n”,”providerName”:”Twitter”,”providerUrl”:”https://twitter.com”,”type”:”rich”,”width”:550,”__typename”:”ExternalEmbedContent”},”$ROOT_QUERY.getForgeContentBySlug({“locale”:”en-us”,”slug”:”mlb-rumors-trades-and-signings”,”type”:”story”}).parts.3″:{“data”:{“type”:”id”,”generated”:true,”id”:”$ROOT_QUERY.getForgeContentBySlug({“locale”:”en-us”,”slug”:”mlb-rumors-trades-and-signings”,”type”:”story”}).parts.3.data”,”typename”:”ExternalEmbedContent”},”type”:”oembed”,”__typename”:”ExternalEmbed”},”$ROOT_QUERY.getForgeContentBySlug({“locale”:”en-us”,”slug”:”mlb-rumors-trades-and-signings”,”type”:”story”}).parts.4″:{“content”:”### Nov. 16: Blue Jays showing interest in Nimmonn nThe Blue Jays have parted ways with three outfielders in the past two days, designating Raimel Tapia and Bradley Zimmer for assignment on Tuesday and trading Teoscar Hernández to the Mariners on Wednesday.nnToronto has turned its focus to the free-agent market and is showing interest in center fielder Brandon Nimmo, according to MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi.nnNimmo’s left-handed bat would make sense for a Blue Jays team that is heavy on right-handed hitters, albeit with one fewer righty bat after trading Hernández. Acquiring Nimmo would also give Toronto the option of moving George Springer from center field to right as he enters his age-33 season.nnThe 29-year-old Nimmo is tied to Draft compensation after declining a qualifying offer from the Mets. The Blue Jays would need to forfeit their second-highest selection in the 2023 Draft, as well as $500,000 from their international bonus pool, if they sign Nimmo or another QO free agent.”,”type”:”markdown”,”__typename”:”Markdown”},”$ROOT_QUERY.getForgeContentBySlug({“locale”:”en-us”,”slug”:”mlb-rumors-trades-and-signings”,”type”:”story”}).parts.5.data”:{“html”:”
Even with Julio Rodríguez in center and Teoscar Hernández in right, the #Mariners are not done looking at outfielders. I’m told they’re considering upgrades in left field, where internal options include Winker, Haggerty, Moore, and Kelenic. @MLBNetwork @SeattleSports
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 16, 2022
LATEST FREE AGENT & TRADE RUMORS
26 minutes ago
We’re keeping track of all the latest free agent and trade rumors.
Nov. 16: Orioles could be dark horse for free-agent ace
Don’t count out the Orioles in the race for the best starters on the free-agent market.
“The Orioles are swimming in the ‘deep end’ and touching base with the agents for almost all of the free-agent pitchers,” The Athletic’s Jim Bowden (subscription required) writes.
Justin Verlander, Jacob deGrom and Carlos Rodón represent the top tier of available starting pitchers, followed by a group that includes Kodai Senga, Chris Bassitt, Jameson Taillon, Taijuan Walker, Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney and José Quintana.
deGrom, Rodón, Bassitt and Eovaldi all have Draft compensation tied to them after declining qualifying offers, but as a revenue-sharing recipient in 2022, the O’s would only need to forfeit their third-highest pick in the 2023 MLB Draft to sign one of them.
Sparked by former No. 1 overall Draft pick Adley Rutschman and a strong bullpen, Baltimore made a surprising leap into contention last season, going 83-79 after losing 108 or more games in each of the previous three full seasons.
Highly regarded prospect Gunnar Henderson also had a promising late-season debut, and more talent is on the way, giving the O’s a strong foundation.
FanGraphs currently projects a 2023 payroll of roughly $41 million for Baltimore, so the club has room in the budget for a big signing or two.
General manager Mike Elias indicated Tuesday that the Orioles are looking to be active in free agency.
“We are working the phones right now,” Elias said MLB Network”s “High Heat.” “Free agency has started and I think we’ve got some targets out there that we’d like to bring in that have a lot of years under their belt.”
Nov. 16: Blue Jays showing interest in Nimmo
The Blue Jays have parted ways with three outfielders in the past two days, designating Raimel Tapia and Bradley Zimmer for assignment on Tuesday and trading Teoscar Hernández to the Mariners on Wednesday.
Toronto has turned its focus to the free-agent market and is showing interest in center fielder Brandon Nimmo, according to MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi.
Nimmo’s left-handed bat would make sense for a Blue Jays team that is heavy on right-handed hitters, albeit with one fewer righty bat after trading Hernández. Acquiring Nimmo would also give Toronto the option of moving George Springer from center field to right as he enters his age-33 season.
The 29-year-old Nimmo is tied to Draft compensation after declining a qualifying offer from the Mets. The Blue Jays would need to forfeit their second-highest selection in the 2023 Draft, as well as $500,000 from their international bonus pool, if they sign Nimmo or another QO free agent.
