AL East

New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier and infielders Rougned Odor and Tyler Wade have been designated for assignment, the team announced Friday. 

The players can now either be traded or placed on outright waivers. If a player is claimed by another club, he is immediately added to that team's 40-man roster. If a player clears waivers, he can be sent to the minor leagues or released. 

Frazier, 27, had the worst season of his career in 2021, slashing .186/.317/.633 with five home runs and 15 RBI in 66 games. Complicating things was the fact he missed time with neurological issues and vision problems. 

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said at the GM meetings that the club had "expectation and optimism" that Frazier's health issues were behind him. It's unclear if his health issues played a role in the team's decision to DFA him. 

Frazier has spent his entire five-year career with the Yankees, averaging .239/.327/.434 with 28 home runs and 97 RBI. 

Odor joined the Yankees in 2021 after seven seasons with the Texas Rangers. The second baseman underperformed, hitting .202/.286/.379 with 15 home runs and 39 RBI in 102 games. 

The 27-year-old's designation does not come as a surprise given New York's pursuit of a shortstop this winter, which will move Gleyber Torres back to second base. 

Wade, who has played second base, shortstop and in the outfield, has spent his entire five-year career with the Yankees. He slashed .268/.354/.323 with five RBI in 103 games. 

None of the Yankees' decisions come as a surprise. The club is interested in upgrading in several areas, which means cutting ties with players this winter. New York has been linked to Carlos Correa, Freddie Freeman and Starling Marte, among others. 

The Yankees finished the 2021 season third in the American League East with a 92-70 record and fell in the AL Wild Card Game to the Boston Red Sox.  

The Boston Red Sox "remain in touch" with free-agent left-hander Steven Matz, according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo. 

Matz has a strong market, Cotillo added. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels and St. Louis Cardinals are reportedly among teams interested in him. The New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays also remain interested, per MLB Network's Jon Heyman.

Matz spent the 2021 season with the Toronto Blue Jays after six seasons with the New York Mets to begin his career. The 30-year-old went 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 144 strikeouts in 150.2 innings across 29 starts. 

The Red Sox are in need of a starting pitcher after losing Eduardo Rodriguez to the Detroit Tigers in free agency. 

In addition to having a strong 2021 campaign, Matz has been a solid rotational arm throughout his career. In 141 games (136 starts), he is 45-48 with a 4.24 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. 

If Matz were to sign with the Red Sox, he would join a rotation that includes Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta and Tanner Houck. 

Even if the Red Sox don't land Matz, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom is set on acquiring a starting pitcher this winter. 

“We certainly want to have more guys who are capable of starting games in the big leagues and doing it well,” Bloom told reporters Wednesday, per Cotillo. “We’re not too focused on how famous they are. It’s more about what we think they can do. With that said, certainly a lot of the guys who could do the job well are also well-known. We’re focusing on those guys, too. We need to cover the whole map here and make sure we’re involved in everything that could help us.”

The Red Sox sat in the middle of the league in 2021 with a 4.26 ERA. 

It's unclear which other pitchers the Red Sox might be targeting. However, Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Marcus Stroman and Kevin Gausman are still available.  

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is entering the final year of his contract, but it sounds like the team doesn't want him to make it to free agency.

Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner told Ken Davidoff of the New York Post that he's willing to consider signing Judge to a contract extension. Though he acknowledged Judge's impact on the franchise, Steinbrenner noted that there have been no talks of a long-term deal as of yet.

"Look, he's a great Yankee. He's one of the faces of the franchise," Steinbrenner said. "He's a great leader, great in the clubhouse. It's definitely something I'm willing to talk to [general manager Brian Cashman] about. But nothing formal has happened yet."

Judge had one of the best years of his young career in 2021, slashing .287/.373/.544 with 39 home runs and 98 RBI. Those were his highest totals since his standout rookie season in 2017.

The Yankees have made the playoffs in each of Judge's five full major league seasons. But New York hasn't advanced to the World Series since 2009. Last season was particularly disappointing, as the team failed to find any consistency and was bounced in the American League Wild Card Game by the rival Boston Red Sox.

Judge has been open about his desire to remain in New York. During a Q&A with Fanatics Live last week, the 29-year-old outfielder said being a Yankee for the rest of his career "would be a wish of mine, a goal of mine, to finish my career as a Yankee, but you never know what the cards hold. If it was up to me, I’d be a Yankee for the next 10 years, for sure."

New York has a long history of dishing out big-money deals. But it hasn't retained one of its homegrown players with a large extension since Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter signed a 10-year, $189 million contract before the 2001 season.

The Yankees, who signed manager Aaron Boone to a new three-year deal earlier this offseason, have multiple holes to fill in free agency. Cashman said that shortstop is "an area of need." The team will likely seek improvements to its outfield and starting pitching rotation as well.

Carlos Correa does not appear headed to the Bronx.

Matthew Roberson of the New York Daily News reported the Yankees prefer a "stopgap" solution at shortstop rather than breaking the bank for either Correa or Corey Seager. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner seemed open to the idea of signing Correa when he spoke to reporters earlier Wednesday.

"He's obviously a great talent. And, look, I think, hopefully, most people have moved on from that. I mean, I think it's only healthy to move on from things like that instead of stewing on it year after year," Steinbrenner said, alluding to the Astros' cheating scandal.

