Fact or Fiction on All of MLB Offseason Week 9's Free-Agency, Trade Rumors
Roughly six weeks separate us from the unofficial start of spring training, with pitchers and catchers set to report to camp in mid-February. While that may seem like an eternity now, it's really not that far off.
While Alex Gordon has come off the market, the floodgates on the second half of the offseason have yet to fully open. That leaves us with a plethora of impact players, both on the mound and at the plate, with no clue as to which camp they'll be heading to.
Has a team grown tired of waiting for one of its best players to make a decision on his future? Can a mid-market club afford to make two big splashes in free agency? Could a team that shocked the baseball world last winter be poised to do it again?
We'll tackle all of that and more in this week's edition of Fact or Fiction.
Fact: Kansas City Will Sign a Free-Agent Starter
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Up until Alex Gordon agreed to a four-year, $72 million deal, it sure looked like an either/or scenario for Kansas City this offseason: Either re-sign Gordon or sign an experienced starter to replace the departed Johnny Cueto.
But with Gordon only making $12 million in 2016, as reported by MLB.com's Jeffrey Flanagan, the Royals can actually afford to do both. The team remains in contact with the top free-agent starters still available—Wei-Yin Chen, Yovani Gallardo and Ian Kennedy—according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.
Chen, who is believed to be seeking a $100 million deal, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports, likely remains out of reach for the Royals. But both Gallardo and Kennedy figure to command a more realistic figure.
Fiction: Texas Will Trade for Marcell Ozuna
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For a team in need of pitching depth, trading away a young starter who's already had some major league success—and more—to add a young, talented center fielder doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
But that's something the Texas Rangers are apparently considering, with the Miami Herald's Clark Spencer tweeting that they have discussed a deal that would send Chi-Chi Gonzalez and another piece to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Marcell Ozuna.
Nobody disputes Ozuna's talent, and according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal, the Rangers have been trying to pry Ozuna loose from the Marlins for a month. But with Delino DeShields already on the roster and Lewis Brinson nearly ready for the big leagues, adding another center fielder makes little sense.
Especially when it would cost a pitcher like Gonzalez, who pitched to a 3.90 ERA and 1.21 WHIP over 67 major league innings last season, numbers that are even more remarkable when you consider that he walked more batters (32) than he struck out (30).
After Cole Hamels, the Rangers have no idea what to expect from the likes of Derek Holland, Nick Martinez, Martin Perez and Yu Darvish, who will be returning at some point next season from Tommy John surgery. And as Rosenthal notes, they don't have the payroll flexibility to add significant salary.
If the Rangers are going to make a deal, it'll be for another starting pitcher—not another outfielder.
Fact: Washington Will Add a Significant Outfielder
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Washington continues to have interest in free agent Gerardo Parra, writes the Washington Post's James Wagner, who suggests another veteran free agent, Shane Victorino, as a possibility for the Nationals, who are looking to sign an outfielder for additional depth.
Outfield depth is an issue for the Nationals, and their current options—Matt den Dekker, Tyler Moore and Clint Robinson—simply aren't going to cut it if pressed into regular playing time.
After all, the Nats are counting on a 37-year-old Jayson Werth to stay healthy (he's played in at least 130 games only twice in the past five years) and 25-year-old Michael A. Taylor, who looked lost at the plate in 2015, hitting only .229 while striking out nearly 31 percent of the time.
A reunion with Denard Span seems unlikely, considering the questions surrounding his durability, but we can't completely rule that out. And while it seems even more unlikely, can we really count the Nationals out of the running for Yoenis Cespedes?
It was only a year ago that the Nationals came out of nowhere to sign Max Scherzer. It wouldn't be a surprise if they shocked the baseball world a second time.
Whether it's one of the outfielders mentioned above or a name who isn't making the rounds on the rumor mill—someone like New York's Brett Gardner, for example—the Nationals are going to add another legitimate outfield bat to the mix before too long.
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Fiction: Baltimore Is Ready to Move on from Chris Davis
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Chatter persists that Baltimore has interest in free-agent outfielders Yoenis Cespedes and Justin Upton, and either one would be a fit with the Orioles, who are in need of another impact bat, preferably one who can play a corner outfield spot.
But as ESPN.com's Jim Bowden writes, "agents for both players are still dragging out the process because Baltimore is a likely landing spot for one of the two outfielders if (Chris) Davis signs somewhere other than Baltimore."
While Davis' agent, Scott Boras, would love for the baseball universe to believe that his client has multiple suitors, the fact remains that other than Baltimore's seven-year, $154 million offer, there's been little action on Davis this winter.
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal wonders whether Baltimore's reported interest in Cespedes and Upton is nothing more than an attempt to gain leverage over Davis, whom owner Peter Angelos likes so much he's giving him "every opportunity to decide to come back," per the Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck.
In fact, tweets Jon Heyman, Angelos isn't allowing the Orioles to fully engage Cespedes or Upton as he waits on Davis. Clearly, Boras isn't going to accept the first offer his client receives, and the Orioles aren't going to bid against themselves when there's no other competition for his services.
An expensive game of chicken is officially underway—and there's no end in sight.
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs. All contract information courtesy of Cot's Contracts (via Baseball Prospectus).
Hit me up on Twitter to talk the Hot Stove League and all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR.
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