Yankees Expected To Move Aaron Judge Back To Right Field In 2025
Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge is currently expected to move back to his longtime position of right field for the 2025 season, according to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. Judge has appeared in right field during more than 75% of his career games in the outfield but played center field almost exclusively in 2024 in order to accommodate the addition of Juan Soto to the club’s lineup. Now that Soto has departed for Queens on a record-breaking deal, however, Judge will be able to return to his old stomping grounds.
“We’re not afraid to run [Judge] out in center like we’ve done, but I think it makes sense to have him over in right,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman said Monday, as relayed by Hoch. He went on to suggest that sliding Judge back to his natural position offers top outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez a “clear lane” to capture the starting center field job entering Spring Training, though Hoch notes that Cashman added he isn’t currently ready to anoint the 21-year-old as the club’s starter for next season.
Even if the club ultimately opts to send Dominguez back to Triple-A (where he’s hit well but has just 53 total games under his belt) to open the 2025 campaign, the club figures to have number of options they could consider that would keep Judge in right. Perhaps the most obvious internal solution for center outside of Dominguez is Trent Grisham, who the club avoided arbitration with last month by agreeing to a $5MM contract despite the fact that Grisham was strictly used as a bench player by the club after being acquired from the Padres alongside Soto last winter. The 28-year-old appeared in 76 games last year as a late-inning defensive replacement or to fill in for Judge in center field when the slugger had the day off or was DH’ing for the day, but received just 209 plate appearances total despite being an everyday player in San Diego in each of the previous four seasons.
Grisham’s .190/.290/.385 slash line was good for a decent 91 wRC+, and a .217 BABIP that was well below his career norms may suggest room for positive regression going forward. That decent bat combined with an elite glove at a premium position makes Grisham a plausible candidate for a starting role, and Hoch suggests the club could look for a right-handed center fielder to pair with Grisham at the position this winter. Grisham and Dominguez aren’t the only internal options the club has in center, as Jazz Chisholm Jr. has two seasons’ worth of experience at the position from his time in Miami. With that said, Hoch did not mention Chisholm as even a theoretical candidate for the position headed into 2025, and all signs point to the Yankees planning to use the 26-year-old sparkplug at either second or third base next year.
Turning back to Grisham, the extremely thin market for center fielders this winter could pose an obstacle to any plans of platooning him in center as the Yankees would likely be limited to light-hitting bench players with impressive defense like Harrison Bader, Michael A. Taylor, and Cristian Pache. One other potential addition the Yankees could make to their outfield mix who is capable of playing center would be Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger. The Yankees are known to have at least checked in on the 2019 NL MVP this winter, and Hoch reiterates that the club is “intrigued” by 29-year-old. Bellinger is coming off a down season in Chicago where he hit a solid but unspectacular .266/.325/.426 (109 wRC+) in 130 games. While Bellinger’s 7.9% walk rate was solid and his 15.6% strikeout rate was genuinely impressive, he mustered only 18 home runs with the Cubs this year after clubbing 26 the year prior.
That’s still solid production, but a combination of Bellinger’s hefty $27.5MM salary for 2025 and the Cubs’ deep mix of outfield options has led the club to shop him quite aggressively this winter. According to Hoch, the Yankees’ interest in Bellinger stems at least in part from his positional versatility. Bellinger is a roughly average defensive center fielder at this stage of his career, offering less upside with the glove than a player like Grisham or even Dominguez but more than capable of handling the position on a regular basis if needed. That defense goes from average to well above average when Bellinger is parked in either outfield corner, and he’s also capable of handling first base with nearly 2500 career innings in the majors at the position. Judge stands as the only player locked into everyday reps in the club’s outfield mix next year with Soto now out of the picture, and given the club’s hole at first base it’s easy to see how acquiring a player like Bellinger could offer them plenty of flexibility as they look to retool their roster with a number of possible targets for both the infield and outfield on the table.
Twins Sign Huascar Ynoa To Minor League Deal
The Twins have signed Huascar Ynoa to a minors contract, according to Sports Illustrated’s Stephanie Apstein (X link). The right-hander will receive an invitation to Minnesota’s big league Spring Training camp as part of the non-guaranteed deal.
