Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Giants To Hire Hunter Mense As Hitting Coach

By | at

The Giants are going to hire Blue Jays assistant hitting coach Hunter Mense as their hitting coach, reports Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. Yesterday, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reported that the Giants were targeting Mense.

Mense, 41, played baseball at the University of Missouri at the same time as new Giants manager Tony Vitello. Mense was drafted by the Marlins and played in the minor league system for a while, then spent some time in indy ball. Once his playing days were done, he pivoted to coaching, working in the Blue Jays’ minor league system.

He was promoted to the major league staff ahead of the 2022 season. It’s always tough to give one coach credit for the performance of several players, but for what it’s worth, the Jays have performed well during his time as an assistant hitting coach. Over the past four years, the Jays have a .257/.326/.416 line and 109 wRC+, which puts them fourth-best in the majors.

Last week, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said there would be no “proactive subtractions” from the coaching staff. However, it seems Mense has been lured to San Francisco by his former college teammate offering him a promotion. The Giants have had Pat Burrell as their hitting coach for the past two years. It was reported last week that he would be staying with the Giants but in a different role.

The Giants have been hovering around .500 for the past four years. In 2025, they hit .235/.311/.386 for a wRC+ of 97. Perhaps a full season from Rafael Devers and/or a breakout from Bryce Eldridge will help them break through, but Mense will also try to do his part to help. The Jays will presumably look to add an assistant to replace Mense, whether that’s an internal promotion or external hire.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

Tatsuya Imai To Be Posted November 19th

By | at

It was reported last week that right-hander Tatsuya Imai would be posted by the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball. His agent Scott Boras met with members of the media today at the general managers meeting and said the posting will become official on November 19th. Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet was among those to pass it along.

Once the posting becomes official, it will open up a 45-day window for Imai and Boras to negotiate will all 30 major league clubs. Technically, they will have until early January to work something out. It’s probably fair to expect a deal to come together before the holidays, when the hot stove activity tends to slow down.

Imai should garner lots of interest based on his results and also his age. His earned run average in Japan has been 2.34 or lower in three straight seasons now, including a 1.92 mark in 2025. His strikeout rate has ticked up from 24.4% in 2023 to 26.3% last year and 27.8% this year. Meanwhile, his walk rate has dropped from 11.4% to 9.8% to 7% in those years.

He is currently 27 years old, turning 28 in May. Teams have shown that they value that youth. Recent deals for young players like Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Jung Hoo Lee have surged beyond expectations.

Imai won’t have as much earning power as Yamamoto, who secured $325MM over 12 years. Yamamoto was even younger, having just turned 25 when he was posted, and also had the superior track record of performance. Still, Imai should find lots of interest. MLBTR predicted he could secure a $150MM guarantee on a six-year deal.

The signing team will also owe the Lions a posting fee, on top of the guarantee they give Imai. The Lions will get 20% of the contract’s first $25MM, 17.5% of the contract’s next $25MM, and 15% of any money above the $50MM mark. If Imai were to sign a deal matching MLBTR’s $150MM projection, his new team would owe the Lions a $24.375MM posting fee.

The righty has already been connected to the Mets. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported today that the Yankees will be looking at Imai, as well as Lucas Giolito. The Yanks go into 2026 with their rotation in flux. Due to injuries, it projects to be much different later in the year compared to the end of camp. Gerrit Cole is still recovering from last year’s Tommy John surgery and won’t be ready by Opening Day. Carlos Rodón underwent a procedure to remove loose bodies from his left elbow and is expected to start the year on the injured list as well. Clarke Schmidt had internal brace surgery in July and could rejoin the club in the second half.

With those absences, the Yankees project to start the season with Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil, Will Warren and Allan Winans in the rotation. Adding to that group would be an understandable target. It’s possible that things get tight later in the year as Cole, Rodón and Schmidt get healthy, but other injuries could also pop up along the way.

Giolito should be a far more affordable addition than Imai. MLBTR predicted him for a two-year, $32MM deal. He was once a borderline ace but hasn’t been at that level in a while. His ERA finished near 5.00 in 2022 and 2023. He missed 2024 due to internal brace surgery. He returned in 2025 and posted a 3.41 ERA but with less impressive stuff under the hood. HIs 19.7% strikeout rate was below league average and well below the 33.7% mark he had back in 2020. He also finished the season back on the IL with an elbow issue, though he says that has now passed.