Nov. 16: Yanks reportedly ‘staying busy on multiple fronts’ in free agency
The Bronx Bombers re-signed first baseman Anthony Rizzo to a two-year deal on Tuesday, and they’ve checked in on free-agent shortstops Carlos Correa, Trea Turner and Xander Bogaerts, as well as center fielder Brandon Nimmo. More >
Nov. 16: Cubs active in shortstop market
The Cubs are “broadly active” in the shortstop market, with Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson all on their list of targets, according to MLB.com’s Jon Morosi.
While the club would surely be happy to land any of the Big Four free-agent shortstops, Morosi thinks Correa is at the top of Chicago’s list, with Turner second.
However, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden (subscription required) thinks the Cubs are going to have to go above market price to sign one of them because they aren’t yet ready to be a serious contender.
“I think the Cubs can land one of the top four free-agent shortstops if and only if they are prepared to go 10 years and $300 million. Chicago will have to overpay because most of those shortstops prefer to play for a contender,” Bowden writes.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers is skeptical that the Cubs will be willing to go to that level.
“I’m not as convinced they’re going to go all in as a lot of people might be,” Rogers told Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on MLB Network’s “High Heat.” “I’m based in Chicago here and there’s so much conversation about getting a shortstop … I’m not convinced they’re ready for an eight- to 10-year deal.
“They just got out from underneath one in releasing Jason Heyward yesterday, it didn’t work out too well. Last week at the GM Meetings [Cubs president of baseball operations] Jed Hoyer talked about how you get the best out of these deals in the first or second year. Well if the Cubs aren’t really ready to win it all in the next year or two, you might be wasting the best years of these shortstops.”
Nov. 16: M’s Teoscar acquisition could be prelude to Winker trade
The Mariners have acquired outfielder Teoscar Hernández from the Blue Jays, potentially clearing the way for Jesse Winker to be moved in the coming weeks.
MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi reported Tuesday that the Mariners have been discussing multiple trades in recent days and “are willing to move Winker and either (starting pitchers) Chris Flexen or Marco Gonzales.”
Winker, who is under contract through 2023, was an All-Star in Cincinnati in 2021. However, the 29-year-old recorded just a .688 OPS during an injury-plagued first season with the Mariners.
Morosi hears the Mariners aren’t done looking at outfielders, with an eye on upgrading in left field. Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto and Andrew Benintendi are some of the notable names on the outfield market behind superstar slugger Aaron Judge, who is presumably an unlikely target for the M’s.
Nov. 15: Verlander could have hot market
When Justin Verlander became a free agent a year ago, he didn’t take long to return to the Astros on a one-year, $25 million deal that he negotiated personally with owner Jim Crane. Considering the success he’s had in Houston, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see him quickly re-sign with the club again this offseason, but that hasn’t happened yet.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required) thinks the delay could be because Verlander sees the potential for a lucrative market to develop, with big-market clubs such as the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets involved.
The chances of the Dodgers pursuing Verlander seemingly just went up. Los Angeles has multiple rotation spots to fill, and the club now knows that Tyler Anderson won’t be back. Anderson declined the team’s qualifying offer Tuesday and agreed to a three-year deal (per a source) with the Angels.
The Yankees tried to sign Verlander a year ago, reportedly offering him a one-year, $25 million deal. It’s unclear where the Yanks currently stand on Verlander, but their New York counterparts are said to be considering a push for the righty.
Nov. 15: Mets considering alternatives based on belief Rangers are serious about deGrom (report)
Although the Rangers traded for Jake Odorizzi and brought back Martín Pérez via the qualifying offer on Tuesday, general manager Chris Young said that Texas will “continue to look at the same [rotation] targets that we had going into this process.”
That could mean Jacob deGrom, one of the free agents to whom the club has been linked.
According to SNY’s Andy Martino, the Mets remain engaged with deGrom’s camp but are considering a number of free-agent alternatives — including Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga — based on the belief that the Rangers are serious suitors for deGrom. More >
Nov. 15: Astros’ top first-base target off the market
With Yuli Gurriel now a free agent, the Astros have a hole to fill at first base, but their reported No. 1 target at the position is now off the market.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required) reported Monday that Houston was zeroing in on Anthony Rizzo, but the veteran signed a two-year deal to return to the Yankees on Tuesday.
Per Rosenthal’s report, the Astros also have been considering longtime White Sox first baseman José Abreu, and they haven’t ruled out a reunion with Gurriel. It’s possible we’ll see the defending World Series champions make a stronger push for Abreu now that Rizzo is out of the picture.
Nov. 15: Cardinals exploring all options at catcher
In the wake of Yader Molina’s retirement, the Cardinals have a need at catcher for the first time in nearly two decades. Top catching prospect Ivan Herrera got a short look in the Majors last year but is only 22 years old and may need a little more time in the Minor Leagues. So, it’s more likely that St. Louis finds its next Opening Day catcher either via free agency or a trade.
Both avenues are options for the Cardinals, who have some payroll flexibility and a deep farm system. The best offensive catcher on the market is someone the Cardinals are very familiar with: Willson Contreras. The three-time All-Star is coming off a season in which he recorded a 128 OPS+ for the rival Cubs and slugged 22 homers. However, Contreras does have defensive limitations and, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic (subscription required), “if the Cardinals were to sign Contreras, it would likely exhaust the remainder of their payroll reserved for free agents.”