Ynoa appeared in parts of four MLB seasons with the Braves from 2019-22, topping out at 91 innings during the 2021 campaign. Ynoa posted a 4.05 ERA, 26.9% strikeout rate, and 6.7% walk rate while stepping into Atlanta’s rotation as an injury replacement, helping set the theme of unexpected contributors emerging to help lead the Braves to an unlikely World Series title. A shoulder injury forced Ynoa’s removal from the Braves’ NLCS roster, however, and he also missed three months of the regular season after breaking his hand while punching the dugout in frustration after a tough start.
More setbacks awaited the next season, as Ynoa only pitched 6 2/3 MLB innings in 2022 and spent most of the year at Triple-A. Ynoa then underwent a Tommy John surgery that cost him the entire 2023 campaign, and he returned to pitch only 29 2/3 minor league innings this year before being sidelined again by a stress reaction in his right elbow. Atlanta opted to non-tender Ynoa, as despite a modest $825K projected arbitration salary, the Braves still preferred to open up a roster spot and move on from the righty.
Ynoa will now return to his original franchise at this turning point of this career. The Twins signed Ynoa during the 2014 international signing period and he pitched in parts of three minor league seasons in Minnesota’s farm system before being dealt to the Braves in July 2017. Ynoa is overdue for some good health as he tries to get his career on track, and there’s no risk for the Twins in taking a flier on a pitcher who is still just 26 years old.
Blue Jays Interested In Teoscar Hernandez
Reports from the weekend suggested that the Blue Jays had only limited interest in a reunion with Teoscar Hernandez, as Toronto was focused on Juan Soto and then on Anthony Santander as its next choice for an outfield upgrade. GM Ross Atkins made something of a clearer statement of the Jays’ stance on Hernandez, telling the Toronto Star’s Gregor Chisholm and other reporters that “there are so many positives about him that we are definitely interested in figuring out a way for that to be a possibility.”
Hernandez was a prospect fighting for playing time in a crowded Astros outfield at the time of the July 2017 trade deadline, but his career path changed when Houston dealt Hernandez and Nori Aoki to Toronto for veteran reliever Francisco Liriano. It was a win-win on both sides, as Liriano pitched well in the playoffs to help Houston win the World Series, and Hernandez emerged as a power bat over his six seasons in Toronto. Hernandez hit .263/.320/.503 with 129 home runs in 2419 PA from 2017-22, twice winning AL Silver Slugger honors.
As potent as Hernandez’s bat was, his penchant for strikeouts and his underwhelming defense led the Blue Jays to trade him to the Mariners for Erik Swanson during the 2022-23 offseason. Swanson enjoyed a strong season in the Jays’ bullpen in 2023 while Hernandez’s numbers took a dip (to a 106 wRC+) in Seattle, so the slugger headed into free agency on the heels of a pretty underwhelming platform year.
Hernandez chose to bet on himself by taking a one-year, $23.5MM contract with the Dodgers, guessing that he would return to form in Los Angeles and put himself in shape for a much pricier deal this winter. The decision was a success in every sense of the word, as Hernandez not only hit .272/.339/.501 with 33 home runs, he also won his first World Series ring as a major part of the Dodgers’ title run.
Trading Hernandez was far from the only reason for the Blue Jays’ offensive struggles over the last two seasons, as inconsistent to mediocre performances from pretty much everyone (even Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in 2023, before his big return to form this past season) have turned the lineup into a big question mark. Beyond Soto and Santander, the Jays have also been linked to Alex Bregman, Ha-Seong Kim, and Willy Adames as the team has looked to jumpstart a return to contention in the Jays’ last season of control over Guerrero and Bo Bichette.
With Soto and Adames now off the market, Hernandez’s stock has only improved as one of the top bats remaining on the free agent market. MLBTR ranked him 11th on our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents and projected Hernandez for a three-year, $60MM deal as he enters his age-32 season. Because Hernandez rejected the Dodgers’ qualifying offer, the Jays would have to give up $500K in international bonus pool money and their second-highest choice in the 2025 draft to sign him or any other QO-rejecting free agent. The Blue Jays were willing to give that compensatory package and upwards of $700MM to sign Soto, so technically, some money is there to make a much lower bid for Hernandez’s services.
As easy as installing Hernandez back in left field would be for the Jays, it isn’t necessarily certain that he’d be eager to rejoin a team that rather unceremoniously dealt him away two years ago. The Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers also seem like motivated suitors due to their own misses in the Soto sweepstakes. In regards to Los Angeles, what seemed to be a likely reunion between Hernandez and the Dodgers has yet to materialize due to a gap in negotiations, plus L.A. also added Michael Conforto to its outfield mix.
