One of the big remaining free agents signed Wednesday night, with Pete Alonso agreeing to terms to return to the Mets on a reported two-year, $54 million deal. It’s a mutually beneficial deal as far as we’re concerned. Plus, the Padres‘ ownership situation got a little more stability.
Still, some items remain unsettled this offseason, namely Alex Bregman’s continued free agency. The second-half of the free agent tracker shows a good number of available free agents, even here in February with spring training just about to start.
For now, we’ll round up the news and rumors of the day right here.
Bregman still wants long-term deal
Though the offseason is getting late and will very soon bleed into spring training, Bregman (unlike Alonso) isn’t ready to end his free agency with a short-term deal, according to USA Today. Instead, the All-Star third baseman is still seeking a six- or seven-year deal, per the report.
If Bregman did decide to do something like a one-year deal with options, his market might expand but it doesn’t seem like that’s on the table just yet.
It’s hard telling where Bregman negotiations with any specific team stand, but the Tigers, Cubs, Red Sox, Blue Jays and incumbent Astros have all been connected to him in rumors at some point and would all still make sense.
Pirates sign free agent outfielder
The Pirates and free agent outfielder Tommy Pham have agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal, according to The Athletic.
Pham heads to his age-37 season having played for three teams last year. In his 116 games, he hit .248/.305/.368 (91 OPS+) with 20 doubles, three triples, nine homers, 39 RBI, 49 runs, seven steals and -0.2 WAR.
The everyday starters in the outfield for the Pirates entering spring training are Oneil Cruz in center and Bryan Reynolds in left. Andrew McCutchen and Pham appear to be the top options for the right field and designated hitter spots right now.
Twins looking for shortstop help
The Twins obviously have a starting shortstop locked up for a while in Carlos Correa, whose deal runs through 2028 with three team options. They would like a backup, though, especially in light of Correa’s ongoing issues with plantar fasciitis. In light of that, the Twins have looked into signing free-agent infielders Luis Urías and Paul DeJong, according to The Athletic.
Correa hit .310/.388/.517 with 20 doubles and 14 homers last season in his 86 games, producing 3.7 WAR. The problem is the missed games.
Urías, 27, hit .191/.303/.394 in 109 plate appearances with the Mariners last season, but he was productive for the Brewers in 2021 and 2022.
The 31-year-old DeJong hit .227/.276/.427 with 24 home runs in 139 games between the White Sox and Royals last year. He’d be a nice power bat off the bench and could also cover third if Correa is healthy and Royce Lewis gets hurt.