If St. Louis decides to not sign Contreras — or Christian Vázquez or Tucker Barnhart on a shorter-term deal — it could turn its attention to the trade market, where the A’s Sean Murphy remains a popular target.
At least a half-dozen teams, including the Cardinals, are interested in Murphy, per MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi. The 28-year-old logged a 120 OPS+ this past season, is a plus defensive catcher and has three years of team control remaining.
“The Cardinals definitely have the depth to make a trade happen, but it’s too early in the offseason to accurately predict just how high the A’s will make Murphy’s trade value.”
Yet another option for the Cardinals is a trade with the Blue Jays, who could be willing to deal Danny Jansen or 2022 All-Star Alejandro Kirk given that they have top prospect Gabriel Moreno waiting in the wings.
Nov. 15: Pederson, Pérez accept QO; 12 players decline
Of the 14 free agents who were tendered qualifying offers last week, Joc Pederson and Martín Pérez were the only players who accepted prior to Tuesday’s deadline, returning to the Giants and Rangers, respectively. More >
Nov. 14: Senga drawing interest from at least 5 teams
The Angels, Dodgers, Rangers, Mariners and Blue Jays are showing interest in Japanese right-hander Kodai Senga, according to MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi. The Cubs, Padres and Giants also have been linked to Senga in recent reports.
As Morosi explained in an appearance on MLB Network on Monday, Senga has become a popular target for pitching-needy teams for a number of reasons.
Unlike other top free-agent pitchers such as Jacob deGrom, Carlos Rodón, Chris Bassitt, Tyler Anderson and Nathan Eovaldi, Senga has no qualifying offer attached to him, which means he isn’t tied to Draft-pick compensation. He’ll also likely be less expensive than some of his free-agent peers while offering the upside of a No. 2 starter.
Armed with a 101-mph fastball and a nasty splitter, Senga has struck out 1,252 batters during his time in Japan, good enough for a 10.3 K/9 rate. He produced a 2.59 ERA over more than 1,000 innings pitched across 11 seasons for Nippon Professional Baseball’s Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.
Nov. 14: Why Rangers could be backing off FA starters
The Rangers are expected to be active at the top of the starting-pitching market this offseason, with MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi reporting last week that the club had made contact with the representatives for Jacob deGrom, Carlos Rodón and Kodai Senga.
However, the early asking prices from some of the biggest free-agent starters could cause Texas to pivot to trades and lesser starting pitchers, notes The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (subscription required).
Further complicating matters for the Rangers is the Draft compensation tied to deGrom and Rodón after they received qualifying offers from their previous clubs. The Rangers would need to surrender their second-highest selection in the 2023 Draft and $500,000 from their international bonus pool to sign a QO free agent.
The Rangers are expected to bring back Martín Pérez via the qualifying offer to team with Jon Gray and trade acquisition Jake Odorizzi, leaving the team with two more rotation spots to fill.
Senga, Justin Verlander, José Quintana, Jameson Taillon, Taijuan Walker and Andrew Heaney are among the best free-agent starters with no qualifying offer attached to them. Potential trade candidates include the Brewers’ Corbin Burnes and the Marlins’ Pablo López.
Nov. 14: Young catcher a popular trade target
A’s catcher Sean Murphy continues to generate buzz on the trade market, according to MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi, who notes that there may be even more suitors for Murphy than there are for free-agent backstop Willson Contreras.
Per Morosi, the Rays are among the teams showing interest in Murphy. The White Sox and Padres have been linked to Murphy, too, and the three main Contreras suitors — the Astros, Cardinals and Tigers — are potential fits for the 28-year-old Murphy as well.
Murphy comes with three years of team control at a far lower price than it would take to sign Contreras to a multiyear contract. He’s also two years younger and a better defender than Contreras while offering similar offensive upside.
Murphy is one of the best defensive catchers in the game, with elite pop-time and pitching-framing metrics, and he posted a 120 OPS+ at the plate in 2022.
So why would the A’s trade him? For one, he’s arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason, meaning he’s about to become increasingly more expensive. Oakland also has Shea Langeliers, the key piece in the Matt Olson trade return, ready to step in behind the plate.
Nov. 14: Red Sox reportedly offer Eovaldi multiyear deal
In addition to a one-year, $19.65 million qualifying offer, the Red Sox have offered right-hander Nathan Eovaldi a multiyear deal, reports WEEI’s Rob Bradford. Eovaldi needs to decide whether to accept the QO by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
Bringing back Eovaldi would bring some much needed stability to Boston’s rotation. With Chris Sale and James Paxton having barely pitched over the past three years, Garrett Whitlock coming off hip surgery and Eovaldi, Rich Hill and Michael Wacha all becoming free agents after the World Series, the Red Sox have a ton of pitching questions to sort out.
The 32-year-old Eovaldi just wrapped up a four-year, $68 million deal with the Red Sox. He went 21-14 with a 3.79 ERA and a 5.65 K/BB ratio in 61 starts over the final three years on the contract.
