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MLB Mailbag: Mets, Red Sox, Murakami, Expansion, Cubs, Tatis

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This week's mailbag gets into the Mets' offseason thus far, Craig Breslow's tenure atop Boston's front office, the Munetaka Murakami situation, how an expansion draft works, the Cubs' anti-deferral policy, Fernando Tatis Jr.'s trade value, and much more.

Ed asks:

I'm finding it hard to understand the Mets thinking. I'm scratching my head about the Marcus Semien/ Brandon Nimmo trade. I asked my friend who's a big Mets fan (his last name is Metz) what he thought and he responded that it depends on what outfielder they replace Nimmo with. I told him that unless they break the bank on Kyle Tucker its not going to be a clear upgrade. I'd say Cody Bellinger is an slight upgrade but after looking at their numbers its amazing how similar Bellinger and Nimmo are offensively and I don't see Cody putting up as good numbers in Citi Field.

Then I heard they are shopping Senga, instead of signing Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez to compliment Senga they are looking to move on all together. Again I think both Framber and Ranger are probably a little better than Senga but if you sign one of them and keep Senga he becomes your # 2 which he is much better suited for.

I believe last year was more of a fluke for Devin Williams than the new norm, but would rather have Diaz, especially since William's problem might have been that he just can't handle the New York limelight. The Mets are now going with Williams as closer unless they resign Diaz and yes it probably closes the door on Diaz unless they want to invest over $100 million on two back end of the bullpen guys.

Just curious what you think of these moves. Do you feel the Mets will be stronger in the OF, Starting and Relief pitching in 2026?

Abner asks:

As a NY Mets fan I would love to see a late innings duo of Edwin Díaz & Devin Williams. But knowing how does David Stearns operate, how realistic is the Mets signing Díaz with Williams already in the fold? Will they look for cheaper options getting a guy like Tyler Rogers and/or Emilio Pagán to be the setup man while Williams is the closer? If they decide to invest heavily in Williams and Díaz, does that mean that they will not invest in an ace for the starting rotation this offseason? Thanks in advance.

On the Nimmo/Semien trade, I agree with Ed's friend.  So far, we've seen a portion of the Mets' offseason puzzle.  It's not close to being complete.

At age 33, Nimmo projects as roughly a 2.5 WAR player next year.  It's true that the free agent market is light on outfielders who are capable of that, beyond Tucker and Bellinger.  But it's also true that 34 MLB outfielders were worth 2.5+ WAR this year, including several few saw coming.  And that doesn't account for platoons that combined for 2.5 WAR-type value.

There's also collapse risk with the 33-year-old Nimmo, who is under contract through 2030.  Let's take a quick look at the last five years and see how many 33-year-old outfielders were worth 2.5+ WAR:

Nimmo's track record is very good, and a projection system is not going to project him to fall off a cliff after a 3-WAR season.  But outfield is a young man's game, and you can see how rare good seasons are at 33+.  With Nimmo, this could be a case of the old adage about trading a player a year too early rather than a year too late.  So I don't mind subtracting a player who probably won't age well, saving some money long-term and bringing in a second baseman with strong defense.  That's not to say Semien doesn't have his own collapse risk at 35, but his speed and defense are holding strong.

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Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

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Steve Adams

  • Good afternoon! Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday. I'll get going at 3pm CT today, but as always, feel free to send in some questions in advance if you prefer!
  • Hey there! We'll get started a few minutes early today

JeDi Mind trick

  • Is Tatis really available? What kind of package from the M’s would it take?

Steve Adams

  • Tatis isn't going to be moved, no. The Padres have payroll concerns, but the idea of them trading Tatis isn't really rooted in much more than wishcasting.Plus, he still has nine years and $286MM to go on his contract. Moving a contract of that size and lining up on younger talent going back to San Diego would be an immense undertaking. And I don't know that the Mariners are looking to add another $250MM+ outfielder alongside Julio.

Next Rangers moves?

  • What are the chances of the Rangers signing Luis Arraez for 3B and getting either Yates or Robertson back to close?

Steve Adams

  • I have seen fans -- Rangers, in particular -- suggest Arraez at second base and third base. I cannot fathom a team playing him regularly at third base, and second is only moderately more likely. If you sign Arraez, just play him at first base.I also doubt Texas is spending that type of one-year money on a reliever, though I suppose maybe Robertson's price isn't all that high after a so-so run in his return to Philly

Cody Ponce should sign with...

