Next week at this time, the Winter Meetings will be full go, so the offseason here for Major League Baseball should really start ramping up after a predictably slow start. We might even get the biggest news of the offseason before the meetings start, as Juan Soto is rumored to be possibly signing his deal by the end of this week.
As for everything else, let’s get to it.
Two more teams in on Crochet?
Nearly any contending team or those hoping to contend have shown some level of interest in White Sox All-Star starting pitcher Garrett Crochet. Add the Cubs and Reds to the list, reports Jon Morosi of MLB Network.
Crochet, a 25-year-old lefty, is under team control through 2026. Last season, he went 6-12 (remember, the White Sox were 41-121) with a 3.58 ERA (115 ERA+), 1.07 WHIP and 209 strikeouts in 146 innings. He took a big step back in the second half and his workload was limited, but this was his first full year in an MLB rotation. He was 6-6 with a 3.02 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in the first half.
The Cubs are already heavy on lefties with Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd, but it couldn’t hurt to grab someone with the upside of Crochet. The team is much more likely at this point to trade, given the roster, than sign a major free agent, given the front office’s aversion to big-dollar risk.
The Reds seem to have a full rotation with Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Brady Singer, Andrew Abbott and Nick Martinez, but there are plenty of questions there and having six starters in this day and age is just good business.
Astros could float trades of big pieces
Between what is a robust MLB payroll and relatively barren farm system, the Astros are at a bit of a crossroads. Alex Bregman is a free agent while Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez are both one year away from hitting the market. The Astros have already been said to have discussed trading back-end reliever Ryan Pressly, but The Athletic floats a far more jarring idea.
Making either Kyle Tucker or Framber Valdez available in trade discussions may be the easiest path for Houston to balance its present and future. Both men are estimated to make more than $15 million in their final trip through the arbitration process. Next winter, both will demand the sort of free-agent deals Crane is loath to give. Parting with either Valdez or Tucker would not signal a rebuild, but would bring back the sort of prospect haul to help stabilize a fledgling farm system.
Tucker only played in 78 games last year due to injury, but he was incredibly productive when on the field and is arguably their best position player. Valdez is their ace and just went 15-7 with a 2.91 ERA, finishing seventh in Cy Young voting.
Who the Astros chose to trade from the two — if either — would surely be determined based upon the returns that were being offered. It’s obviously just in the speculation stage, but this is a juicy one for sure.
At present, the Rangers’ five-man rotation would be Jacob deGrom, Jon Gray, Cody Bradford, Tyler Mahle and Kumar Rocker with Dane Dunning as a sixth option. It could work, but if the 2023 World Series champions are trying to contend in 2025, they could sure use some more. Mahle and deGrom are recently off elbow surgeries, Bradford only worked 76 ⅓ innings last year, Gray is pretty well established as mediocre, Dunning shouldn’t be in a rotation and Rocker only got 11 ⅔ innings under his belt last year as a rookie.
Re-signing Nathan Eovaldi, who is currently a free agent, is a “professional priority” for the front office, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Eovaldi, 34, spent the last two years with the Rangers. He was an All-Star in 2023 and went 24-13 with a 3.72 ERA (110 ERA+), 1.12 WHIP and 298 strikeouts in 314 ⅔ innings in his two seasons. He also made plenty of big pitches in the run to the World Series title in 2023, working more than 36 innings in six starts — the Rangers won all six.
It’s a natural fit, but the Rangers aren’t alone in the bidding, as several teams like the Orioles, Red Sox, Cubs and Braves have also shown serious interest.
Muncy open to moving around
With the Dodgers rumored to be in on so many players, having someone in house like Max Muncy never hurts anything. He can play first, second or third and could also serve as a designated hitter. DH is locked up by Shohei Ohtani while Freddie Freeman has first base locked down, but Muncy could still shuttle between second and third, or even spell the other two if and when they need a break. He mostly played third last season, but with Nolan Arenado clearly available via trade, Muncy could go to second base (possibly kicking Gavin Lux to shortstop and Mookie Betts back out to right field). Pick a position, really.
“As long as you put me out there, I’ll play left field, right field, third, first,” Muncy said on Foul Territory. “I’ll play wherever they want to put me. As long as it means I’m out there on that field, wearing Dodger blue, playing in that stadium, it doesn’t matter to me. When you’re talking about (Arenado), you’re talking about arguably the best defensive third baseman of all-time at this point, if you look at his numbers. I can see why it would be appealing. To me it doesn’t matter. … If it’s becoming more of a role player, I don’t care, I just want to help the team win.”
It remains to be seen if the Dodgers are interested in Arenado. They very likely won’t bother discussing until they learn they are out of the Juan Soto sweepstakes. If they sign Soto, there’s no reason to pursue Arenado.
Reds looking for offense
Reds general manager Nick Krall told MLB.com that the team is looking for help at the plate.
“We’re looking to add hitters to our club,” Krall said. “Most likely it’s going to be an outfielder over an infielder, but I wouldn’t rule anything out just yet.”
Well, we could help by ruling out Juan Soto. There are other outfielder available in free agency, of course, such as Anthony Santander, Teoscar Hernández, Jurickson Profar, Joc Pederson, Tyler O’Neill and Michael Conforto, among others.
