Will big name free agents finally sign approaching spring training?
Despite a litany of great free agents available this offseason, most of the biggest stars among them have remained unsigned. You’d think with so many teams looking to break through for a World Series title next season, that these names would be flying off the shelves.
However, their price tags have been unexpectedly exorbitant. MLB teams do not seem inclined to sign some of these impact players despite their incredible upside. It’s become something of a standoff as teams hope those star free agents will be too scared to go an entire season unpaid and will be willing to lower their prices. However, that clearly hasn’t happened yet.
Still, despite the lack of news, there is a library of rumors floating around that could hint at when and where the big-name free agents like Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, and Matt Chapman could sign. Here are the latest MLB free agent rumors.
Yankees are still interested in Blake Snell
Earlier this offseason, the Yankees offered Blake Snell a five-year, $150 million deal to come to the Bronx. Snell turned it down. Instead of offering Snell more money, the Yankees turned to Marcus Stroman, who had previously expressed interest in joining the Yankees. Many people thought this signing meant the Yankees were out on Snell.
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Nope.
Bob Nightengale reports that the Yankees still have ‘serious interest.’ The team’s biggest problem right now is that they do not want to go very far over their initial offer. Nightengale notes that the Yankees are still hoping Snell’s asking price drops or that he’d be willing to settle for a short-term deal worth closer to $35 million a year.
The Rangers are not interested in Jordan Montgomery
Arguably the best free agent pitcher available, Jordan Montgomery is one of the hottest commodities in the league, but even the veteran left-hander is not immune to pricing out of a few team’s budgets.
At the beginning of Rangers’ camp, general manager Chris Young told reporters that he ‘[doesn’t] think there are any additions coming at this point.’ There was tons of speculation that Montgomery could be returning to the Rangers prior to this statement, and perhaps that statement by Young is merely a play for leverage against Montgomery’s agent. Young did state that the Rangers’ payroll is at an all-time high, and that they are willing to spend, but that he believes the money could be better spent elsewhere.
The Rangers are in need of pitching with Max Scherzer, Tyler Mahle, and Jacob deGrom out for the start of the season. However, the Rangers seem to believe that they are fine as is, and it’s hard to argue against that sentiment. Dane Dunning is currently listed as the team’s fourth starter on their depth chart. That’s incredible depth. While Andrew Heaney is the only proven southpaw starter on the Rangers’ depth chart, there clearly isn’t too much of an issue according to the Rangers’ front office.
Blue Jays could be out on big name free agents
After losing out on the Ohtani sweepstakes at the start of free agency, everyone expected the Toronto Blue Jays to be massive players during the offseason. They haven’t been though. They’ve been noticeably quiet for a team that just won 89 games and has seen its division rivals improve.
The Blue Jays seem content with where they are at though. Just a few days ago, Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins told reporters that ‘additions that would be of significance would mean some level of subtraction.’
The quote above seems to indicate that the Blue Jays’ front office does not believe any player available right now would lead to more success in 2024. At the very least, that addition would not be as impactful for Toronto as it would for another team.
The Toronto Blue Jays were considered one of the favorites to land Cody Bellinger for most of this offseason. If they are out, the door would be open for the Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, and San Francisco Giants to make that move, especially the Cubs and Mariners. The Giants just agreed to a three-year, $42 million deal with slugger Jorge Soler. Prior to the signing, the Giants reportedly viewed Soler as a piece they would go after as a backup in case they didn’t land Snell, Chapman, or Bellinger. Soler’s deal does not take the Giants out of the running, but does create question marks surrounding their level of interest.