There are plenty of other starting pitchers the Yankees could consider at different price levels. Presumably, their plans in the rotation will depend upon what they do elsewhere. They have to address their outfield, with Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham having both reached free agency. It’s also possible they look to remake a bullpen that was a source of frustration in 2025.

Photo courtesy of Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images.

Orioles To Name Donnie Ecker Bench Coach

By | at

The Orioles are hiring former Reds, Giants and Rangers coach Donnie Ecker as their new bench coach, reports the Baltimore Sun’s Jacob Calvin Meyer. Ecker was the Giants’ hitting coach in 2020-21 and worked alongside new O’s skipper Craig Albernaz on that staff. Following that stint, he was the hitting coach in Texas before being promoted to bench coach and offensive coordinator. The Rangers fired Ecker back in May after a disappointing start to the season for the Texas lineup.

The 39-year-old Ecker was a 22nd-round draft pick by the Rangers back in 2007 and spent a couple seasons as a second baseman in their system before moving onto a two-year stint on the independent circuit. Since calling it quits as a player, he’s coached in the college ranks, worked on the Cardinals’ player development staff and held several coaching roles (assistant hitting coach, hitting coach, bench coach, offensive coordinator) between the Reds, Giants and Rangers.

Ecker will be the top lieutenant for a new-look Orioles coaching staff. Beyond the hirings of Albernaz and Ecker, Baltimore has brought in Jason Bourgeois as a first base/outfield coach and hired Dustin Lind as a hitting coach. Bourgeois, a former big league outfielder who played with Albernaz in the minors, has spent the past two seasons as the White Sox’ first base coach. Lind also coached with Albernaz on the 2020 Giants. He’s been an assistant hitting coach with either San Francisco or Philadelphia in each of the past five seasons.

The Orioles still have a handful of vacancies to fill on the staff. While Lind is the top hitting coach, they’ll likely add at least one assistant after former assistant hitting coaches Tommy Joseph and Sherman Johnson were not retained.

There could also be an opening at third base coach. Buck Britton held that role after former third base coach Tony Mansolino was elevated to interim manager following Brandon Hyde’s dismissal in May. Mansolino interviewed for the full-time managerial post but was not selected for the job and has since been hired to the Braves’ coaching staff. The O’s have interest in retaining Britton, per MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko, but nothing has been finalized. There’s been no formal word on whether pitching coach Drew French, assistant pitching coach Ryan Klimek or Mitch Plassmeyer will be retained.

Tigers Designate Alex Lange For Assignment

By | at

The Tigers announced that they have claimed right-hander Dugan Darnell off waivers from the Pirates. The Bucs designated him for assignment last week. To open a roster spot for Darnell, the Tigers designated righty Alex Lange for assignment.

Lange, 30, is not too far removed from being Detroit’s closer. He notched 26 saves for the club in 2023. He pitched 66 innings that year, allowing 3.68 earned runs per nine. He struck out 27.4% of batters faced and got grounders on 50.6% of balls in play, though his massive 15.6% walk rate was worrisome.

The bottom fell out from there. His 2024 started out poorly. Through 18 2/3 innings, he had a 4.34 ERA. That wasn’t an atrocious jump but there were worse signs under the hood. His grounder rate fell to 45.8% and his strikeout rate to 23.3%. His walk rate, which was already awful, climbed to 18.9%. The Tigers optioned him to the minors in May of that year. A few weeks later, he suffered an injury and required lat surgery. He missed the final few months of the season and began 2025 on the 60-day injured list. He wasn’t reinstated from the IL until August.

A few days after coming off the IL, he was optioned to the minors and spent the rest of the year there. That burned his third option, meaning he will be out of options going forward. He’s also eligible for arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a $900K salary next year. He was likely going to be non-tendered next week but the Tigers have instead bumped him off the roster today to make this claim.

Lange will be in DFA limbo for a week at most. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Tigers could take five days to explore trade interest. They probably won’t find much, given that Lange has been injured for most of the past two years. His work in Triple-A this year resembled his past self, not in a great way. He logged 23 1/3 Triple-A innings in 2025 with a 4.63 ERA, 29.6% strikeout rate and 54.7% ground ball rate but a 14.3% walk rate.

If he were to clear waivers, he would have the right to elect free agency. He doesn’t cost much and still has three years of club control, so perhaps some rebuilding club could take a shot on him and hope for a bounceback.

