and leaves the teams still in the market for top relievers running low on options. Robert Suarez is now the best option on the market and is drawing interest from a pair of new suitors, but he’s hardly the only interesting option available. Brad Keller, Luke Weaver, Tyler Rogers, Seranthony Dominguez, and Pete Fairbanks are all also still available after landing on MLBTR’s Top 50 MLB Free Agents list. Who will be the next to sign?

Astros Receiving “Minimal” Interest In Christian Walker

By | at

The Astros kicked off the offseason by downplaying the idea that they would consider dealing away either third baseman Isaac Paredes or first baseman Christian Walker to clear the infield logjam the summer’s Carlos Correa trade created, but more recent reporting has suggested at least some discussions involving Paredes with the Red Sox. Chandler Rome of The Athletic discussed situation in Houston with more detail yesterday, noting that the club’s plans to use Yordan Alvarez as a regular DH and Jose Altuve at second base more frequently in 2026 leave the club with limited options to squeeze both Paredes and Walker into the lineup on a regular basis. That would seemingly indicate that a trade is likely to be in the cards, but Rome added that the club has received little interest in Walker’s services this winter.

That’s not exactly shocking news, given the lackluster inaugural season Walker put together with the Astros. In 154 games with Houston, Walker slashed just .238/.297/.421 with a wRC+ of 99 and 1.1 fWAR. The season wasn’t all bad, as Walker did hit .250/.312/.488 after the All-Star break. That second half performance saw him swat 15 homers in 263 plate appearances and post a 120 wRC+ that was exactly in line with what he had done in Arizona from 2022-24, offering some reason for optimism headed into the veteran’s age-35 season in 2026.

Even with that optimism, however, it’s easy to see why rival clubs wouldn’t be especially excited about taking on the final two years and $40MM owed to an aging first baseman who posted numbers just a tick below league average last year alongside his highest strikeout rate and lowest walk rate since becoming an MLB regular. Walker’s declining discipline would surely make it hard for the Astros to get a significant return for his services, which could leave the team better off hoping for a return to form and instead listening to offers on Paredes.

That would be a real blow to the team’s lineup, as Paredes delivered a .254/.352/.458 (128 wRC+) performance in 102 games before being sidelined by a hamstring injury shortly before the trade deadline. Losing that sort of offensive impact from a lineup that posted a pedestrian wRC+ of 100 last year would be difficult, but a healthy season from Alvarez would surely help to make up for the loss of Paredes even if quality regulars like Walker, Correa, and Altuve don’t bounce back. That could make a trade that ships out Paredes in exchange for pitching help sensible for the Astros, especially given the team’s logjam around the infield.

With star shortstop Jeremy Pena just two seasons from free agency and the market for quality shortstops this winter extremely thin, there’s been some speculation about his own availability in trades. While a trade of Pena could allow Correa to slide back to shortstop while Paredes reclaims his native third base, Rome reports that GM Dana Brown firmly shut that notion down. When asked if he was discussing Pena in trade talks, Brown was emphatic in his denial.

“No,” Brown said, as relayed by Rome. “His name has not come up and I think teams understand if you’re a winning team and you’re trying to go back to the postseason, there’s no way you can trade your starting shortstop.”

The team’s apparent plans leave increasingly limited options for the team to keep both first base options in the fold, and Rome suggests that Paredes learning left field could be the only way to fit both Paredes and Walker in the lineup on a regular basis next year. That assumes Alvarez will be an everyday DH and Altuve will return to second base on a regular basis, as comments from Brown and manager Joe Espada have suggested. That would leave room for occasional starts for Paredes at second base or DH on days off or during rare cameos for either player in left field, but it hardly seems likely to be a significant number of at-bats.

Rome’s suggestion of Paredes trying left field comes with real obstacles. The 26-year-old has zero experience anywhere in the outfield as a professional, which makes the possibility of a move to left seem fairly remote. Altuve had never played the outfield prior to picking up the position last spring, but moving to the outfield could come with additional considerations for Paredes so soon after a major hamstring injury. Perhaps playing time could be juggled between six players for five spots in the lineup even without Paredes spending time in left, though Rome noted that the players themselves might not be content with being asked to sit regularly.