  • Plenty of teams need pitching. Cody Ponce is a very interesting name for a variety of teams; especially those that would be more comfortable with handing out shorter term contracts to starters. Given that Ponce appears in line for a contract worth $10M to $14M a year over 3 or 4 years, which teams do you see as being the most aggressive/better fits for him?I could see the Brewers, Orioles, and Giants being the most aggressive for him due to need and cost.

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Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

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Darragh McDonald

  • Hello, everyone.
  • If you are American, I hope you're feeling okay today.
  • If you're not American, I also hope you're feeling okay today, on this unremarkable Friday.
  • Anthony is off for the holidays, so I'm filling in. As always, sorry for the downgrade.
  • I will be back at noon but feel free to drop questions ahead of time.
  • Okay, hello!
  • Already lots of questions in the queue, so let's dive in.

walterj23

  • Which is the most likely going to happen to Cubs 2b Nico Hoerner before the season starts , trade him for other pieces , extend him before the season starts , or simply let him play out his final year of his contract and tag him with a qualifying offer next winter ?

Darragh McDonald

  • I would guess the Cubs just let 2026 play out and see where they're at. A lot could change between now and then. Happ and Suzuki are impending free agents, in addition to Hoerner. What do they have in Matt Shaw? What about Jefferson Rojas? What about Caissie and Alcantara?
  • They can then decide where to put their resources, which could mean re-signing Hoerner or one of the outfielders or something else.

Uke

  • How does upcoming labor stuff affect signings?  Are players more or less likely to sign long term deals?  Are teams more or less likely to sign long term deals?  Or does no one know what it all means?

Darragh McDonald

  • This is a great question.
  • A few weeks ago, I would have guessed that players would not want to be free agents in the 2026-27 offseason. But that doesn't seem to be the case.
  • Bieber and Flaherty both triggered one-year player options when they probably could have got multi-year deals. Four guys accepted the QO. I expected Gleyber but not Shota, Woodruff or Grisham.
  • That's five guys who probably could have got solid multi-year deals and avoided the lockout. Maybe that's small sample noise but it doesn't seem players are scared about being out there next winter.

Bobby Higginson

  • Any chance the Tigers get involved in the top tier of closers?

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The Best Fits For Bo Bichette

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Each offseason at MLBTR, we take a look at the potential markets for some of the top names in free agency. Steve Adams examined which clubs should be in the running for #1 free agent Kyle Tucker earlier this week.

We now move to the consensus #2 hitter in the class, Bo Bichette. The two-time All-Star is coming off a .311/.357/.483 showing with 18 homers across 628 regular season plate appearances. A sprained left knee ended his regular season and cost him the first few rounds of the playoffs. Bichette made it back for the World Series. Despite clearly being limited and having gone a month without the benefit of live at-bats, he came back to hit .348 in the Fall Classic. His towering three-run homer off Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 would have gone down as one of the biggest moments in Toronto sports history if not for the Dodgers' ninth-inning comeback.

Bichette is one of the younger free agents in the class. He'll turn 28 a few weeks before Opening Day. He's a middle infielder who has been a well above-average hitter in all but one season of his career. The lone exception (2024) was a year in which he had three stints on the injured list. He has otherwise posted an OPS above .800 in every season and owns a lifetime .294/.337/.469 slash line. He has twice led the American League in hits and would have done so again this year if not for the knee injury.

The lingering question is how long Bichette can stick at shortstop. He's a below-average runner with middling arm strength who rates as one of the weakest defensive shortstops in MLB. The glove was an issue even before the knee sprain, which could increase some teams' concerns about his lateral quickness even if it's expected to heal without surgery.

The Blue Jays used him at second base in the World Series to limit his defensive workload. Most or all 30 clubs would project him as a second baseman by the end of a long-term deal. There are some for whom he'd only fit as a second baseman already. Bichette hasn't tipped his hand publicly about whether he'd be open to a position change, but that'd create more opportunities that would drum up interest.

Bichette rejected a qualifying offer. A signing team would give up draft compensation and/or international signing bonus space to add him. That's not much of a factor for a free agent of this caliber. MLBTR predicted Bichette to command an eight-year, $208MM contract -- joining Tucker as the only players for whom we're predicting $200MM+ this winter.

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The Best Fits For Kyle Tucker

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Each offseason at MLBTR, we take a look at the potential markets for some of the top names in free agency. In 2025-26, there's no better place to start than with the man who held the top spot on our Free Agent Power Rankings all season and again took home the top spot on our annual Top 50 Free Agent rankings: outfielder Kyle Tucker.