Darnell, 28, still has a limited track record. He made nine appearances with the Rockies in 2025, logging 11 2/3 innings. In September, he underwent surgery to address a torn left hip labrum. The timeline given at that time was eight months. The Pirates claimed him off waivers in October but have now lost him to the Tigers.

Since the major league track record is so shallow, the Bucs and Tigers were presumably more interested in his work on the farm. He has 255 1/3 minor league innings under his belt with a 3.74 ERA. That includes 53 2/3 Triple-A innings this year, in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, with a 3.19 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate, 8.7% walk rate and 43.5% ground ball rate. He can give the Tigers some extra bullpen depth whenever he has recovered from his hip surgery.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

Marlins Could Spend More Than Previous Offseasons

By | at

A couple of lower-payroll clubs could spend a bit more than usual, as Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report that agents are saying the Pirates and Marlins are showing a greater willingness to spend. MLBTR covered the Pirates in this post.

“We have put ourselves in a position based on the improvement we made in 2025,” Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said, per The Athletic. “We think we can put together a really exciting team for 2026 and also continue our quest to build a foundation of talent at all levels that will allow us to stay good for a long period of time.”

For Bendix, spending more is a low bar to clear. This is his third offseason since being hired to run the club’s front office. In his first, they only signed one free agent to a big league deal, giving shortstop Tim Anderson $5MM. Last winter, they signed infielder Eric Wagaman to a split deal and then gave $3.5MM to right-hander Cal Quantrill. It would be hard to spend less.

There are reasons to be more aggressive now. As Bendix alluded to in his quote, the Marlins flashed some encouraging signs in 2025. They went from 62 wins in 2024 to 79 this year. They were 35-32 after the All-Star break.

That perhaps gives the club a bit of momentum heading into 2026. They also have almost nothing on the books, thanks to the aforementioned lack of spending over the past few years. As of right now, they have literally one player signed to a guaranteed contract for 2026. Sandy Alcantara is owed $17MM next year, followed by a $21MM club option for 2027 with a $2MM buyout. Other than that, the future payroll is completely clean.

No one will expect them to jump to the top of the market but they could make a few targeted strikes. It has already been suggested that they could target the infield corners and/or the bullpen, including a connection to Devin Williams.

The Athletic downplays the corner infield pursuit a bit, suggesting the Marlins may not want to block internal options. That could include guys like Graham Pauley, Connor Norby or Deyvison De Los Santos. It’s also possible Agustín Ramírez ends up moving from catcher to first, especially once Joe Mack reaches the majors.

Instead, it’s suggested by The Athletic that the Fish could add to the rotation, even though it’s already a strength. They currently project to have a starting group including Alcantara, Eury Pérez, Edward Cabrera, Ryan Weathers, Braxton Garrett, Max Meyer, Ryan Gusto, Dax Fulton, Adam Mazur, Thomas White, Robby Snelling and others.

There are some question marks in there but the group is strong enough that rumors have swirled around Alcantara and Cabrera. Perhaps a trade could be combined with a free agent signing. Last offseason, the Marlins traded Jesús Luzardo to the Phillies for prospects and then signed Quantrill.

Presumably, they would be aiming higher this time around. It would be quite shocking for them to target the top free agent starters like Dylan Cease or Framber Valdez but perhaps signing someone like Michael King, Zac Gallen, Brandon Woodruff, Shota Imanaga, Chris Bassitt or Merrill Kelly would be feasible, depending on how those markets play out. Time will tell how it all goes for the Marlins but they are going into the winter with a bit of optimism and could be more interesting than they have been in a few years.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

Twins Add Grady Sizemore To Coaching Staff

By | at

The Twins have hired former big league outfielder and former White Sox coach/interim manager Grady Sizemore to their coaching staff, reports Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. He’ll serve as new manager Derek Shelton’s first base coach and will also be the team’s primary outfield and baserunning instructor. Last year’s first base coach, Ramon Borrego, will slide across the diamond and coach third base. Borrego will also continue working with the team’s infielders.

Now 43 years old, Sizemore tormented the Twins as a division-rival in Cleveland during his days as a player — particularly early in his career. From 2004-08, Sizemore looked like he was on a Hall of Fame trajectory. He made three straight All-Star teams, won two Gold Gloves and took home a Silver Slugger — a testament to his well-rounded excellence. By the time Sizemore was headed into his age-26 campaign, he’d already appeared in 682 MLB games and slashed .279/.370/.491 (127 wRC+) with 111 home runs and 117 doubles in 3109 plate appearances. Baseball-Reference valued his age-21 through age-25 seasons at nearly 26 wins above replacement. FanGraphs was more bullish, crediting him with more than 28 WAR.

