The annual Winter Meetings are next week in Dallas and we’re in “any moment now” territory with Juan Soto. He is expected to agree to a deal by the end of the Winter Meetings at the latest, and possibly as early as this week. As I said, it could be any moment now, and once Soto comes off the board, the rest of the market will move. Here now are Thursday’s hot stove rumors.
Astros make an offer to Bregman
The Astros have offered third baseman a six-year, $156 million contract, reports MLB.com. That would be the largest contract in franchise history, surpassing Jose Altuve’s $151 million extension in 2018. Bregman and agent Scott Boras are said to be seeking a deal north of $200 million. We ranked Bregman as the third-best free agent available this offseason.
Six years and $156 million is a touch more than the six-year, $151 million extension the Giants gave Matt Chapman in September. Chapman’s deal suggested Bregman could command a larger contract. The Astros have a history of letting homegrown stars leave as free agents (Carlos Correa, Dallas Keuchel, George Springer, etc.). They’re at least trying to retain Bregman, though it appears there is a sizable gap in talks at the moment.
Bellinger receiving interest
The Cubs have been said to be open to the possibility of trading Cody Bellinger this offseason and, according to 670 The Score in Chicago, the Yankees, Mariners and Astros have all “checked in” on the former MVP.
Bellinger, 29, exercised his $27.5 million player option with the Cubs for the 2025 season instead of going to free agency. Last season, in 130 games, he hit .266/.325/.426 (111 OPS+) with 23 doubles, three triples, 18 homers, 78 RBI, 72 runs, nine steals and 2.2 WAR. He resurrected his career with a 4.4-WAR season with the Cubs in 2023 and then took a bit of a step back last year.
With Seiya Suzuki, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ian Happ, the Cubs have a full outfield without Bellinger at the big-league level already. They also have a few prospects coming soon. Michael Busch is the first baseman. Bellinger would start if the season opened right now, but there’s certainly flexibility for the Cubs to absorb the loss of Bellinger as long as the return is there.
The Yankees would almost certainly only be interested if they lost out on Juan Soto. The Astros could sure use an upgrade at first base and could even use Bellinger in center, too. The Mariners just need any bat with potential upside, basically, and Bellinger could fit at first.
Guardians open to offers for Naylor, Thomas
The Guardians are open to trade offers for first baseman Josh Naylor and outfielder Lane Thomas, reports The Athletic. Naylor and Thomas will both be free agents after 2025. Naylor is projected for roughly $12 million through arbitration in 2025, which would make him the team’s second-highest paid player behind José Ramírez. Thomas is projected for $8 million or so.
Cleveland has Naylor’s first-base replacement ready to go in top prospect Kyle Manzardo, who played well down the stretch and in the postseason next year. The club is short on outfielders beyond Steven Kwan, however, so keeping Thomas makes sense. There is no harm in listening to offers though. Perhaps trading Thomas, who hit some huge home runs in October, could net the Guardians one or two younger players with long-term control.
D-backs receiving interest in starters
Teams are calling the Diamondbacks about their starting pitchers, GM Mike Hazen told the Arizona Republic. Arizona currently has six starters for five rotation spots: Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Jordan Montgomery, Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt, and Eduardo Rodriguez. Montgomery stands out as an obvious trade candidate following owner Ken Kendrick’s comments a few weeks ago.
Montgomery picked up his $22.5 million player option after the season, and while that’s pricey for a guy coming off a 6.23 ERA and a demotion to the bullpen, starting pitching is very expensive right now and there is reason to believe Montgomery can bounce back in 2025. Gallen and Kelly will be free agents after next season and re-signing Gallen (a Scott Boras client) in particular could be tough, so perhaps the D’Backs will listen to offers for him. Montgomery seems most likely to go, however.
Yankees meet with Burnes
One day after we learned the Yankees had a 90-minute Zoom call with Max Fried, the New York Post reports the Yankees also met remotely with Corbin Burnes. The meeting is said to have gone “very well,” though all these meetings go well. The next time we hear one of these meetings didn’t go well will be the first. We ranked Burnes as the second-best free agent available this offseason.
The Yankees meet with every top free agent every offseason out of due diligence, so it is no surprise they’ve met with Burnes (and Fried). They are of course focused on Soto, and it’s unclear whether they’re open to signing Burnes in addition to Soto, or view him as part of a Plan B. On paper, the Yankees have six starters for five spots (Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Luis Gil, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, Marcus Stroman), though Burnes would make any rotation better.
Rays willing to trade starters
The Rays are willing to trade their starting pitcher and have gotten inquiries about lefty Jeffrey Springs, according to ESPN. Tampa typically trades their most expensive players every offseason, and with matching $10.5 million salaries, Springs and infielder Brandon Lowe are scheduled to be the team’s highest-paid players in 2025. Springs is without question a trade candidate.
Springs, 32, had a 3.27 ERA in seven starts after returning from Tommy John surgery this past season. His breakout year was 2022, when he threw 135 ⅓ innings with a 2.46 ERA, including a 2.66 ERA in 125 innings as a starter. Starting pitching is very expensive these days, so even though elbow surgery limited Springs to 10 starts over the last two years, he’s appealing with $10.5 million salaries in 2025 and 2026, plus a $15 million club option for 2027.
Soroka drawing interest as starter
Free-agent righty Mike Soroka is receiving more interest as a starter than as a reliever, reports The Athletic. Still only 27, Soroka began last season in the rotation with the White Sox, though he was ineffective and moved to the bullpen in May. He was terrific in a relief role: 2.75 ERA while striking out 39.0% of batters faced. As a starter, it was a 6.39 ERA and 12.4% strikeout rate.
The move into the bullpen came with a change in pitch usage as well. Soroka scrapped his sinker and changeup, and became a four-seam fastball/slider reliever. He also had a velocity spike, which is not uncommon when starters become relievers. The question is whether Soroka can translate his bullpen success back into a starting role. Two Achilles tears have derailed his career since finishing second in the 2019 NL Rookie of the Year voting.
Aoyagi posted for MLB teams
Hanshin Tigers righty Koyo Aoyagi has officially been posted for MLB teams, the NPB club announced Wednesday. His 45-day posting window runs through Jan. 17. Aoyagi, 31 next week, had a 3.00 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 114 innings in 2024. As a sidearmer who sits in the upper-80s with his sinking two-seam fastball, Aoyagi projects as more of a depth arm or reliever than difference-making starter. He will command a much smaller contract than Shota Imanaga, never mind Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