Selected by the Astros with the No. 5 overall pick back in 2015, Tucker has been an impact hitter dating back to the 2019 season. He's slashed a combined .276/.361/.514 in that time (141 wRC+) and hasn't had any individual season that's seen him check in "worse" than 21% better than the average hitter. That came in 2019, his first partial season. Since 2021, Tucker has consistently shown enough pop to hit 30-plus homers. He's reached 25 steals three times along the way and continually upped his walk rate while also cutting his strikeout rate -- so much so that Tucker has walked more often than he's fanned over the past two seasons (15.3% to 15.2%).

Some weird, if not downright fluky injuries have hampered his reputation a bit. Tucker was playing at a full-fledged MVP level in 2024 before fouling a ball into his shin in mid-June. The Astros initially called it a contusion and then a bone bruise. Tucker's stay on the IL lingered for months, much to the chagrin of Houston fans who were perplexed by how the stated injury could take so long to mend. Finally, in September, the Astros revealed that Tucker had actually been diagnosed with a fracture somewhere along the way. It was the sort of vague, puzzling and frustrating injury absence that has become a recurring theme within the Astros organization.

A similar sequence played out in 2025, following Tucker's trade to the Cubs. He was a behemoth in the season's first three months, hitting .291/.396/.537 (157 wRC+) with 17 homers in his first 366 trips to the plate. Tucker fell into a deep slump, and after a couple months it was reported that he'd actually suffered a small fracture in his hand back in June. He played through it. Whether that injury was directly responsible or not, Tucker still "struggled" (by his standards) through July and August, batting a combined .232/.363/.345 (109 wRC+). He suffered a calf strain in early September and only made it back for the season's final three games. Tucker homered in the playoffs and generally hit well through 32 plate appearances.

It's not the sort of massive platform year a top free agent would want, but Tucker has been 43% better than average, by measure of wRC+, dating back to 2021. He's historically been an above-average right fielder. Tucker has made four All-Star teams, won two Silver Slugger Awards and also has a Gold Glove to his credit. When he's healthy, there's nothing he doesn't do well. He'll also hit the market ahead of his age-29 season.

A deal easily topping $400MM might've been the expectation had Tucker stayed healthy and maintained the production he posted through late June. The question now is more about whether he can reach the $400MM mark or whether he'll .... "only" ... come in with a deal in the mid-300s.

We know some of the teams that are going to be pursuing Tucker, but let's run through his likeliest landing spots, based on roster composition and payroll outlook, and see if there are any viable dark horse candidates to bring him aboard.

Known/Likely Suitors (listed alphabetically)

Blue Jays: The Blue Jays will probably prioritize retaining Bo Bichette first and foremost, not wanting to let a popular homegrown star escape when they have ample long-term payroll space. Executives, agents and pundits alike all expect an active winter from Toronto after the Jays came just two outs from winning their first World Series in more than three decades, however.

It sounds crazy, but the Jays probably have the payroll space to add both players long-term. Obviously, that's not a likely scenario, but it wouldn't be all that dissimilar from the Rangers' half-billion dollar spending spree four years ago, when Texas signed Corey Seager ($325MM), Marcus Semien ($175MM) and Jon Gray ($56MM) all in the same offseason.

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Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

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Steve Adams

  • Good afternoon, everyone! Offseason is officially underway and some weird/wildly unexpected things are already happening! (I don't think anyone had "Mets trade Nimmo" on their bingo card, but if you did, kudos to you)
  • We'll get going at 2pm CT, but feel free to send in your questions ahead of time!
  • Good afternoon! Let's get underway!

Texas two step

  • People are posting Texas is in a rebuild, I say no.

Steve Adams

  • No, they're not. Brandon Nimmo said publicly today (this'll be on the site soon) that he wouldn't have waived his no-trade clause to go to a rebuilding team. The Rangers expressly told him this isn't a rebuild and that they're aiming for a swift return to postseason play.

Th Big Hurt

  • If the White Sox do make one of their catchers available who's a team in need of catching and what would return be?

Steve Adams

  • Rays, Nationals, Guardians, Padres, Rangers all come to mind. If they're trading Edgar Quero or (especially) Kyle Teel, the return has to include controllable, MLB-ready starting pitching.I don't think a team is going to give up a ready-made midrotation arm for Quero, given his defensive struggles and the pedestrian output at the plate, though. And it would take a pretty impactful young pitcher for me to really consider parting with Teel.