Of course, injuries would derail that scintillating start to Sizemore’s career. After missing only a combined nine games from 2005-08, Sizemore never topped 106 games in a single season again. He underwent elbow surgery in 2009, knee surgery in 2010 and back surgery in 2012. Sizemore played sporadically from 2009-15, hitting a combined .238/.309/.393 in just 1615 plate appearances before retiring.

After several years away from the game, Sizemore wanted back into the sport badly enough that he took an internship with the Diamondbacks. A year later, he interviewed for and landed a job on the White Sox’ coaching staff. When Chicago fired then-manager Pedro Grifol late in the 2024 season, Sizemore served as the interim manager down the stretch. He was a candidate for the managerial vacancy that went to Will Venable last offseason but was still retained in 2025, holding the title of White Sox’ offensive coordinator.

Sizemore is the latest addition to what’ll be a largely revamped Minnesota coaching staff. Borrego and pitching coach Pete Maki have been retained, but much of the rest of the staff will look different under Shelton than it did under former skipper Rocco Baldelli. Former Twin LaTroy Hawkins has already been tabbed as the team’s new bullpen coach, and the Twins have moved on from third base coach Tommy Watkins, bench coach Jayce Tingler, catching coach/assistant bench coach Hank Conger and bullpen coach Colby Suggs. They’re reportedly eyeing Yankees hitting coach James Rowson as a potential bench coach under Shelton. Rowson was also the Twins’ hitting coach from 2017-19.

David Fletcher To Retire

By | at

Veteran infielder David Fletcher is retiring, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. The 31-year-old spent the majority of his seven-year MLB career with the Angels.

Los Angeles took Fletcher in the sixth round of the 2015 draft. The 5’9″ infielder posted strong batted-ball skills at each level of the minors, reaching Triple-A in 2017. Fletcher put up a healthy 143 wRC+ over 58 games with Triple-A Salt Lake in 2018, earning a callup to the big-league club. Los Angeles had Andrelton Simmons penciled in at shortstop, but an Ian Kinsler trade opened up regular playing time at second base. Fletcher hit .275 over 307 plate appearances in his first taste of MLB action.

Fletcher delivered his best results in the shortened 2020 season. He slashed .319/.376/.425 across 49 games. Fletcher bounced around the infield, making starts at second base, shortstop, and third base. He also appeared once in right field. The strong campaign helped Fletcher land a five-year, $26MM extension just before the 2021 season.

Following the extension, Fletcher took over as the Angels’ full-time second baseman. He played a career-high 157 games in 2021. Fletcher earned strong defensive marks (9 DRS, 8 Outs Above Average) in 1,212 innings at second base. He also swiped 15 bags, after coming into the season with just 13 career steals. Fletcher’s production at the plate, however, trailed off considerably. He scuffled to a 69 wRC+ over 665 plate appearances. Fletcher was dropped from the leadoff spot to ninth in the order by May. He regained the leadoff spot midseason, but closed the year back in the nine hole.

Hip and hand injuries derailed Fletcher’s 2022 campaign. He was available for just 61 games. Fletcher once again performed well in the field, while he struggled as a hitter. He opened the 2023 season healthy, but went 2-for-16 in April and was demoted to Triple-A Sacramento. Fletcher appeared in just 33 games with the Angels that year. Los Angeles flipped him to Atlanta in December 2023, allowing the team some short-term financial flexibility.

Fletcher’s career would take some twists and turns after his tenure with the Angels. Atlanta passed him through waivers shortly after the trade. Unsurprisingly, no team wanted to pick up the rest of Fletcher’s deal, and he went unclaimed. He spent the majority of the season in the minors with Atlanta, but not as an infielder. Fletcher transitioned to pitching that season, utilizing a knuckleball to try to make an MLB comeback. He made 22 appearances across two levels, posting a 6.39 ERA. During the middle of the 2024 season, a report emerged linking Fletcher to the bookmaker used by Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. According to the report, Fletcher placed bets with the illegal Southern California gambling ring, though those wagers were not on baseball.

