Mega Thread 2024-2025 MLB Hot Stove

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The Los Angeles Angels are in agreement with free agent LHP Kyle Hendricks on a one-year, $2.5 million contract. The Angels have a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move when the deal becomes official. It will be the first time in his major league career that Hendricks has pitched for a team other than the Cubs. Although drafted by the Rangers in 2011, he did not play in the majors until he was traded to the Cubs about a year after being drafted.

 

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The San Diego Padres have announced that they have extended the contract of manager Mike Schildt to run through the end of the 2027 season. Schildt replaced Bob Melvin at the end of the 2023 season and signed a two-year contract that would have expired at the end of the 2025 season.

Padres, manager Mike Shildt nearing agreement on contract extension

Mike Shildt will receive extension, raise after team won 93 games, advanced to NLDS in 2024

www.sandiegouniontribune.com

 

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The San Francisco Giants have signed catcher Logan Porter on a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Porter was with the Giants in 2024 after being traded to San Francisco by the Royals in June. He opted out of his contract with the Giants in July and signed with the Mets, but didn't make an appearance at the major league level before being designated for assignment and later outrighted off their 40-man roster. Porter had 38 plate appearances at the major league level for the Royals in 2023, hitting .194/.324/.323.

 

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Speculation was rife that the Blue Jays might trade away shortstop Bo Bichette after a disappointing season for the Blue Jays and for Bichette himself. At the GM meetings, Ross Atkins made it clear that the Blue Jays would not be trading Bichette. Bichette had a terrible season this year, hitting .225/.277/.322 in 336 plate appearances and having three separate stints on the IL. Bichette underwent postseason surgery to repair a fracture in his middle finger on his right hand. Bichette is under contract for $16.5 million in 2025, being the last season of a three year contract that he signed with the Blue Jays to buy out arbitration.

 

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RHP Nathan Eovaldi recently declined his player option (worth $20 million) with the Texas Rangers and is a free agent. According to reporters, the Braves are one club that has interest in signing the veteran pitcher to try to replace either Charlie Morton or Max Fried, both of whom are now free agents.

Braves show interest in free-agent starter Eovaldi (source)

ATLANTA -- Nathan Eovaldi ranks near the top of the Braves’ wish list, according to an industry source. Eovaldi became a free agent when he declined his $20 million option to stick with the Rangers through the 2025 season. The 34-year-old right-hander can now pursue a multiyear deal that would

www.mlb.com

 

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The Houston Astros have sent RHP Jose Urquidy through outright waivers and he is now a free agent. Urquidy pitched 405 innings for the Astros through his career, with a 3.98 ERA. He underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2024 and is therefore unlikely to pitch at all in 2025. The Astros had the opportunity to retain Urquidy through arbitration, but clearly decided that it was not worth paying Urquidy a salary in 2025 for him to not pitch.

 

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As already noted in this thread, RHP Gerrit Cole remains a Yankee despite triggering an opt-out in his contract with New York that he signed in 2020. Cole stays with the Yankee for four guaranteed years with $144 million in salary due, but the parties are talking about extending that contract.

 

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The New York Mets have issued qualifying offers to RHP Luis Severino and LHP Sean Manaea. Both are expected to reject their qualifying offers, with players receiving qualifying offers from their teams having until 19 November to decide whether or not to accept the offer. Manaea pitched a career high 181 2/3 innings for the Mets in 2024, with a 25% strikeout rate and an ERA of 3.47. After adjusting his arm slot during the season, Manaea had a fantastic end to his season which dovetailed nicely with his run through free agency. Manaea enters his age-33 season, so it is not likely that he will receive a long-term offer, but he should expect to easily meet or exceed the AAV of the qualifying offer for a three year contract.

Severino crossed over from the Yankees to the Mets as a free agent last offseason and had a bounceback season after struggling in his final year in the Bronx. Severino only struck out batters at a 21.2% rate, but managed to increase his groundball rate to 46%, and finished the season with a 3.91 ERA in 31 starts and 182 innings.