    I'm not surprised we've seen reports on both young catchers drawing trade interest, but I lean toward it being likelier that the ChiSox just hang onto both.

AZ

  • I’ve noticed in MLBTR articles that when player acquisition is discussed, the front office executive referenced is sometimes the POBO and sometimes the GM. Does that reflect differing duties within each front office or is it more of a name recognition type reason?

Steve Adams

  • We just reference whatever title the team has given him. In most cases, the top decision-maker in a front office now is the president of baseball operations. But some teams still just have "GM" as the top spot (Yankees/Cashman, White Sox/Getz, Pirates/Cherington to name a few)
  • Also have the Red Sox, who are the only org where "chief baseball officer" is the top title. The Twins originally gave that title to Derek Falvey as well way back in 2016, but they retitled him the more conventional POBO title in conjunction with one of his recent extensions.

Redlegs

  • Andrew Abbott and Chase Petty enuf for Soderstrom?

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Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

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Anthony Franco

  • Hey everyone, hope you're well!
  • Going to wrap right at 2:00 Central with the NT deadline but it's still pretty dead right now so we'll get this going a little early

Unclemike1526

  • Players who accept the qualifying offer have some kind of trade protection right? I mean a FA can't be traded for so long after they sign to prevent teams from signing them and trading right? Exactly what are the rules concerning those situations? Thanks

Anthony Franco

  • Yeah this is the same as if the player was a major league free agent who signed an MLB deal. Can't be traded without consent until June 15

A's Fan

  • Do you see any world where the A's could potentially be in the running for a Zac Gallen?  Say they considerably overpay, 5 Years/125 million.

Anthony Franco

  • Yeah I assume that'd get it done. Think it would go pretty badly though
  • I'm already basically out on Gallen. The stuff gets incrementally worse each year, assume the HR rate will continue to climb. He'd be my pick to lead MLB in home runs allowed next season if he signed in that park

Michael

  • I listened to the Podcast, and I feel Tucker is a hard one to predict.  But, it feels like he might be a player the Giants or Angels would seriously consider.  Thoughts?

Anthony Franco

  • Would probably have the Angels a little behind the Jays, Yankees and Giants as likeliest options -- Halos are still a little cluttered in the corner OF and they have so many other needs to address -- but neither would be all that surprising to me

Thompson

  • Final prediction for Jonah Heim and Adolis Garcia?

Anthony Franco

  • I'll go García NT. Heim tendered but traded later in the offseason
  • Hopefully the Rangers at least wait until the end of the chat to prove me wrong haha

Michael

  • Do you see any scenario in which AA is in on Bichette?  Or do you think the Dubón trade ends any other activity at SS for the Braves (Bichette or Kim)?

Anthony Franco

  • Bo would be so out of character for them. I don't see that one. Don't see why Dubón would take them out of the mix on HSK, just offers them cover if the asking price is outlandish
  • I'm not sure the post-surgery version of Kim is all that much better than Dubón frankly, but the league seems to like HSK more than I do

Bruce Stringbean

  • What kind of deals would you expect for Max Kepler and Austin Hays?

Anthony Franco

  • One year each. Around $7M for Kepler and $4-5M for Hays

El Chupacabra

  • Royals need a RH outfielder.  Morel, Fraley, and Bleday were recently DFA’d. Which should they go for?

Anthony Franco

  • Fraley and Bleday are lefty hitters and Morel's barely an outfielder, so if you're looking specifically for a righty bat, none of them
  • I think Fraley's the best player of the group and would be fine if they tossed him $3M as a platoon option in LF

Joe from Milwaukee

  • Jarren Duran for Freddy Peralta straight up. Why says no and why?

Anthony Franco

  • Hmm I see the logic for both but I'd pass if I were Milwaukee
  • Duran has the extra control years obviously but he's already around $8M, so the arb price is probably going to be $10-12M by '27 and above $15M two years from now. It's quickly into "should they listen to offers on Duran" territory for them
  • Obviously they could get something back down the line but the costliest arb years are going to have huge surplus value, and they'll get a pick after the first round in '27 if they hold Peralta all year (barring injury). I'd rather have the more valuable player for the upcoming season at that point

The Mayor

  • Could you see the Tigers adding Harrison Bader to the outfield mix?

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MLB Mailbag: Grayson Rodriguez-Taylor Ward Trade, Qualifying Offers, Duran, Abreu

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This week's mailbag gets into the Grayson Rodriguez-Taylor Ward trade, the four accepted qualifying offers, the trade value of Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu, and much more.