Fletcher ditched the pitching experiment and went back to the infield in 2025. He played in 83 games across Double-A and Triple-A this past season, slashing .185/.233/.258. Atlanta declined his $8MM club option last week. He elected minor league free agency, but will now head into retirement.

We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Fletcher on a solid career and wish him the best in his future endeavours.

Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images

Reds’ Krall Further Downplays Chances Of Hunter Greene Trade

By | at

Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall has already downplayed the idea of trading from his rotation this winter, but the fact that he didn’t expressly state he will not trade ace Hunter Greene led to some fan bases, and surely some rival teams, clinging to the faint hope that Cincinnati’s top starter might be available. At this week’s GM Meetings, Krall again downplayed the idea of trading a starting pitcher and was a bit more forceful with regard to Greene in particular (link via Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer). Krall still declined to speak in absolutes but came close when speaking about the possibility of trading Greene, specifically:

“…[T]hat’s a hard one to actually say, ’Hey, we’re going to trade the guy that has a chance to be the ace of your staff and top-of-the-rotation guy going into the postseason.’ We’re looking to figure out how to get better, but right now that’s not on the table.”

Greene, 26, is signed for another three seasons and owed a guaranteed $41MM in that time. His contract contains a club option that, if exercised, would bring his four-year earnings total to $60MM. He could slightly boost his 2028-29 salaries via All-Star nominations and Cy Young voting.

Cy Young consideration is hardly far-fetched for Greene. Early in the 2025 season, he looked squarely in the National League mix. A pair of groin strains wound up limiting him to 19 starts and dashing those hopes, but when he was healthy Greene turned in a 2.76 ERA with a 31.4% strikeout rate and 6.2% walk rate in 107 2/3 innings. A year prior, he gave the Reds 150 1/3 frames of 2.75 ERA ball.

Greene, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft, is one of baseball’s hardest throwers and clearly one of the most talented overall pitchers in the NL — if not in all of MLB. Among the 78 pitchers who have tossed at least 250 innings since 2024, his 2.76 ERA ranks sixth, trailing only Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, Chris Sale, Zack Wheeler and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. His 29.2% strikeout rate ranks eighth among that same set of pitchers, and the 21.1-point differential between his strikeout and walk percentages sits 11th in the sport.

The Reds could extract a king’s ransom for Greene, but it’s never seemed likely that they’d pull the trigger on moving a potential four years of control over a Cy Young-caliber arm who only just turned 26 — particularly coming off a late run to the postseason. The Reds need to add multiple bats to their lineup, and the front office isn’t expecting much of a payroll bump, but teams generally balk at trading this much affordable control over a player this talented.

The safe bet will be to expect Greene to again head up one of the game’s best rotations. He’ll be joined by Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo and Brady Singer, with top prospect Chase Burns (another former No. 2 overall pick) the early favorite for the final spot. Top prospects Chase Petty and Rhett Lowder, both former first-rounders themselves, loom in the upper minors. Lefty Brandon Williamson and righty Julian Aguiar are on the mend from 2024 Tommy John surgery and should be options in 2026.

Given that wealth of pitching, other clubs will surely try to pry some arms loose. Singer has just one year of relatively pricey club control remaining (projected $11.9MM salary), making him the most prototypical trade candidate of the bunch. Lodolo has two years of arbitration control. Abbott has three. The potential return the Reds could extract from another club would improve with every additional year of control they’re willing to surrender, but as Krall has said in the past, dealing from the established group might simply necessitate signing a veteran to backfill those lost innings.

If the Reds are indeed loath to part with pitching talent, they could look into trading a controllable young position player for a more established hitter that’s closer to free agency. Shortstop Elly De La Cruz isn’t going anywhere, and the Reds only just traded for third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes at the deadline. But the Reds also have Matt McLain, Sal Stewart, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Spencer Steer on the roster and won’t find regular at-bats for the whole bunch. (Encarnacion-Strand’s stock is in the tank after two injury-marred, unproductive seasons.) Prospects Cam Collier and Edwin Arroyo aren’t too far from MLB readiness themselves.

There are ways to go about trading for an offensive upgrade without sacrificing much or any of the current rotation depth, and while the payroll isn’t set for a big increase, there’s still room to splash around some cash on the open market, too. The Reds currently have a payroll projection of about $97.5MM, per RosterResource. That’s before factoring in potential trades or non-tenders of arbitration-eligible names like Gavin Lux (projected $5MM salary), Will Benson ($1.7MM projection) and Sam Moll ($1.2MM projection). Cincinnati opened the 2025 season with a roughly $112MM payroll and finished close to $120MM. They could use a bullpen arm or two as well, but there should be space to sign at least one prominent bat in free agency.