Marlins Fielding Interest In Jesus Luzardo
The Marlins are getting calls on starter Jesús Luzardo, reports Jon Morosi of the MLB Network (X link). Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of the Athletic write that the Fish are willing to entertain trade talks on the talented southpaw.
On the one hand, a team in a full rebuild like Miami is going to be open to discussing essentially every veteran player. Luzardo is a tough trade candidate, though, as the Marlins are shopping him while his value is at a low point. His ’24 campaign was more or less decimated by injury. Luzardo went on the injured list in the middle of April with elbow inflammation. He returned in May but was shelved again five weeks later by back issues. That not only took him off the table as a deadline trade candidate, it ended his season. Luzardo was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his lower back and couldn’t return to the mound.
Neither injury required surgery and Luzardo was able to begin non-throwing baseball activities by the end of the regular season. There’s no indication he won’t be full go for Spring Training. Still, there’s little doubt that acquiring teams are going to account for the injury risk as they weigh what to offer Miami.
Luzardo has spent a lot of time on the IL over his career. He fractured his throwing hand in 2021 and lost a good portion of the ’22 season to a forearm strain. He also has a Tommy John surgery on his medical chart dating back to high school in 2016. He has only topped 100 1/3 innings in an MLB season once.
That lone healthy campaign offered tantalizing upside. Luzardo took a full 32 turns through the rotation in 2023. He fired 178 2/3 frames of 3.58 ERA ball while punching out 28.1% of opposing hitters. He averaged nearly 97 MPH on his fastball, missed bats with both his slider and changeup, and limited his walks to a solid 7.4% clip.
That version of Luzardo was a #2 or high-end #3 starter, the kind of pitcher a team would happily plug into their playoff rotation. Luzardo didn’t show that form last year even when he was able to take the mound. He allowed five earned runs per nine with a diminished 21.2% strikeout rate in 66 2/3 frames. He still posted plus whiff rates on his secondary pitches, but his average fastball velocity dipped to 95.2 MPH and opponents teed off on it.
There’s obvious appeal for contenders to attempt to buy low. Luzardo is under arbitration control for two seasons. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a $6MM salary. That’s a bargain in comparison to a free agent market where a rebound candidate like Frankie Montas signed for $17MM annually and mid-rotation arms Yusei Kikuchi and Luis Severino landed more than $20MM per season on three-year deals.
Miami doesn’t have as much urgency to make a sell-low trade. Luzardo won’t make the difference between them contending for a postseason spot or not, but a strong first half could rehabilitate his value. If he demonstrates his 2023 form for three months, Luzardo would arguably be the biggest trade chip of the ’25 deadline. In the best case scenario, Miami could realistically seek multiple Top 100 type prospects next summer. If he struggles or suffers another significant injury, of course, whatever trade value he currently has would basically evaporate.
It’s largely a matter of risk tolerance for president of baseball operations Peter Bendix and his staff. The Fish have very little on the books for next season, so they’re not under any financial pressure to move Luzardo. He’ll be the highest-paid member of their otherwise modest arbitration class. They’re still on the hook for $17MM (including an option buyout) to released outfielder Avisaíl García. The only other player on a guaranteed deal is ace Sandy Alcantara, who’ll make $17MM next year. The Marlins reportedly informed Alcantara in August that they had no intention of trading him this offseason.
Mariners Turned Down Triston Casas Trade Offer From Red Sox
The Mariners’ pitching depth over the last few seasons has drawn many teams into trade talks and it was almost exactly a year ago that reports surfaced about Boston’s interest in the Seattle rotation. Nothing materialized between the two teams then, but Ryan Divish and Adam Jude of the Seattle Times report that earlier this offseason, the Red Sox offered first baseman Triston Casas for either Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo. However, these “exploratory talks” then “didn’t progress any further,” as the M’s don’t have interest in trading from their rotation unless it is something of a last resort.
Given the contrasting strengths and weaknesses of the Mariners and Red Sox, a pitching-for-hitting swap would seem like an ideal answer to both team’s needs. While Miller or Woo might not be precisely the kind of ace the Sox are looking for to reinforce their rotation, obviously both are talented young arms with upside and team control — neither Miller or Woo is eligible for arbitration yet, and both are controlled through the 2029 season. Likewise, Casas is controlled through 2028 and has already shown glimpses of his potential at the MLB level.
Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has consistently turned down past offers for Miller, Woo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, and Luis Castillo. Recent reports suggest that the M’s are at least open to hearing what teams have to say about Castillo (the oldest and highest-paid member of the rotation), but Divish and Jude write that “the Mariners….are not actively shopping Castillo.”
Nothing is stopping Dipoto from hearing what teams might have to say, just in case someone steps forth with an offer too good to refuse. However, Dipoto told Divish and other reporters today that “our initial reluctance to any type of deeper discussions on trading starting pitching has probably resulted in a lot fewer phone calls than we’ve usually fielded to this point in the offseason.”
The result is perhaps something of a stalemate, as the Mariners are waiting for rival teams to lower their asking prices and other clubs are waiting for the M’s to become more open to the idea of trading from the rotation depth. Things could evolve once some free agent pitchers come off the board, or perhaps if the Mariners themselves added a pitcher in the form of Roki Sasaki. While virtually every team in baseball will be making an appeal to the Japanese ace now that his posting window is officially open, Seattle’s track record with both pitching development and star Japanese players would seemingly put the M’s move above most teams in the bidding process.
In the interim, it seems as though the Mariners will continue to focus on trying to trade from its minor league depth, except as Dipoto notes, “it’s the time where prospects aren’t a driver, where just about everybody is focused on major league players. And I don’t know why that seems different to me now than it usually does, and maybe that too changes in a week or two with the free agent market really opening up.”
Since shortstop J.P. Crawford is the only established member of the Mariners’ infield, landing a promising first base talent like Casas would go a long way towards shoring up the infield and the shaky lineup as a whole. That said, the Mariners have at least a part-time first base option already in Luke Raley, who looks to be getting a good chunk of playing time against right-handed pitching.
Since the M’s have been linked to such second or third base trade candidates as Nico Hoerner or Alec Bohm, it could be that Seattle might be trying to address one of those positions first before turning to the comparatively easier-to-fill position of first base. An industry source told Divish and Jude that the Mariners could look into trying to add a third team into talks with the Cubs about Hoerner, perhaps to help cover some of the money owed in the remaining two years of Hoerner’s contract.
From Boston’s perspective, trading Casas wouldn’t necessarily create a vacancy at first base. Rafael Devers is a subpar defender at third base, and reportedly the Sox have at least considered moving him to first base in order to open up the hot corner either for one of Boston’s up-and-coming infield prospects, or perhaps for a big free agent like Alex Bregman. This remains a speculative topic for now, as manager Alex Cora told reporters (including Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe) today that he hasn’t spoken with Devers about a position change, and Cora in fact praised Devers’ third base work in 2024 as “outstanding.”
Then again, there is no shortage of gamesmanship going on during the offseason, as it was just last month that Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow downplayed the idea of trading Casas. Reports then surfaced this past weekend that the Sox were considering the possibility of dealing Casas for pitching, and this apparent offer for Miller or Woo only reinforces the idea that Casas is far from an untouchable part of the Red Sox roster. Of course, this also isn’t to say that Casas is going to be moved for anything less than a premium return.
Dodgers Interested In Devin Williams, Tanner Scott
10:54PM: At least 10 teams have checked in with the Brewers about Williams, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon, including the Dodgers and Yankees. With this much interest in the closer, there is a sense that the Brewers might wait until later in the offseason to deal Williams (if at all), since they could land a bigger return once the free agent relief market clears out.
4:51PM: The ever-aggressive Dodgers are looking for high-leverage relief help, and The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reports that Devin Williams and Tanner Scott are two of the names under consideration as L.A. weighs options in both free agency and the trade market.
Williams is eligible for free agency next winter, and there has been speculation that Milwaukee will once again look to move a notable player in advance of a trip to the open market so that the Brewers can recoup more than just draft compensation. The closer is projected for a $7.7MM arbitration salary, as Williams’ numbers last season were limited by a stress reaction in his back that kept him off the mound until late July.
Despite the long layoff, Williams still looked like himself upon his return, posting a 1.25 ERA in 21 2/3 innings while racking up 14 saves. It is possible rival teams could still point to the back injury as a reason to limit their offers for Williams, not to mention the fact that even an elite reliever has somewhat limited trade value with just one year of remaining control.
