Potential MLB Offseason Moves Closest to Becoming Reality
It may appear as if most of baseball is still sleeping off the effects of their New Year's Eve festivities given the relative lack of action and chatter on the rumor mill, but rest assured, general managers are indeed awake, and sooner rather than later, we're going to see some deals come to fruition.
I'm not saying that you'll wake up tomorrow and see any of these free-agent signings or trades be announced—moves that involve a wide spectrum of talent, from All-Stars to role players—but over the next week or two, don't be shocked to see these potential moves become reality.
Notable by their absence are the two highest-profile free agents still available, Max Scherzer and James Shields. While both are undoubtedly going to sign before spring training, don't expect things to heat up for either one until later in the month.
If not Scherzer and Shields, who are we talking about?
Let's take a look.
Colby Rasmus Signs with the Orioles
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While Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter's meeting with Colby Rasmus didn't bring the sides any closer to a deal, there's mutual interest to get something done, sources tell The Baltimore Sun's Eduardo A. Encina.
Talk of the Orioles signing Nori Aoki or trading for the Los Angeles Dodgers' Andre Ethier are just that—talk—for neither one fits what Baltimore needs. Like it or not, the Orioles rely on home runs to win, and neither Aoki nor Ethier can offer what Rasmus can in that department.
That's probably why, of the three, MASN Sports' Roch Kubatko says that the Orioles consider Rasmus to be their likeliest choice.
Unless Showalter walked away from his meeting with concerns—and there have been no indications that he did—that hasn't changed.
Baltimore can't continue to play a waiting game, hoping that a better option is going to present itself. The Orioles need to add an outfielder, preferably a left-handed one with power, and Rasmus fits the bill.
Rasmus needs a chance to play and rebuild his value, and the Orioles can simply point to Nelson Cruz as an example of a player who came to Baltimore on a one-year deal and did just that.
Look for the two sides to agree on a Cruz-like one-year deal, somewhere in the $7 million to $8 million range.
Tampa Bay Trades Ben Zobrist
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In a perfect world, Ben Zobrist would be able to spend his entire major league career with the Tampa Bay Rays.
But things are far from perfect in Tampa Bay, and the 33-year-old, due $7.5 million in 2015, the last year of his deal, has become an expensive commodity for the fiscally strapped, retooling club to carry on its roster.
According to The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, multiple teams are in pursuit:
"The super utilityman is being pursued seriously by the Giants, Nationals, Angels and Cubs. The Rays recently acquired Asdrubal Cabrera on a one-year deal, sparking further speculation that Zobrist might be on the move. The Rays are said to be asking for at least one top prospect and a mid-level one.
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While I believe that San Francisco is his most likely landing spot, the fact is that Zobrist's salary and versatility make him a fit on a wide array of teams. It wouldn't be at all surprising to see him end up on a team that hasn't been floated as a potential destination.
The Rays could wait until the July 31 trade deadline to move Zobrist, but if the organization learned anything from the David Price saga, it will move him now, when he stands alone as the premier position player who's officially available.
Jonny Gomes Signs with the Cubs
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At his end-of-the-year news conference, Chicago Cubs team president Theo Epstein told reporters, including ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers, that adding a front-line pitcher wasn't the team's only goal this offseason:
"In an ideal world, we'd like to add to the outfield mix. Just because we have three guys that go out there and form an Opening Day outfield as it is, that doesn't mean we're content. We're certainly going to add talent and shape the way the parts fit together once we can acquire some more talent.
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Team sources told Rogers that free-agent outfielder Jonny Gomes was of interest, and in early December, USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweeted that the Cubs were in pursuit of the veteran, who has a relationship with both Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer from their time together in Boston.
While the Cubs have since signed Chris Denorfia to a one-year $2.6 million deal, rumors of Gomes signing in Chicago have not subsided. In his latest column, Cafardo reported that the possibility remains alive.
Even with Denorfia in the mix, Gomes is still a fit with the Cubs. Denorfia is a solid defender capable of playing all three outfield positions and can serve as the de facto fourth outfielder, while Gomes would be relegated to a platoon with Chris Coghlan in left field, picking up at-bats against left-handed pitching.
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Philadelphia Trades Cole Hamels
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The more we hear about the prospect of Philadelphia trading Cole Hamels, the more apparent it becomes (at least to us) that the southpaw won't be on the team's Opening Day roster.
“They want everyone’s top guys and you can’t blame them,” a National League GM told Cafardo. “But I think they’re getting more realistic. The team that can offer them prospects and a major league-ready player or pitcher will get him. And then it’s just a matter of where Cole would want to play.”
Is there a team that fits that description any better than the Boston Red Sox?
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal points out that Boston is on Hamels' no-trade list and isn't convinced that the Red Sox are willing to absorb Hamels' deal and/or trade infielder/outfielder Mookie Betts. But he believes it behooves the Phillies to move Hamels sooner rather than later, a premise that most baseball fans would agree with.
Really, Boston represents the best opportunity for Philadelphia to not only get a strong package in return, but ship Hamels out of the National League.
After shelling out nearly $200 million to sign Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval in an effort to bolster their offense, the Red Sox have no excuse to not add the front-line starter that they desperately need.
As we looked at this past weekend, Philadelphia is known to like a number of Boston's youngsters besides Betts. There's enough young talent—and a strong enough need for an ace in Boston—for a deal to get done.
While there will always be a market for elite pitching, it's going to be limited in Hamels' case given the impact his arrival will have on a team's payroll. Waiting until after the likes of Scherzer and Shields find new homes is only going to further limit the Phillies' options.
Aaron Harang Signs with the Phillies
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After Hamels (who isn't long for the City of Brotherly Love), Philadelphia's starting rotation consists of Cliff Lee, who was limited to 13 starts in 2014 and not much else. There's a glaring need for an innings-eating veteran, which is why it comes as no surprise that CSN Philly's Jim Salisbury is reporting that the club has interest in Aaron Harang.
When it comes to innings-eaters, Harang is among the best available, averaging more than 180 innings a season since 2004 and cracking the 200-inning plateau four times over that 11-year stretch.
He delivered his best performance in years for the Atlanta Braves in 2014, pitching to a 3.57 ERA and 1.40 WHIP while tossing 200-plus innings for the first time since 2007 in Cincinnati, when he finished fourth in the National League Cy Young Award voting.
Harang's market has been nearly nonexistent this winter, with only the Colorado Rockies showing brief interest, but he'd be a terrible fit with the club given his issues when it comes to keeping the ball on the ground—a necessity for any pitcher that calls Coors Field home.
Kevin Correia Signs with the Rockies
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While the chatter around Kevin Correia has died down since ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweeted in mid-December that Correia had "become more engaged with three to four clubs," the 34-year-old fits the description of what Colorado is looking to add to its rotation.
Namely, an innings-eating pitcher who can keep the ball on the ground.
Among starters who have thrown at least 1,000 innings since 2009, Correia's 46.1 percent ground-ball rate puts him in a tie with Los Angeles' Zack Greinke for the 16th-best mark in the game. He's also averaged 168 innings a year over that stretch, twice making more than 30 starts.
Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press was the first to report Colorado's interest in Correia, who has posted fairly decent numbers over his career at Coors Field, pitching to a 4.03 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 51.1 career innings.
He's exactly the kind of low-cost addition that the Rockies need, not only to fill out the back end of the rotation, but to provide insurance against injury or if their young prospects (Eddie Butler or Jon Gray) prove that they're not ready for prime time in spring training.
Unless otherwise linked/noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs. All contract information courtesy of Cot's Contracts.
Find me on Twitter to talk all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR
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