Turning back to Walker, if the Astros were motivated to move him Rome suggests that he’s not unmovable. Walker’s track record, veteran presence, and strong second half were surely be enough to find a take for his services on the trade market in at least some capacity, though Houston would surely have to eat a chunk of his salary and/or accept a fairly minimal return in order to facilitate that sort of deal. The Red Sox, Mets, Yankees, Marlins, Diamondbacks, and Padres are among the teams who could theoretically use help at first base this winter, though many of those clubs may prefer their internal options to swinging a trade for Walker.

Padres Not Inclined To Trade High Leverage Relievers

By | at

The Padres are getting calls on their high leverage relievers, according to to a report from Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune yesterday afternoon. Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada, and David Morgan have all drawn interest from rival clubs, per Acee, though the report emphasizes that while the Padres have fielded calls on those players they aren’t inclined to move anyone from that group.

“There’s a lot of teams (from which) we have taken incoming calls,” president of baseball operations AJ Preller told reporters, as relayed by Acee. “…It’s nice when people are calling you, and they have interest in your players. At least then, you have some options. But I think the focus has been on the starting pitching and how do we fill that without taking away from the bullpen or from the lineup.”

Preller went on to double down on his desire to keep his team’s elite bullpen together.

“Anytime you have multiple people in one spot, you at least can listen to those types of conversations,” Preller said, per Acee. “But it’s not easy to find impact players, so you don’t take that for granted. And we have a lot of performers in our pen that have been impactful here the last couple years. It’s probably been why we’ve been in the playoffs the last few years. There’s a lot of reasons, but that’s been a big one. … So we don’t take that lightly. It’s not like, ‘Hey, we have a lot of really good pitchers, so we can afford to kind of take our level down in the bullpen.’”

That’s an understandable stance to take. San Diego had MLB’s best bullpen by ERA, xERA, and fWAR in 2025. Granted, that’s with Robert Suarez in the fold, but it also only accounts for half a season of Miller’s impact. While trading from that strength could make some sense to improve a rotation that’s losing Dylan Cease and Michael King, it’s worth remembering that none of the team’s top relievers has an especially high salary; Estrada and Morgan will play next year on a pre-arbitration salary, while Morejon and Miller are projected to make a combined $7MM total via arbitration in 2026 by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. With such negligible salaries, trading any of that quartet wouldn’t open up the sort of payroll space necessary to land an impactful starter.

Reluctant as the club may be to trade from its bullpen, the Padres do find themselves in a bind at this point. Acee notes that San Diego needs to add at least two starters this offseason to replace King and Cease, and the club is known to be planning to spend at a similar level to last year. Perhaps the team’s reported willingness to move players making more significant salaries like Jake Cronenworth and Nick Pivetta will allow them to shed the sort of salary needed to add a starter or two in free agency.

Failing that, however, it’s not inconceivable that the Padres could trade a reliever for a starter. The Marlins notably have starting pitchers (including Edward Cabrera and former Padre Ryan Weathers) that they’re willing to trade this winter, and are known to be in the market for a closer this winter. Bringing someone like Morejon or Estrada into the fold as the primary piece of the return for a starter’s services could allow Miami to bring in the closer they’re looking for without having to pay a premium for someone like Suarez or Pete Fairbanks on the open market.

As the Padres look to upgrade their rotation mix, Acee continues to report that Preller’s front office is working on a “blockbuster” trade. Neither the names involved in those discussions nor the other team (or teams) Preller is negotiating with are named, but Acee does emphasize that the Padres will not be trading Fernando Tatis Jr. this winter. While a Tatis trade would clear significant salary off the books and surely bring in a massive return, Tatis has shown himself to be a consistent five-to-six win player when healthy and losing him would be a brutal blow to the Padres’ goal of keeping their competitive window open headed into 2026. Tatis may not be on the move this winter, but Preller’s willingness to get creative and aggressive on the trade market make it impossible to completely rule out a trade involving virtually any other player on the roster or in the farm system.