This all being said, Williams has such an outstanding track record that the Brewers will likely be able to hold firm on a high asking price. Williams has excelled in both a set-up and closing role basically since he debuted in the majors in 2019, with a 1.83 ERA and a preposterous 39.4% strikeout rate over his 235 2/3 career innings. His 11.8% career walk rate is on the high side and memories of his blown save in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series will linger for a long time in Milwaukee, but overall, Williams is the type of pitcher any team would want at the back of their bullpen.
Los Angeles has plenty of young talent to offer Milwaukee in a potential trade, and some of the Dodgers’ MLB-ready young pitching could be of particular interest. Dealing away some of this depth might be preferable since the Dodgers have already dipped into the free agent market for Blake Snell, Michael Conforto, and Blake Treinen this offseason….or L.A. could make another splash by inking Scott to a long-term contract.
MLBTR ranked Scott as the best reliever in this year’s free agent class, and 14th overall on our list of the top 50 free agents. This designation came with a prediction of a four-year, $56MM contract, and such a deal is certainly feasible for a Dodgers team that clearly isn’t shy about spending. As Ardaya notes, L.A. was one of the many teams interested in Scott prior to the trade deadline, before the Marlins sent him to another NL West contender in the Padres.
Scott has always had plenty of strikeout power, but things didn’t fully click for him until the 2023 season. Over the last two years, Scott has a 2.04 ERA, 31.3% strikeout rate, and 10% walk rate in 150 innings with Miami and San Diego, with just six home runs allowed and a 50.4% grounder rate. Like Williams, control is a bit of an issue for Scott, yet the premium stuff is clearly there.
Blue Jays Interested In Several Free Agent Relievers
The Blue Jays had one of baseball’s worst bullpens in 2024, as injuries and under-performance wreaked havoc on what was a solid relief corps as recently as the 2023 campaign. Toronto’s steps to overhaul the pen have thus far been more focused on subtraction than addition, as the Jays have parted ways with the likes of former closer Jordan Romano, Genesis Cabrera, and Dillon Tate.
While the Juan Soto pursuit has dominated the Jays-related headlines this winter, the club has been actively linked to many players, as has been the standard operating procedure for Ross Atkins during his time as Toronto’s GM. This includes multiple relief arms, as Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and Shi Davidi report that the Jays “have shown some level of interest” in Carlos Estevez, Kenley Jansen, Andrew Kittredge, Chris Martin, Phil Maton, A.J. Minter, and Paul Sewald. ESPN’s Jorge Castillo adds that Toronto is also one of the many teams interested in Jonathan Loaisiga.
Davidi and BNS note that the Guardians have shown some interest in some of Toronto’s minor league prospects, leading to some speculation that the Jays could look to bring in local product Josh Naylor, who is known to be available in trade talks. Speculatively, the Toronto/Cleveland connection might also be related to the Blue Jays’ bullpen search, as the Guards are very deep in relief pitching.
The sheer volume of names under consideration isn’t really all that unusual, considering how most teams take a broad view of the ever-shifting bullpen market. As Davidi and Nicholson-Smith note, the Jays have rarely invested much in relief pitching during Atkins’ tenure, and most of the relievers listed would likely be available on shorter-term deals. Turning to MLBTR’s ranking of the offseason’s top 50 free agents, Estevez (22nd, projected for three-year, $27MM contract), Minter (34th, two years/$16MM), and Kittredge (40th, two years/$14MM) were the only ones to make the list.
Going beyond their usual comfort zone to sign Estevez might reflect the Blue Jays’ greater need for bullpen help, as non-tendering Romano left a big vacancy in the closer’s role. Chad Green looks like the favorite for saves at the moment, but signing Estevez would push Green back to a setup job and create a clearer bullpen hierarchy.
Jansen, of course, is far and away the most established closer of the group, with 447 saves over his standout 15-year career. Though Jansen is entering his age-37 season, he is coming off yet another strong performance in posting a 3.29 ERA and 27 saves over 54 2/3 innings with the Red Sox in 2024.
Sewald had seemingly established himself as a solid closer with the Mariners and then the Diamondbacks, and even got off to a hot start in 2024 before running into injuries and a very rough stretch that cost him his ninth-inning role in Arizona. Better health and a change of scenery could very well spark a return to form for Sewald, making him perhaps a bit of an underrated candidate for teams in need of saves.