Nick asks:

Hi, what is Mike Elias thinking selling low on Grayson? Ward is a good, not great, hitter, and Rodriguez's ceiling is an ace. You guys have been calling for a Singer-Ward swap and I feel like 4 years of Rodriguez, even with his injuries, would have way more value than one year of Singer.

Zach asks:

For real, what's with trading Grayson Rodriguez?!?

In making this trade, Orioles president of baseball operations and GM Mike Elias made a big bet against Rodriguez.

When the Orioles drafted Rodriguez 11th overall out of high school in 2018, the club was a few months away from replacing Dan Duquette with Elias as the head of baseball operations.  So Elias wasn't involved with that pick, but he is intimately familiar with Rodriguez's career and health history.

Once one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, Rodriguez's injuries began with a 2022 Grade 2 lat strain that cost him three months and pushed back his expected Major League debut.  He was healthy in 2023, had some success in the Majors, and totaled 165 innings - the only time in his career he's topped 117 frames.

Rodriguez missed 19 days with shoulder inflammation in May 2024, and then saw his season end that year on July 31st due to what was initially called a mild lat strain.  No one could've guessed that quality start against the Blue Jays would close the book on Rodriguez's Orioles career before his 25th birthday.

The big righty supposedly entered 2025 without restrictions, and claimed he wasn't hurt when his velocity was down in spring training.  But in March he was diagnosed with elbow inflammation, compounded in April by another "mild lat strain."  It was initially thought Rodriguez would return in the second half, but he experienced elbow discomfort while rehabbing and was shut down.  After multiple opinions were gathered, Rodriguez's 2025 season ended with right elbow debridement surgery on August 11th.

As Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun reported, Elias described Rodriguez's health this way at the end of September: "There’s nothing medically to suggest that he won’t be ready, and he’s very determined and not happy about what happened last year."  Elias expressed some caution but ultimately said, "I am bullish on the situation."  The procedure involved removing bone chips from Rodriguez's elbow.

Rodriguez spoke to reporters yesterday.  Here's an excerpt from Jeff Fletcher of the OC Register:

"Rodriguez said he is “absolutely” confident that he can pitch a full season this year. He said the bone spurs had been an issue for “three or four years,” and he believes that they led to the lat injuries. “Just being able to get those out of there, my arm feels great right now throwing,” Rodriguez said. “There’s really no question for me to be ready for spring training.”"

I'm searching for an explanation why the pitching-needy Orioles would trade a pre-arbitration mid-rotation type starter with 238 2/3 pretty good big league innings to his name and four years of team control remaining for one year of what looks like, at best, a 2.5 WAR outfielder.

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Seven Arbitration Trade Possibilities

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MLBTR published our annual list of non-tender candidates last night. The Astros and Braves already swapped infielders in the Mauricio Dubón/Nick Allen trade with the NT deadline 24 hours away. That indicates both players will be tendered by their new teams but may not have been offered contracts by their original clubs (especially Dubón with Houston).

Essentially everyone who was included on the non-tender list could be a trade candidate. There are a few who are obviously not going to attract any interest at their projected price because of injuries or underperformance (e.g. Nathaniel Lowe, Evan Phillips). Teams could shop any of their more borderline candidates before tomorrow. The Rangers are doing so with Adolis García and Jonah Heim. The Astros would undoubtedly be open to moving on from Jesús Sánchez. Players like Ryan Mountcastle, Jonathan India and Luis García Jr. seem likelier than not to be cut loose if no trade comes together.

They're not the only somewhat costly arbitration-eligible players who could be on the move. There are a few others who didn't strike us at MLBTR as plausible non-tender candidates but wouldn't be especially surprising trade possibilities. These players should have modest surplus value yet still might be better served with a change of scenery or on a team that has more budgetary flexibility to accommodate a mid-level salary. Projected salaries are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

Spencer Steer, Reds 1B ($4.5MM projection, controllable through 2028)

Acquired from the Twins as part of the 2022 Tyler Mahle deadline deal, Steer looked like a building block of the Cincinnati lineup a couple seasons ago. He hit .271/.356/.464 with 37 doubles and 23 home runs in his '23 rookie season. Even with questions about his long-term defensive fit, the bat looked like it'd play.

