Rumors: Will Yanks-Sox rivalry ignite over Senga?

We’re keeping track of all the latest free agent and trade rumors.

Nov. 21: Will Yanks-Sox rivalry ignite over Senga?

The Yankees and Red Sox battle it out annually in the AL East, and they have gone head to head for some top free agents over the years, too. That just might be the case again this offseason, when it comes to Japanese right-hander Kodai Senga.

Both clubs have been in touch with the representatives for the 29-year-old, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. That’s not too surprising, given that New York and Boston both could stand to bolster their rotation depth. And while Senga does not necessarily profile as an ace in MLB, he has been highly successful with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Softbank Hawks, including a 1.94 ERA in 2022. Senga’s impressive fastball velocity and nasty splitter certainly give Major League suitors plenty on which to dream.

Add in the fact that Senga is an unrestricted free agent who isn’t attached to Draft pick compensation — unlike fellow free agents such as Carlos Rodón or Nathan Eovaldi, who received qualifying offers — and Senga only becomes more marketable.

Of course, those same things will appeal to other teams besides the Yankees and Red Sox. Indeed, the Giants, Mets and Padres also have been connected to Senga, who is sure to garner widespread interest this winter.

Nov. 21: Are Dodgers the best fit for JV?

While the Astros want Justin Verlander back, and the Mets and Yankees might both be after him, there is another large-market club that stands out as a fit for the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. More >

Nov. 21: Yankees have ‘checked in on’ deGrom (report)

As the market for deGrom continues to unfold, SNY’s Andy Martino reported Monday, citing a league source, that the Yankees “recently requested medical information on deGrom.” More > 

Nov. 21: Will Haniger head to So Cal?

Free-agent outfielder Mitch Haniger has been with the Mariners since 2017, but Seattle’s recent trade for Teoscar Hernández might indicate that the club is ready to move in a different direction. However, there could be other West Coast teams in play for Haniger, who will turn 32 in December.

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported Monday that both the Dodgers and Angels are interested in Haniger, along with the Rangers. The Dodgers are down an outfielder after non-tendering Cody Bellinger, and while Haniger can’t play center field at this point in his career, he could bring more thump than Bellinger has offered of late. The Angels, meanwhile, are in need of more bats to support Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, and while Ohtani’s presence means the club couldn’t use Haniger much at DH, he could fit there in either corner outfield spot.

A high ankle sprain helped limit Haniger to just 57 games in 2022, when he also slumped at the plate. But the oft-injured outfielder is just one season removed from launching 39 homers in ’21. He also will not cost his new team a Draft choice, after Seattle declined to make him a qualifying offer.

Nov. 20: Twins motivated to re-sign Correa

Carlos Correa is a free agent for the second straight offseason after opting out of his contract with the Twins, but he might not necessarily be one and done in Minnesota. According to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, the Twins are “definitely motivated to keep Correa.” More >

Nov. 20: After missing out on Rizzo, Astros turn focus to Abreu (report)

The Astros continue to look for an upgrade at first base after Anthony Rizzo re-signed with the Yankees, and Houston is showing interest in 2020 AL MVP José Abreu, according to a report by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required).

With veteran Yuli Gurriel a free agent coming off a subpar season at the plate, the Astros are looking at Abreu to bolster an already strong lineup coming off a World Series championship. Abreu hit only 15 homers in 2022, but still managed to post an .824 OPS. He’s 35, however, so could be looking at a short-term contract offer.

Nov. 20: Heyman predicts Phils will come away with star FA shortstop

The Phillies are reportedly one of 11 clubs currently engaged with the free-agent shortstop market, and MLB Network insider Jon Heyman expects them to come away with one of the four top available names.

Philadelphia has been linked to Trea Turner this offseason, but Heyman considers Xander Bogaerts to be the most likely option. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has familiarity with Bogaerts from their time together with the Red Sox.

The Phillies made a surprising run to the World Series in 2022 before losing to the Astros in six games. The club doesn’t have a ton of needs, but shortstop is clearly one of them. Phils shortstops produced an 82 wRC+ last season, the 11th-lowest mark in MLB and the third lowest among teams that made the playoffs, behind the Yankees and Cardinals.

Philly also has a vacancy at second base after declining Jean Segura’s club option, but Bryson Stott could fill that role if the Phils sign a star shortstop.