Yankees, Mets Among Top Suitors For Garrett Crochet
One day after the Mets and Yankees finished battling for the top free agent, they’re in the competition for arguably the winter’s #1 trade candidate. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of the Athletic report that the New York teams are currently the most aggressive suitors for White Sox’s lefty Garrett Crochet.
The Athletic writes that the Red Sox and Phillies have also expressed interest, but they appear to be behind the New York teams for the moment. Jon Morosi of the MLB Network put the Brewers on Crochet this morning, though The Athletic report does not mention Milwaukee. Rosenthal and Sammon indicate that no team is close to pulling off a deal yet.
Crochet stayed healthy in his first full season as a starter. The Sox pulled back his workload after failing to line up a deadline trade. Chicago never shut him down or skipped his turns through the rotation, but they abbreviated his starts at the end of the year. Crochet finished the season with 146 innings across 32 appearances. He turned in dominant rate stats, striking out 35.1% of batters faced against an excellent 5.5% walk rate. His 3.58 earned run average didn’t quite align with those fantastic peripherals. That’s at least in part because he was pitching in front of one of the game’s worst defensive teams, contributing to an elevated .318 average on balls in play against him.
Going into 2025, Crochet projects as a top-of-the-rotation arm. He shouldn’t have as many concerns about his workload down the stretch. His deadline trade candidacy was also complicated by the late revelation that he was seeking a contract extension if he’d be asked to pitch into the postseason during his first season as a starter. That’s no longer an obstacle.
Chicago GM Chris Getz spoke in generalities about a potential Crochet trade. He repeated the organization’s preference to add young hitting talent but suggested they weren’t opposed to building around pitching if they felt it was the best offer (X link via Scott Merkin of MLB.com). Getz reiterated that he didn’t feel compelled to make a trade this offseason, though it’d be a major surprise if Crochet were still in a White Sox uniform by the end of March.
Of the New York teams, the Mets have more talent at the top of the farm system. Their system is headlined by shortstop Jett Williams. Baseball America ranks 19-year-old infielder Jesus Baez as the #3 prospect in the organization. Ronny Mauricio is a former top prospect who might’ve opened the season as New York’s third baseman had he not torn his ACL in winter ball last year. Third baseman Brett Baty has seen his stock dip as he’s underperformed against MLB pitching, but he’s drawing attention as a change of scenery candidate. While Baty no longer has the pull to headline a Crochet package, he could be of interest as a secondary piece. (The Sox built their deadline return for Erick Fedde and Michael Kopech around Miguel Vargas, another post-hype infielder.)
The Yankees’ system is headlined by Jasson Domínguez. There’s a sharp drop thereafter, however. It’d be a surprise if the Yanks were willing to put Domínguez in a Crochet package. The switch-hitter may well be New York’s starting center fielder next year, with Aaron Judge potentially kicking to right field after Juan Soto walked. Outfielder Spencer Jones and infielders George Lombard Jr. and Roderick Arias were once viewed as Top 100 type talents, but they’re all coming off somewhat alarming minor league seasons. Jones and Arias struck out at huge rates, while Lombard didn’t hit for much power in A-ball.
Crochet is controllable for two seasons. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a bargain $2.9MM salary. Even for the New York franchises, the affordability is appealing. The Yankees could prefer to attack the lineup in free agency rather than make a top-of-the-market splash for starting pitching. The Mets still need a top-of-the-rotation starter. They’ve thus far shied away from making that kind of move in free agency, instead building the rotation with upside plays for Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas.
Mike Elias Discusses Orioles’ Pitching Search
Reports over the weekend suggested that the Orioles weren’t keen on giving up a compensatory draft pick in order to sign a pitcher who rejected a qualifying offer, which would seemingly rule out Max Fried, Sean Manaea, and Nick Pivetta from the team’s list of possible targets. Speaking with MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko and other reporters today at the Winter Meetings, Orioles GM Mike Elias denied that the qualifying offer was an obstacle in club’s quest to add pitching.
“We’re in on everybody….When there’s aspects of the rules that create wrinkles, you’ve got to weigh them, so we do that,” Elias said. “But there is no player that we’re not interested in or pursuing in some shape or fashion if we feel like the talent is additive to the current roster that we have.”