Braves, Cubs Among Teams Interested In Robert Suarez

By | at

Edwin Diaz came off the market on Tuesday when he signed a three-year deal with the Dodgers earlier today. Now that both he and Devin Williams are off the board, veteran right-hander Robert Suarez stands as the clear top option available on the market for closers this winter. It didn’t take long after Diaz’s deal was reported for MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand to report that Suarez’s market was starting to gain traction. Feinsand highlighted the Mets, Blue Jays, and Braves as the “most aggressive suitors” for the righty’s services. New York and Toronto have both been connected to Suarez already this winter, but Atlanta is a newly-reported suitor. Meanwhile, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR throws the Cubs’ name into the mix as well, reporting that Chicago is exploring the closer market and adding that Suarez is “one of the ideal candidates” for the club.

Suarez, 35 in March, has been an All-Star in back-to-back seasons. He’s sporting a 2.87 ERA and 3.17 FIP with 76 saves in 134 2/3 innings of work across those two campaigns. This year, he struck out 27.9% of his opponents with a 5.9% walk rate, giving him a 21.9% K-BB ratio that ranked 26th among qualified relievers this year. Those excellent numbers are enough to make him one of the league’s top relievers, although the right-hander’s age and imperfect track record (including a middling 2023 season where injury limited him to just 26 appearances) figure to limit the length of his contract somewhat. MLBTR predicted Suarez for a three-year, $48MM deal as the #21 free agent on our Top 50 MLB Free Agents list for the offseason.

That would be a hefty sum for a team like the Braves to pay for a closer when they already have longtime closer Raisel Iglesias in the fold, particularly when Atlanta is also in the market for help at shortstop and in the rotation. With that said, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time the club committed significant dollars to their bullpen. Iglesias, Joe Jimenez and Aaron Bummer are both on significant contracts already, and players like Pierce Johnson and Will Smith have been guaranteed significant dollars by Atlanta in the past.

The Cubs seem like a much clearer fit for Suarez, at least on paper. They’ve lost Brad Keller, Drew Pomeranz, Caleb Thielbar, and Andrew Kittredge from their bullpen this offseason. While they signed Phil Maton last month and Daniel Palencia remains a viable closing option, that’s still a lot of talent to lose from the late-inning relief mix. That makes it unsurprising that Chicago would be in the mix for a player like Suarez, although it’s worth noting that the Cubs have typically shied away from large multi-year commitments to relievers. Maton’s two-year deal is actually the first multi-year guarantee the team has signed a reliever to since Craig Kimbrel back in 2019, but a deal for Suarez would be on another level entirely; his annual salary would surely rival the $14.5MM total guarantee Maton landed.

The Mets and Blue Jays remain as perhaps the most obvious fits for the righty. While New York did bring Williams into the fold, they remained in on Diaz even after that signing. Now that Diaz has settled on Los Angeles, the Mets pivoting towards Suarez to strengthen the back of their bullpen is easy to understand, particularly after Williams delivered inconsistent results in the ninth inning as a member of the Yankees last year. The Jays, meanwhile, have long been known to be in the market for another high leverage reliever to pair with Jeff Hoffman in the late innings.

The number of quality closers on the market is dropping quickly, and if Toronto is hoping to add a high-end reliever with closing experience Suarez is undoubtedly the top option at this point. Keller and Tyler Rogers are alternative impact options still available who lack that ninth inning track record, while closers like Pete Fairbanks and Luke Weaver are still available but are coming off far less impressive seasons than the one Suarez just delivered in San Diego. The Marlins and White Sox are among the other teams known to be involved in the closing market this winter, though it would be a surprise to see either spend aggressively enough to land someone of Suarez’s caliber.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top