Welcome to the last full week before Thanksgiving, a period of time in the Major League Baseball season that is generally pretty dead. It’s always possible things start to shake loose, but for now, let’s just keep in mind that this week is unlikely to see lots of actual player movement.
Something to watch this week: The deadline for players to accept or decline the qualifying offer is 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. After that, we’ll know which players are free agents while attached to compensation and which are remaining with their teams on a one-year deal.
Let’s dive in to the rest.
Dodgers set to meet with Soto
The Dodgers will be the next team to meet with Juan Soto and Scott Boras. MLB.com reports the two sides will meet early this week, perhaps as soon as Tuesday. The defending World Series champions need an outfielder with Teoscar Hernández now a free agent and Mookie Betts moving back to the infield.
As things stand, the Dodgers are expected to move Tommy Edman back to center field, and James Outman and Andy Pages are the top in-house candidates to play the corners. They will almost certainly add an outfielder this winter, maybe two, and Soto is far and away the best available. Cot’s Baseball Contracts estimates the club’s 2025 competitive tax payroll at $272 million, well below their 2024 number ($352 million).
Nick Martinez to accept QO
Reds pitcher Nick Martinez is going to accept the qualifying offer, reports the Cincinnati Enquirer. That means he’ll be playing 2025 on a one-year, $21.05 million deal. The veteran righty appeared in 42 games last season, 16 of them starts, and pitched to a 3.10 ERA (142 ERA+) and 1.03 WHIP in 142 ⅓ innings.
He actually joined the rotation for good on Aug. 5 and made 11 starts to finish the season. In that span, he was 5-2 with a 2.42 ERA in 63 ⅓ innings with 53 strikeouts against just eight walks.
With Martinez returning, surely he’s earned a spot in the rotation, so right now the Reds’ stable of starters looks something like: Hunter Greene, Martinez, Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo and Rhett Lowder.
Some cold water on Soto and the Blue Jays
The Blue Jays, believed to be the runners-up in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, have been heavily linked to free-agent superstar Juan Soto this winter, even securing a meeting with him and agent Scott Boras as they hold court for their suitors. On Monday in The Athletic, Ken Rosenthal threw some cold water on the idea, citing not only the “uncertain future” of club president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins, but also that the Jays aren’t really all that well set up for future success, both in their own diision and compared to some other contenders. Oh, and there’s this conundrum with current superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is set to hit free agency next offseason as things stand:
Perhaps Guerrero is telling the Jays, “Find some players to put around me, and then I’ll consider staying.” Perhaps Soto, Anthony Santander and other Jays free-agent targets are saying, “Sign Vlad Jr., and then we’ll talk.” In which case, the Jays are stuck between a rock and a hard place — an impossible position, but one of their own making.
Pure speculation here: Soto is still going to sign with one of the two New York teams and all the rest is just noise.
Adames market is vast
Unsurprisingly, the market for free-agent shortstop Willy Adames is “very broad,” according to Jon Morosi on MLB Network. He names the Astros, Blue Jays, Braves and Red Sox as interested teams and it’s pretty widely believed the Dodgers will take a look as well — though they could move Mookie Betts to shortstop and pursue an outfielder instead.
The Astros mention is particularly interesting because an Adames signing would move him to third base, meaning Alex Bregman would be signing elsewhere.
Adames, 29, hit .251/.331/.462 (118 OPS+) with 33 doubles, 32 homers, 112 RBI, 93 runs, 21 steals and 3.1 WAR for the Brewers last season.
‘Nothing to report’ on Bregman, Astros talks
Astros owner Jim Crane took some off-topic questions Monday at a press conference to announce that the team has renamed their ballpark on Monday, several of which revolved around departing free agent Alex Bregman. Crane said there’s “nothing to report yet” and that general manager Dana Brown has been handling conversations with Bregman’s agent, Scott Boras. Via the Athletic:
“We all know Scott. He’s going to do the best he can to get the most money for him if it’s a place he wants to go,” Crane said. “But, at some point we’d have to make a decision. We’re looking now as a backup and we’re exploring all the options. That’s what’s happening now.”
Crane also noted that the Astros have the wherewithal to spend big and are fine to do so without “going crazy.” They were fourth in payroll last season behind the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets. It doesn’t sound like he wants to break into that top three.
Bregman, 30, has spent nine years with the Astros at the big-league level now. He’s not the MVP candidate he once was (he finished fifth in 2018 and second in 2019), but he’s still a very productive player. Last season, he hit .260/.315/.453 (118 OPS+) with 30 doubles, 26 homers, 75 RBI, 79 runs and 4.1 WAR.
White Sox sign outfielder
The White Sox have signed free agent outfielder Austin Slater, reports the New York Post.
Slater, 31, had stops with three different teams last season. In 84 games, he hit .209/.321/.266 (73 OPS+) with -0.2 WAR.
It’s hard telling at this point how Slater fits into the White Sox’s plans for next season, as we don’t know exactly who will be traded. Luis Robert and Andrew Benintendi are set to be the center fielder and left fielder, respectively, but Robert is a major trade candidate and the Sox would likely love to get out of some of Benintendi’s contract if they could, given the state of the franchise.
The White Sox went 41-121 last season.