Signing a qualified free agent would require the Orioles to give up their third-highest pick in the 2025 draft as compensation. Since the O’s would stand to gain two compensatory picks after the first round of the draft if Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander (Baltimore’s own qualified free agents) signed with another team for more than $50MM, the Orioles’ third-highest pick would therefore fall within the 30-40 range of the 2025 draft order.
Losing such a high selection is no small matter, considering how highly teams prize draft picks. Fans might grumble that the Orioles’ prospect depth should mean that they should be more open to moving draft capital if it means landing more proven big leaguers, yet it should be noted that Baltimore already gave up a pick to land proven talent last offseason — the Orioles included their Competitive Balance Round-A selection (34th overall) as part of the trade package that brought Burnes to Baltimore from Milwaukee.
Elias’ comments today lined up with his comments from November about the Orioles were exploring “the whole spectrum” of pitching targets. This means both ace-level pitchers and mid-rotation help, and Elias didn’t rule out the possibility that Baltimore could add two pitchers to its pre-existing rotation base of Grayson Rodriguez, Zach Eflin, Dean Kremer, Albert Suarez, Cade Povich, Trevor Rogers, and Chayce McDermott.
In terms of gaining an ace, Burnes could depart in free agency, leaving a particularly big hole atop the rotation. Elias acknowledged the difficulty in acquiring such pitchers, whether via free agency or (as the O’s did in landing Burnes) in trades.
While Baltimore’s deep farm system ostensibly gives the club a leg up in trade talks, “there aren’t too many teams making their major league players available for prospects right now,” Elias said. “Those that are, we’re deeply engaged with those teams. Those that aren’t in that mode, we’re exploring more major league-for-major league kind of trades, which obviously take unique fits on the rosters.”
Beyond just the rotation, the O’s are looking to bolster the relief corps as well. The Orioles’ decision to non-tender Jacob Webb and decline Danny Coulombe‘s $4MM club option seemingly ran counter to this desire for bullpen depth, but Elias said the team was open to bringing either pitcher back.
“You’re not able to keep every player that you like at all times at any cost, and so we have to do a balancing act when we’re curating our roster,” Elias said. “Sometimes that involves making tough decisions much earlier in the offseason than you’d like to when you don’t have a full picture of what’s going to happen and you don’t have a crystal ball and you have to make some decisions early in the offseason. But it doesn’t close the door.”
Rangers Still Pursuing Reunion With Nathan Eovaldi
The Rangers continue to pursue a reunion with free agent starter Nathan Eovaldi, GM Chris Young confirmed today at the Winter Meetings. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports that Texas has a meeting scheduled with the right-hander’s representatives on Monday evening.
Eovaldi is one of the better unsigned pitchers in a quick-moving rotation market. Unlike Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, he’ll be limited to a relatively short-term deal. Eovaldi turns 35 in February. That’s an age at which very few free agent pitchers get three years. Using MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, we see that there are only three free agent starters 35 or older who signed for at least three years within the past decade: Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Rich Hill.
MLBTR thus predicted two years at a hefty $22MM average annual value for Eovaldi. The rotation market has been quite strong early on, however, so it’s not out of the question that he gets to three years on a deal that pushes past $60MM total. Even if he’s limited to two years, it’ll very likely cost north of $20MM annually.
It’s not clear whether the Rangers would find that price palatable. They’ve scaled back spending in consecutive winters as they navigate an uncertain future with their in-market television deal. Grant reported in October that Texas was hoping to keep their luxury tax number below next year’s $241MM base threshold. RosterResource calculates the Rangers’ CBT number around $195MM. They’ve got a decent amount of flexibility, but something like $22MM annually for Eovaldi would account for nearly half the gap. Texas needs to acquire multiple relievers as well, and teams generally prefer to leave some payroll space for deadline acquisitions. A club’s luxury tax number isn’t calculated until the end of the season, so salary taken on midseason counts towards it on a prorated basis.
Eovaldi unsurprisingly has broad appeal on the market. He has gotten reported interest from the Orioles, Mets, Braves and Red Sox. He still has above-average velocity and is coming off a 3.80 ERA showing with good strikeout and walk numbers. Eovaldi also has a strong reputation for his performance in the postseason, including a 2.95 ERA over six starts during the Rangers’ 2023 World Series run.