Nov. 20: Assessing Dodgers’ shortstop options

When Corey Seager became a free agent last offseason and signed with the Rangers, the Dodgers’ list of shortstop options for 2022 started and ended with Trea Turner. But with Turner now a free agent, the Dodgers have a number of avenues they could consider heading into 2023.

MLB Network insider Jon Heyman recently broke down the free-agent shortstop market in an appearance on “High Heat” and said he thinks the Dodgers will come away with one of the four available stars at the position.

However, their most likely option might not necessarily be Turner. According to Heyman in an article for the New York Post, the Dodgers believe Turner wants to play for an East Coast team. And while the Dodgers love Correa, Heyman gets the sense the team is reluctant to sign him due to his connection to the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal in 2017, when Houston defeated L.A. in the World Series.

That leaves Dansby Swanson and Xander Bogaerts as the most likely fits for Los Angeles, with Gavin Lux representing an internal backup plan. If Lux is the choice, it would increase the likelihood of the Dodgers pursuing other high-priced free agents such as Aaron Judge and Justin Verlander.

Nov. 20: Mariners considering wide variety of middle-infield options

Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto reaffirmed the team’s commitment to J.P. Crawford as its starting shortstop during the General Managers Meetings, but the club has an opening at second base and is considering a wide variety of middle-infield options.

According to The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, the Mariners have checked in on free agent Trea Turner and “all the other free agent middle infielders.” Turner, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson are the four biggest names on the shortstop market, while former Mariners Jean Segura and Adam Frazier are the best second basemen available. 

Seattle is also exploring the trade market and showing interest in the Yankees’ Gleyber Torres and the Brewers’ Kolten Wong.

MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi previously has linked Seattle to Turner, but it’s unclear how realistic a target the 29-year-old is for the M’s. The largest free-agent deal the Mariners have handed out during Dipoto’s tenure was Robbie Ray’s five-year, $115 million contract last offseason. Turner will surely go for more than that. It’s also believed that Turner, a Florida native whose wife is from New Jersey, prefers to play for an East Coast team.

Nov. 20: Bellinger drawing significant interest (report)

Cody Bellinger apparently has drawn significant interest on the free-agent market since the Dodgers non-tendered the outfielder on Friday. According to a report from The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, at least five teams called shortly after Bellinger became a free agent and several more have touched base since.

Bellinger has hit .193 with a .611 OPS (64 OPS+) in 239 games over the past two seasons, but he’s still only 27 years old and isn’t that far removed from winning the NL MVP Award in 2019. 

At the very least, Bellinger can provide Gold Glove defense in center field and strong baserunning. And if he rediscovers his form at the plate, he could be one of the best additions any team makes this offseason. Given the low risk and potentially high reward, it’s not surprising that he’s receiving this much attention.

The Dodgers are expected to try to bring Bellinger back on a lower salary than he would have earned in his final year of arbitration eligibility, but that could be tough to pull off considering the number of teams showing interest in the Arizona native.

Nov. 20: Giants, Rangers among clubs interested in Haniger (report)

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required), the Giants and Rangers are among the teams with interest in free-agent outfielder Mitch Haniger. Haniger was hurt for much of last season, finishing with a .736 OPS and 11 home runs in 57 games for the Mariners. But he’s just one season removed from a 39-homer, 100-RBI campaign for Seattle, and with the Mariners acquiring Teoscar Hernández from Toronto, it seems to lessen the likelihood that Haniger will re-sign with the club.

Nov. 19: Abreu a top priority for Padres

Free-agent first baseman José Abreu is a top priority for the Padres, according to MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi, who notes that Abreu spoke to Friars officials this month.

San Diego has openings at first base and DH with Josh Bell and Brandon Drury both reaching free agency.

Abreu, 35, has spent the past nine seasons with the White Sox. He won the 2020 AL MVP Award and is a career .292/.354/.506 hitter with 243 homers and 863 RBIs. Abreu hit a career-low 15 home runs in 2022 but still finished with a 133 OPS+, almost identical to his career mark (134).

Nov. 19: Cubs in on deGrom?

Nov. 19: Mets considering Verlander as deGrom backup plan (report)

Where will the Mets turn if they aren’t able to re-sign two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom? According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the club is considering AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander. More >

Nov. 19: Mariners showing interest in Gleyber

According to MLB Network insider Joel Sherman in an article for the New York Post (subscription required), the Yankees let executives at the General Managers Meetings last week know that they are “open for business with their middle infielders.”