Reds, Red Sox Have Expressed Interest In Devin Williams

By | at

The Red Sox and Reds are among roughly a dozen teams that have expressed early interest in free agent reliever Devin Williams, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reported last night that the Dodgers had also shown interest, while Fish on First’s Kevin Barral linked the Marlins to Williams a few weeks ago.

Williams was one of the three to five best relievers in MLB throughout his time with the Brewers. He pitched to a 1.83 earned run average over parts of six seasons in Milwaukee. That included three straight sub-2.00 ERA showings between 2022-24. Among relievers with 100+ innings over that stretch, Williams trailed only Edwin Díaz and Félix Bautista with a 39.5% strikeout rate. The only real concern were the back fractures that cost him the first half of the ’24 season.

Milwaukee traded Williams to the Yankees before his final year of arbitration. He had the worst season of his career in the Bronx. Williams turned in a 4.79 ERA over 62 innings. He started the year poorly enough that he lost the closer role in April. Williams reclaimed it in June when Luke Weaver went on the injured list but scuffled again in July. The Yankees acquired David Bednar at the deadline to push Williams into a setup role for the remainder of the season.

While it was clearly an uneven season, there’s still reason to expect a return to form. Williams fanned an excellent 34.7% of batters faced while getting swinging strikes nearly 17% of the time. Those aren’t quite at the same level as his Milwaukee days, but they’re still top 15 marks in MLB. His 94.1 MPH average four-seam fastball speed was in line with his career levels. Williams continues to get ridiculous movement on the changeup/screwball that has been his signature pitch. Opposing hitters had a lofty .339 average on balls in play when runners were on base. Some teams could chalk that up as poor sequencing luck and continue to project Williams as a top 10 reliever moving forward.

The poor season meant the Yankees weren’t willing to risk Williams accepting a $22.025MM qualifying offer to return to the Bronx. MLBTR ranked his earning potential second among relievers behind Díaz, predicting that the strong peripherals would lead a club to offer him a four-year, $68MM deal. That’d require a team to overlook the unsightly ERA, though, so it’s certainly not out of the question that he’s forced to settle for a shorter-term contract. Robert Suarez, Kyle Finnegan and Pete Fairbanks are among other closers available on the free agent market.

Sammon heard from a few scouts who were divided between Williams and Suarez as the second-best free agent reliever after Díaz. It could lead clubs to have differing opinions on his market value. If Williams were to command a four-year deal, for instance, it’d be quite surprising if the Reds win the bidding. Cincinnati has spent in that range for mid-tier hitters but rarely spends big on relievers. Their two-year, $16MM deal for Emilio Pagán is their biggest signing of a pure reliever in the past decade. They did go to two years and $26MM for Nick Martinez, but he could step into the rotation as needed. Cincinnati could use a closer with Pagán returning to free agency, but they’d probably be a realistic suitor for Williams only if he takes a pillow contract.

The Red Sox also haven’t made many long-term bullpen investments, but they’re better positioned to offer a multi-year term at eight figure salaries. They signed Kenley Jansen for two years and $32MM a few seasons ago. They’ve given Aroldis Chapman successive $10.75MM and $13MM deals for 2025-26. Chapman will remain the closer, but Williams doesn’t seem wedded to getting a ninth-inning opportunity, so Boston could target him as their top right-handed setup arm.

Mets Interested In Cody Bellinger

By | at

The Mets have interest in free agent Cody Bellinger, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Heyman also downplays the possibility of the Dodgers making a strong run at free agent Edwin Díaz, which he suggests could be good for the Mets.

Bellinger would fit well with the Mets, given the current roster makeup. Center field was a big hole in 2025. Jose Siri spent most of the season on the injured list. He was outrighted off the roster in September and later became a free agent. Tyrone Taylor’s performance was lacking. The club tried to address the situation by acquiring Cedric Mullins at the deadline but he struggled to the end of the season and then became a free agent.

There is the possibility of an internal solution to the problem. Taylor is still on the roster. President of baseball operations David Stearns also tells Joel Sherman of The New York Post that Carson Benge will have a chance to make the team out of camp next year.