 

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The Houston Astros have had internal discussions about the possibility of trading former closer and current set-up man RHP Ryan Pressly, according to reports. Pressly has a full no-trade provision in his contract that he would need to agree to waive in order to be traded. Pressly has played more than 10 years in the Show and has five-plus years in Houston, so he is automatically granted full no-trade protection under the terms of the CBA between the players and the league.

The Astros are looking to re-sign third baseman Alex Bregman, who is a free agent, but they are running up tight against the luxury tax salary number without Bregman's salary included. Cleary Pressly off the books would help open up salary cap space for the Astros to take a run at re-signing Bregman as well as improving the roster in other spots, with Pressly trigggering a vesting option worth $14 million for his age-36 season, particularly steep for a player that lost his closer role to Hader last off-season.

What we’re hearing about Astros at GM meetings: Ryan Pressly, a hitting summit and more

Plus do the Astros have leverage when Alex Bregman has created “a market that the Astros are very aware is very healthy for him?"

www.nytimes.com

 

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The Chicago White Sox are reportedly targeting position players in preliminary discussions about a trade for LHP Garrett Crochet. According to their GM, Chris Getz, the White Sox are "focusing on position player return. That is our primary focus in any trade talks. The right players have to be there. We can't force anything. We certainly need to improve our offence. That is very clear".

The White Sox had a shocking 2024, and that was in doubt fuelled by their terrible offence. In 2024, the club hit a collective .221/.278/.340, for a wRC+ of 75 (indicating that the White Sox hitters were 25% worse than league average). The White Sox also traded away Tommy Pham, Eloy Jimenez and Paul DeJong by the trade deadline, which worsened their hitting.

White Sox are seeking position players in return in Garrett Crochet trade talks

With 25-year-old left-hander Garrett Crochet on the trade market, White Sox general manager Chris Getz is arguably the busiest executive at the GM Meetings this week.

www.audacy.com

 

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It's been long regarded that the Mets would be one of the first clubs in line to talk to Juan Soto and his agent Scott Boras, and it appears that this is moving closer, with reports suggesting that Mets owner Steve Cohen will meet with Soto and Boras in person in California next week. The Boras Corporation also represent other free agents including Pete Alonso, Corbin Burnes, Alex Bregman, Blake Snell, Sean Manaea, Yusei Kikuchi and Ha-Seong Kim, so it is possible that Cohen and Boras will discuss other players (including Alonso and Manaea who both played for the Mets in 2024).

Soto has a lengthy list of suitors, including the Yankees, the Dodgers, the Giants, the Blue Jays and the Nationals, although the Washington Nationals (with whom Soto made his MLB debut and with whom Soto won a championship in 2019) are seen as long-shots to sign Soto.

Exclusive | Mets owner Steve Cohen is making his first big Juan Soto move with Scott Boras visit

The Mets’ full court press on Juan Soto is about to begin.

nypost.com

Would Nats have better chance of re-signing Soto if they never traded him?

In a free agent class loaded with big names, one name clearly stands above the rest. Juan Soto was always going to be the prize of the 2024-25 offseason, and the now-26-year-old star ultimately positioned himself as well as he possibly could to get whatever he wants, from wherever he wants it...

www.masnsports.com

 

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The Boston Red Sox, the Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Dodgers are all reportedly interested in signing free agent outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who won a World Series with the Dodgers in 2024. The Red Sox offered Hernandez a two-year, $28 million contract last off-season, but Hernandez rejected that offer in favour of signing a one year contract with the Dodgers that paid him $23.5 million with some deferrals, but also allowed Hernandez to test free agency again after a bounceback year. Hernandez hit .283/.333/.519 for the Blue Jays between 2020 and 2022, but was traded to the Mariners before the 2023 season and hit .258/.305/.435 ahead of free agency. Hernandez slashed .272/.339/.501 for a 134 wRC+ in 2024, and he also stole 12 bases. In the Dodgers' playoff run, Hernandez hit .250/.352/.417 for a 119 wRC+.