Sherman notes that he’d be shocked if either Gleyber Torres or Isiah Kiner-Falefa isn’t dealt. The Mariners could be a possible trade partner, as Sherman reports Seattle has shown interest in Torres to fill the second-base vacancy left by free agent Adam Frazier.

Sherman also mentions the Marlins and White Sox as two potential fits for Torres. More >

Nov. 19: The latest on Judge’s market

The Aaron Judge market could be heating up.

MLB Network insider Jon Heyman hears the Dodgers plan to make a run at the free-agent slugger after non-tendering center fielder Cody Bellinger on Friday night. Los Angeles has cleared roughly $100 million from its books since the end of the season, potentially opening the door for a major free-agent splurge.

Meanwhile, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman confirmed Thursday that the team has made Judge an updated offer.

The Giants are also lingering in the background. San Francisco is believed to have interest in Judge, a Bay Area native, and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has made it clear the team has the spending power to be a major free-agent force. More >

Nov. 19: Breaking down which teams need a shortstop the most

With Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson and Xander Bogaerts all available, the free-agent market is abundant with star shortstops for the second straight offseason.

Here’s a look at the teams that have the biggest need for one of these shortstops, from MLB.com’s Mike Petriello. More >

Nov. 19: Rays, Royals may have interest in Smith (report)

With the non-tender deadline having passed Friday, several intriguing players became free agents, one of whom is former Mets first baseman Dominic Smith. Smith posted a .993 OPS in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign before struggling at the plate in ’21 and ’22. According to a report by Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Rays and Royals may be among the clubs interested in Smith.

Tampa Bay has a vacancy to fill at first base after trading Ji-Man Choi to Pittsburgh. Kansas City has seen the rise of Vinnie Pasquantino at the position, but there’s always the designated hitter role that Smith could fill, occasionally getting a start in the field.

Nov. 18: Heyman can ‘easily see’ deGrom to the Dodgers

Jacob deGrom to the Dodgers? MLB Network insider Jon Heyman told Christopher Russo on MLB Network’s High Heat on Friday that he can “easily see that happening.” More >

Nov. 18: Giants ‘showing interest’ in Jansen (report)

MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi reports the Giants are “showing interest” in veteran free-agent closer Kenley Jansen. Morosi notes that San Francisco’s president of baseball operations, Farhan Zaidi, and manager Gabe Kapler know Jansen well from their time in the Dodgers’ front office.

Jansen, 35, posted a 3.38 ERA with an NL-best 41 saves for the Braves last season after spending the first 13 seasons of his career with Los Angeles.

Nov. 18: Padres meet with RHP Senga (report)

The Kodai Senga U.S. tour is continuing apace. The Japanese right-hander met with the Padres in San Diego on Thursday, sources told The Athletic’s Dennis Lin. 

Lin notes that Senga is close with Padres ace Yu Darvish and played with Padres pitchers Nick Martinez and Robert Suarez in Japan. Senga, who struck out 1,252 batters and had a 10.3 K/9 rate across 11 seasons for Nippon Professional Baseball’s Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, could fill a rotation hole in San Diego; Mike Clevinger and Sean Manaea are both free agents this winter.

This latest news follows a report from SNY earlier this week that Senga will meet with the Mets. MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi reported that the Angels, Dodgers, Rangers, Mariners and Blue Jays all are showing interest in Senga. The 29-year-old has also been linked to the Cubs and Giants.

Nov. 18: Laying out Yankees’ Judge options

The Yankees’ offseason will proceed in one of four ways, all depending on what happens with Aaron Judge.

Nov. 18: Red Sox looking to add an outfielder

Outfielders like Brandon Nimmo from the Mets or Masataka Yoshida from Japan would be good fits on the higher end of what the Red Sox would pursue. Or the Sox could go after a cheaper bat like Mitch Haniger or Michael Conforto.

Among the less likely options McCaffrey discusses are Aaron Judge (probably too expensive given the team’s priority of keeping Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts in Boston), Michael Brantley (the Red Sox want more of a power hitter) and a reunion with Andrew Benintendi (likely wants a longer-term deal than the Red Sox are willing to give).