The numbers have backed up over the past two years. Steer has still reached the 20-homer mark in both seasons, but his rate metrics are down across the board. His batting average has respectively landed at .225 and .238. The on-base percentage has been below .320 in both years. Steer's overall slugging output is also down despite the similar home run tallies. He has hit fewer doubles (21 this season) as his batted ball metrics have regressed.

Steer graded well defensively at first base and was a finalist for the NL Gold Glove award. That's a nice development, but he's still limited to bat-first positions that require him to hit to be productive. He came up as a third baseman but hasn't played there in two years. Steer is athletic enough to play some corner outfield, but his grades out there have been poor. He also played through a shoulder injury this year that impacted his throwing, leading the Reds to be cautious about how much work they gave him anywhere other than first base. Cincinnati should be in the market for an impact bat, and first base has free agent possibilities ranging from Pete Alonso to Ryan O'Hearn. That could make Steer expendable. The Marlins, Padres, Rangers, Red Sox and Diamondbacks are speculative trade partners.

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Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

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Anthony Franco

  • Hey all, hope you're doing well! We can get going a few minutes early

The Knuder

  • I've been asking this question since before yesterday's ownership news, so maybe the Pads' calculus has changed, but I might as well keep asking: what would an extension for Laureano past 2026 look like, and will the Padres offer it?

Anthony Franco

  • You're buying out ages 32+ on a corner bat coming off a very good year but with a lot of inconsistency. I imagine he'd happily sign up for Profar money (3/42) right now. Three years in the mid-30s seems reasonable if you're making that commitment a year in advance
  • Not sure the Padres really need to do that -- I'd rather let him play it out -- but it's not like it impacts the '26 budget so I guess I wouldn't be super surprised if the team wanted to lock him up

Thank you for the chat!

  • Can Ketel Marte play SS?

Anthony Franco

  • I don't think he can even really play second base haha
  • Dude can rake though

JC

  • Would a package around Seth Hernandez entice the Nats to send Abrams to Pittsburgh? Ditto for Keller to Baltimore for Westburg?

Anthony Franco

  • Hernandez as a starting point on Abrams seems reasonable enough. Teams are going to have varying opinions on guys who are that far away, but if the Nats feel like Hernandez has a chance to be a top-of-the-rotation starter, it'd be tough to pass on the upside
  • I don't think Keller's close to getting Westburg. He's a solid pitcher whose contract has a little surplus value. Westburg's a pre-arb, above-average everyday third baseman. Much rather have the latter

Rickey35

  • The A's need to spend about 30-35 mill this off season.  What do you think they do with the money?  Give Kurtz a Roman Anthony type deal or any trades rumor, free agent rumors that are likely?

Anthony Franco

  • I imagine the A's would be on board giving Kurtz that deal. Skeptical the player would. Kurtz has a longer MLB track record than Anthony did at the time -- though no one doubted that Anthony would be great -- and already has a full service year
  • He's also an Excel client and for all the talk about how Boras doesn't like extensions, I can't find any examples of Excel clients signing a pre-arb extension in the past 20 years. Precedents get broken, but Kurtz already banked a huge signing bonus on draft day and is going to do well in the pre-arb bonus pool
  • A low nine-figure extension for Jacob Wilson seems more viable to me and something I could see the A's pursuing. They'll obviously be in on pitching and a veteran infielder. Feels like they should be able to leverage some short-term payroll space to trade for a costlier starter with upside (e.g. Keller, Ray) if that guy's available

Free Agents

  • When do you expect significant free agents to begin signing contracts?  Any inclination as to who might sign first of the bigger / top 25 names?

Anthony Franco

  • Guessing we'll get two or three around Thanksgiving. A lot of the early smoke has been on relievers, so I'll guess Díaz or Williams to be the first shoe to drop

Bruce

  • Thanks for the chat.  What’s the latest regarding the Rangers and Heim/Garcia? If they tender a contract do they have to either ultimately reach agreement or arbitrate (and the Rangers notoriously never arbitrate).  Does  that mean they probably non-tender both unless they can reach an agreement to cut their salaries prior to the tender deadline?

Anthony Franco

  • They need to decide by next Friday whether to tender a contract. That does then commit them to either agreeing to deals or going to a hearing, yes
  • If they agree to a deal, the contract becomes fully guaranteed. If they go to a hearing, they can still get out of it for 45 days termination pay during Spring Training (which is what happened with the Giants and J.D. Davis a couple years ago)
  • But that's a suboptimal outcome. Termination pay still costs a few million, especially with what García's salary would be, and there presumably aren't great alternatives sitting around in mid-March

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