Benge was the club’s first-round pick, taken 19th overall, in the 2024 draft. In 2025, he hit his way through High-A and Double-A. In 416 plate appearances across those two levels, he drew a walk in 14.2% of them while only striking out at a 17.5% clip. He produced a .308/.413/.513 line and 174 wRC+. He got bumped up to Triple-A in mid-August. He slashed just .178/.272/.311 at that level but in a tiny sample of 103 plate appearances with a .188 batting average on balls in play.

Ideally, he would have some Triple-A success before cracking the majors but it seems the Mets aren’t dimming his stock based on that fluky end to a strong season. He played all three outfield spots but the Mets have Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo in the corners. If March rolls around and Benge is the best center field option, perhaps he will get the job. They likely can’t bank on that, however. Benge is still fairly inexperienced and won’t be eligible for the Rule 5 draft until after the 2027 season, so they don’t need to put him on the 40-man until he earns it.

Signing Bellinger would give them a strong Plan A. Bellinger hasn’t been an everyday center fielder for a few years but the plan would presumably be for him to move off that position whenever Benge forces the issue. Even if that doesn’t happen by Opening Day 2026, it could happen during the campaign. Bellinger could then move to a corner, with the designated hitter spot used in a rotation between himself, Soto and Nimmo. It’s also possible that Bellinger could end up at first base, depending on what happens with Pete Alonso.

Bellinger is heading to free agency for the third time but he should have far more earning power than in the first two trips. He was non-tendered by the Dodgers after 2022, his second straight dismal season on the heels of a shoulder injury. He secured a one-year, $17.5MM deal with the Cubs and bounced back with a strong season before heading to free agency for a second time. His market wasn’t strong, seemingly due to the memories of his poor 2021 and 2022 seasons still being fresh. He returned to the Cubs on a three-year, $80MM deal with opt-outs after each season.

His 2024 wasn’t quite as strong as his 2023 campaign, so he decided to skip his first opt-out chance. He was traded to the Yankees and then had a really strong performance in 2025. He hit 29 home runs, slashed .272/.334/.480 for a 125 wRC+ and got strong grades for his glovework, playing all three outfield spots and a bit of first. There were some flags under there, as he seemingly benefited from the short porch at Yankee Stadium. He had a 152 wRC+ at home and 97 on the road. Still, he made the easy decision to walk away from his $25MM salary in 2026, taking the $5MM buyout instead.

MLBTR predicted Bellinger to secure a five-year, $140MM deal this time. The Mets are one of the top-spending clubs in the league and could certainly make that happen if they wanted to, though Bellinger will have interest elsewhere, including from the Yankees.

At the end of the season, Stearns spoke of a desire to improve the Mets’ run prevention, per Tim Britton of The Athletic. Perhaps that would suggest Bellinger would be a better fit than bringing back Alonso, as the Polar Bear is not a great defender. Rostering both is theoretically possible but a bit clunky, as it closes off the possibility of Bellinger moving to first once Benge takes over center.

Turning to Díaz, he is the top reliever available this winter. The last time he was headed to free agency, the Mets signed him before he got there. It was a five-year, $102MM pact with an opt-out after three seasons. A major knee injury wiped out 2023 for Díaz but he bounced back in the two subsequent seasons. He just posted a 1.63 earned run average. His 38% strikeout rate wasn’t quite as gaudy as his 50% mark in 2022 but it was still very good. He triggered his opt out and is now a free agent for the first time.

Any club would be interested in adding him but he’s likely going to command another hefty deal. That puts clubs like the Dodgers in play, though Heyman’s suggestion that they aren’t likely to be aggressive with Díaz could help the Mets. That doesn’t mean he will be cheap, however. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic reports that Díaz is looking to get roughly the same deal he got last time.

That’s a bit of a tall ask. Díaz is still quite good but he’s turning 32 in March. As mentioned, his strikeout rate is still very strong but not quite as insane as it was a few years ago. MLBTR predicted him for $82MM over four years this time, roughly the same average annual value as his last deal but on a shorter term since he’s now three years older. Time will tell if he can match his previous pact but it should be a notable deal either way.

The Mets issued him a qualifying offer, which he will decline. The Mets presumably want to bring Díaz back but Stearns has generally opted for shorter-term commitments to pitchers since he took over the front office. If he lets Díaz sign elsewhere, it would hurt the bullpen but the Mets would receive a compensatory draft pick.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Sousa, Imagn Images

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