Spring has sprung, which means players have arrived at spring training sites in Arizona and Florida. While that typically means the focus shifts to the upcoming regular season, this time around, it’s a bit different. The occasionally glacial pace of the 2023-24 offseason means that a few highly compelling free agents and trade targets remain on the board. That, in turn, means a daily supply of rumors. You can find Saturday’s edition just below.
Alonso willing to talk extension after season begins
Mets slugging first baseman Pete Alonso is entering his walk year in 2024, and that means it’s possible that this will be his final season in Queens. Still, Alonso has expressed a willingness to sign an extension before he gets to free agency. On Saturday, he reinforced that willingness by indicating he’s willing to talk contract even after the regular season begins, as Mike Puma notes. That’s often not the case, as many players prefer not to have the distraction of negotiations bleed over into the season, when it can be a theoretical distraction. Not so with Alonso, it seems.
As for whether there’s mutual interest, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has indicated there indeed is. At the same time, Stearns has also said that Alonso is likely to reach free agency.
Alonso, 29, is a three-time All-Star and a highly popular figure among Mets fans. Across parts of five MLB seasons, he boasts an OPS+ of 136, and he’s racked up 192 home runs in 684 games, all with the Mets. There’s risk in committing to a first baseman, particularly one with strikeout issues, well into his thirties, but there’s no doubt that Alonso will help the Mets’ cause in the near- to mid-term.
D-backs land Grichuk
The reigning NL-champion Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk on a one-year contract worth $2 million, Jeff Passan reports. Passan adds that Grichuk’s deal with the D-backs includes a $6 million mutual option/$500K buyout for 2025. He’ll make $1.5 million for the upcoming season, and the 2025 buyout pushes the guarantee to $2 million.
Grichuk, 32, is coming off a 2023 season in which he put up an OPS+ of 103 with 16 home runs and 31 doubles in a combined 118 games for the Rockies and Angels. For his career, he has an OPS+ of 101 across parts of 10 major-league seasons. With Arizona, Grichuk, who bats righty, figures to see occasional platoon duty in the outfield and at DH while also serving as a pinch-hitting option.
Royals acquire bullpen help from Boston
According to Jeff Passan, the Royals have swung a minor trade with the Red Sox that will send right-handed reliever John Schreiber to Kansas City in exchange for righty prospect David Sandlin.
Schreiber, who turns 30 in early March, has a 3.58 ERA and 3.11 K/BB ratio across parts of five MLB seasons. In his best season of 2022, he had an ERA+ of 190 for Boston with eight saves. Schreiber isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2026 season. As for Sandlin, who will soon turn 23, he’s a former 11th-rounder out of the University of Oklahoma. In two minor-league seasons in the Royals’ system, he has an ERA of 3.41 in 15 starts with 90 strikeouts in 68 ⅔ innings. Last season, he reached the High-A Midwest League.
