By
Hailee Miguel on Wednesday, November 12
th 2014
The MLB offseason is officially underway and the rumor mill is spinning. Many players are testing the free agent market for the first time in their careers and have been drawing a lot of interest already. General managers have also discussed trade pieces and specific needs for their teams as well. This will be a busy week with the GM meetings taking place, especially when it comes to rumors of potential trades and signings. Here’s a few rumors from Tuesday regarding both trades and free agent talks.
The Dodgers aiming to aggressively shop one of their outfielders, but Yasiel Puig is off the table. That leaves Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford, and Andre Ethier as options for teams in need of some outfield help. The Dodgers have also said they would be willing to take on some of the remaining contract depending on the return they would get for one of these guys. All three are bound to draw a lot of interest this winter, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
On to another LA team, the Angels, who are looking to deal Howie Kendrick. The Halos are in need of pitching, and are willing to deal the second baseman to fill their need.
The Oakland A’s have shown a lot of interest in Stephen Drew and Asdrubal Cabrera the past few days in an effort to improve their middle infield woes. Both are free agents, and Billy Beane will bring in some infield help, it’s just a matter of the right player at the right price.
Atlanta Braves outfielder Justin Upton has been rumored to be on the move this offseason, and recently updated his no-trade list to include the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Indians, and Toronto Blue Jays. Along with Upton, Jason Heyward has also been rumored to be shopped around this winter.
The Houston Astros have shown interest in free agent starting pitcher Jason Hammel as well as shortstop Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez will be looking to sign a long-term deal, and with the Astros having young prospects awaiting in the minors, they may shift gears to more of a short-term solution on the left side of the infield.
There were quite a few rumors going around involving Troy Tulowitzki to the New York Mets, but have since died down, as the deal is not expected to happen. The Mets reportedly have concerns with Tulo’s contract as well as the fact that he has missed a lot of games in his career due to injury. That being said, if the Rockies want to deal the shortstop, there are still plenty of teams that would make for a good trade partner.
Jon Lester is a big free agent name, and the Red Sox have shown interest in bringing the southpaw back to Boston. Lester was dealt to Oakland midseason for Yoenis Cespedes, who the Sox are willing to deal this offseason, but many believe Lester will re-sign with Boston at some point this winter.
The AL Champion Kansas City Royals denied a qualifying offer to Billy Butler, but met with the slugger on Tuesday. It looks like the Royals would be interested in signing Butler, who has played his whole career in KC, to a short-term deal.
Nelson Cruz turned down a three-year deal from the Orioles, but the O’s are still looking to sign him this offseason. Cruz was a key factor in their success and AL East title this season. The two sides will continue to negotiate, but Cruz will draw a lot of interest from a few teams this winter.
At this point in the offseason, the rumors run wild. This free agent market is stacked with a lot of talent and experienced players free to sign with the team of their choice, while general managers have also put some top players on the trade block. It’s still early in the offseason, and some signings and trades have already taken place. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out and where these players sign before the 2015 season.