MLB Trade Rumors: Latest on Starling Marte, Chris Paddack, More

Every MLB offseason brings a new sense of direction for various organizations.

Some franchises have to decide whether they want to be aggressive in adding pieces to make a push for October. Others are looking for roster moves that will keep them in the hunt. On the other hand, some teams need to blow things up entirely.

The Pirates, Padres and Blue Jays are three of the teams that find themselves headed in different directions this winter, yet all three are likely to be active in the trade market.

Here are some of the latest trade rumors from around the league, including a former All-Star, a rising star on the mound and a pair of catchers who could be dangled in pursuit of a marquee free agent.

Starling Marte on the market as Pirates rebuild?

Pittsburgh is one of those teams likely to blow it up. After a confusing and nightmarish process, it finally settled on Ben Cherington as its new general manager.

The former Boston Red Sox executive takes on a roster that just won 69 games and a middling farm system with some high-level talent but not a lot of depth.

The Pirates are expected to be sellers in the next few months, and Starling Marte is their best asset. He is coming off of arguably the best offensive season of his career after slashing .295/.342/.503 with 23 homers and 25 stolen bases in 132 games.

Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reported the 31-year-old is expected to be "front and center on the trade market at winter meetings" (via Zack Meisel), and the two-time Gold Glove winner figures to have a number of suitors due to the weak pool of outfield free agents.

The center fielder is also relatively cheap (he will make $11.5 million this season) and under team control through 2021 because of a club option. Granted, the Pirates are assuredly going to ask for major-prospect capital in return.

Still, there are some contenders who could make a play for the Dominican. He would seem to be a natural fit for the Cardinals if they fail to re-sign Marcell Ozuna, and the Cardinals have some MLB-ready talent such as Lane Thomas and Randy Arozarena who could satisfy a potential deal.

The Mets and Indians could also be interesting candidates to land Marte depending on New York's willingness to part with prospects after last year's Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz blockbuster as well as Cleveland's assertiveness in acquiring assets for another run before a potential Francisco Lindor trade.

Padres unwilling to budge on Chris Paddack

San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller signaled his intent to speed up the rebuild when he signed Manny Machado to a lucrative deal last winter.

Despite another losing season, the performances of rookies Fernando Tatis Jr. and Chris Paddack, paired with the luxury of having the best farm system in baseball, give the Padres an impetus to be even more aggressive this offseason.

But while Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported the Padres are expected to dip into their farm in an effort to swing some deals, Paddack is considered "virtually untouchable."

The Padres already need more starting pitching, and it seems unlikely they would trade the 23-year-old after he posted a 3.33 ERA and 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings in 26 starts last season.

Paddack ranked 18th in skill-interactive earned run average (SIERA) among all starters with at least 140 innings of work, according to FanGraphs, and he dominated opponents with a plus changeup, which is rare for a young pitcher. Opponents hit just .190 with nearly a 30 percent whiff rate against his change, per Baseball Savant.

San Diego is looking to add to its staff in 2020, but it is unlikely to part ways with Paddack after he established himself as a legitimate future ace in the rotation.

Blue Jays struggling to find market for their catchers

Much like the Padres, the Blue Jays find themselves in a spot where the talent coming through the pipeline could have them contending in the near future. However, two of those names do not appear to be drawing the kind of trade offers Toronto would otherwise entertain.

Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reported that while the Jays have been taking offers on catchers Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire, they "aren't close to trading either one." This comes just days after Toronto met with free-agent catcher Yasmani Grandal at the GM meetings.

Jansen, who started 107 games behind the plate, was one of the best pitch-framers in baseball in 2019, according to Baseball Prospectus. McGuire, meanwhile, slashed .299/.346/.526 in 105 plate appearances. He also had a big showing during a brief stint in 2018.

Though both 24-year-olds already look to have serious potential as future backstops, the Blue Jays are apparently not enthralled with the offers they have received.

Toronto was considered a surprise team in the Grandal talks, but it could use the 31-year-old's defense and game-calling to help nurture some of its young pitchers while also getting one of the best offensive catchers in the game.

However, the inability to get a suitable return for either Jansen or McGuire could put a halt to those talks. Grandal will be courted by a number of contenders, and the Blue Jays would like to keep one (if not both) of their youngsters if they cannot sign Grandal.

All stats via Baseball Reference and all contract information via Spotrac unless otherwise noted.