MLB GM Meetings: Latest buzz on Juan Soto, Roki Sasaki, Teoscar Hernández and more

The GM Meetings kicked off the hot stove season this week in San Antonio.

sports.yahoo.com

 

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The Philadelphia Phillies had a disappointing exit from the playoffs this season and they are looking to increase payrollf or 2025, specifically targeting outfielders and at least one right handed reliever. It is more likely than not that the reinforcements will come via trade rather than free agency given comments attributed to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski that the Phillies will need to be "open minded" about upgrading their roster.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5904868/2024/11/07/phillies-offseason-trades-free-agents/?source=emp_shared_article

 

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One Philly that could be on the move is RHP Jeff Hoffman, who is being targeted as a potential starting pitcher by other clubs. Hoffman became a free agent at the end of the season after signing a minor league contract with the Phillies back in early 2023. Hoffman has generally been reliable as a reliever, putting up an ERA of 2.28 in 118 2/3 innings across the last two seasons, with a 33.4% strikeout rate and a 7.4% walk rate. Hoffman has experience in the majors as a starter, pitching 11 games as a starter in 2021 with the Reds. Of his 361 professional games (majors and minors combined), Hoffman has started 145 of them. Hoffman is also unusual as a reliever, as he uses a four pitch mix (most relievers generally rely on two pitches).

13 years, $611 million?! Rankings, contract projections for top 50 MLB free agents

How much will the biggest stars get paid this winter? Kiley McDaniel breaks down this offseason's free agent class.

www.espn.com

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5904868/2024/11/07/phillies-offseason-trades-free-agents/?source=emp_shared_article

 

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The Athletics have re-signed LHP TJ McFarland, announcing overnight that they have agreed to terms with the reliever on a one year contract. McFarland pitched out of the bullpen for the Athletics in 2024, appearing in 79 games for the team with a 3.81 ERA.

 

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Following in the footsteps of Willy Adames, who signalled a willingness to move from shortstop, Alex Bregman has let it be known that he is prepared to consider a shift away from third base, according to his agent Scott Boras, who confirmed that a number of teams have asked Bregman as to whether he would be prepared to move to second base.

$700 million? Juan Soto is 'the Mona Lisa' as MLB's top free agent, Scott Boras says

MLB mega-agent Scott Boras is expecting big things for his top clients as free agency begins.

www.usatoday.com

 

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The St Louis Cardinals will likely have a new catcher in 2025, with reports suggesting that the Cardinals plan on moving incumbent catcher, Willson Contreras from catcher to first base for the upcoming season. According to reports, the Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak indicated that the shift has been made with Contreras' long-term health and longevity in mind, as it is unlikely that Contreras will be doing much catching at all in 2025.

Contreras has a full no-trade clause in his contract and has (according to Mozeliak) made it clear that he wants to remain in St Louis for the foreseeable future, notwithstanding the Cardinals are looking to rebuild their roster. Similarly, while Mozeliak did not expressly confirm this, it appears that RHP Sonny Gray also has a no-trade clause in his contract and is not prepared (at this stage) to waive that clause to facilitate a trade.

With Contreras moving from catcher to first base, it opens the door for Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages to platoon as catcher for the Cardinals, while it also likely spells the end of Paul Goldschmidt's time in St Louis.

 

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The San Francisco Giants have signed infielder Sergio Alcantara to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Alcantara has not played in the majors since 2022, and has been with four teams at that level in his career. He split the 2024 campaign between the Triple-A affiliates of the Pirates and Diamondbacks, but obviously didn't do enough to get the call-up.

 

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The Mets have signed RHP Rico Garcia on a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Garcia would receive a salary of $900,000 if he makes the majors in 2025. Garcia pitched for the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals in 2024 as a reliever, saving 20 games and putting up a 3.94 ERA in 61 2/3 innings, with a 34.1% strikeout rate and a 11.5% walk rate.

 

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Free agent infielder Ha-Seong Kim has drawn interest from the Giants and the Blue Jays in the early days of free agency. The Giants clearly have a connection with Kim, as they are managed by Bob Melvin, who managed Kim in his time with the Padres, while the Giants president of baseball operations, Buster Posey, publicly identified shortstop as an area of need for the Giants.

The underrated infielder generating lots of buzz at GM Meetings

SAN ANTONIO – Could Ha-Seong Kim be one of the first players off the free-agent market? According to a source, Kim has already generated “lots of interest” in the early days of free agency, while a second source said the Giants are focused on signing the 29-year-old. The Brewers have

www.mlb.com