The Yankees used a platoon at shortstop last season that included Tyler Wade and Andrew Velazquez. Their performances were a far cry from the halcyon days of Derek Jeter manning the 6 hole; the position has been a significant source of concern since Didi Grigorious' departure after the 2019 season.

With the Yankees equipped with an unlimited budget and two major stars in Correa and Seager on the market, they seemed like a natural fit for both. Correa didn't win over any fans with his comments regarding Jeter's defense, but those wounds would quickly heal once he puts on pinstripes.

It's possible that Seager, Correa and Trevor Story wind up driving one another's prices down to the point the Yankees feel comfortable handing out a multi-year deal. If they go the stopgap route, Andrelton Simmons could be an intriguing option with high defensive upside. 

The New York Yankees are "definitely interested" in trading for Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson, per Jack Curry of the YES Network.

"The Yankees have made inquiries about Matt Olson with the A's, but I'm hearing there hasn't been any detailed conversations about which players would be involved in a potential deal," Curry tweeted.

"Obviously, that can change with one call or one text. Yankees are definitely interested."

The 27-year-old hit .271 (.911 OPS) with 39 home runs and 111 RBI last season. It was an impressive year for Olson, a two-time Gold Glover who also made his first All-Star Game in 2021.

Olson is under team control for two more seasons, making him eligible for free agency in 2024 after a pair of arbitration years.

The Yankees were rolling with Anthony Rizzo and Luke Voit at first base by season's end, with the former player receiving the bulk of the work after the Bronx Brombers acquired him in a midseason trade with the Chicago Cubs.

Rizzo is a free agent now, while Voit is eligible for arbitration.

New York is looking to improve upon a 92-70 season that ended with an American League Wild Card Game loss to the Boston Red Sox. Questions litter the infield, and a shortstop would appear to be very high on the team's priority list.

Adding a left-handed power bat tailor-made for the Yankee Stadium short right field porch in Olson would be a major plus, and the fantastic glove is a bonus.

It appears that Olson is available with the A's looking to cut payroll and rebuild the franchise. SNY's Andy Martino reported on that in addition to the Yankees' potential interest in the first baseman on Nov. 8:

Somewhere in all that haze, though, is one near-certainty for the Yankees: Matt Olson, the All-Star first baseman for the Oakland Athletics, is there for the taking. Given Oakland’s history of trading big names as they become more expensive in salary arbitration, Yankee fans have already been salivating over Olson’s hypothetical availability. To that we can add reporting: Multiple league executives in touch with the A’s say that another reset is coming from the franchise, and Olson is one of several players who will likely be on the move.

The Yankees would also likely have competition for one of the greatest 30-and-under hitters in baseball, so it's certainly not a guarantee New York lands him. Plus, the asking price won't be cheap for Olson either.

Still, Olson could certainly be worth it as the Yankees try to make the World Series for the first time since 2009, which marks the team's only championship in the past 21 seasons.

Seven months after being acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays in a midseason trade, Jose Berrios has agreed to a long-term contract extension with the team. 

MLB Network's Jon Heyman first reported the two sides agreed to a deal. Shi Davidi of SportsNet added the contract will be worth $131 million over seven years. 

The Blue Jays sent Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Berrios on July 30. 

Berrios helped spark Toronto's quest for a playoff spot in 2021. The right-hander posted a 3.58 ERA in 70.1 innings over 12 starts after the deal. He would have been eligible for free agency after next season. 

Even though the Blue Jays missed out on the postseason, they are well positioned after getting Berrios' deal done to be a juggernaut in the American League East for years to come. 

Berrios, George Springer, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Teoscar Hernandez and Bo Bichette are all under team control through at least the 2023 season. 

Combining his stats between both teams, Berrios tied for the AL lead with 32 starts. He set career-bests in ERA (3.52), WHIP (1.06), strikeouts (204) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.53). 

A first-round draft pick by the Twins in 2012, Berrios has emerged as one of the better pitchers in the American League. He was named to the All-Star team in 2018 and 2019. 

Robbie Ray is a free agent, leaving the Blue Jays with potentially one big hole in their rotation to fill.  But getting Berrios on a long-term deal gives Toronto stability at the top of its rotation for the future.   

The Boston Red Sox had Kyle Schwarber on their roster for less than a full season after they acquired him from the Washington Nationals via trade in July, but they reportedly saw enough to want to bring him back despite plenty of competition.

Robert Murray of FanSided reported Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said the plan is to re-sign the slugger even though there are "a lot of teams" who are interested in Schwarber.

Schwarber is a free agent after he declined a mutual option on his contract for the 2022 season earlier this month.

The 2021 campaign couldn't have worked out much better for him before hitting the open market. While he hit just .188 during the 2020 season with the Chicago Cubs, he slashed .266/.374/.554 with 32 home runs and 71 RBI with the Red Sox and Nationals.

He helped lead Boston to the American League Championship Series and provided important power from the left side in its lineup. It is not surprising the Red Sox are interested in bringing him back after his performance.

While his final year with the Cubs was relatively disappointing, he spent the first six seasons of his career on the National League Central team. He will forever be remembered in Chicago for his 2016 efforts when he returned for the World Series despite tearing his ACL and LCL in April and hit .412 as the designated hitter during four games in Cleveland.

The Cubs may not have snapped their championship drought that dated back to 1908 without his individual efforts.

Murray noted there is plenty to like about Schwarber when compared to the rest of this free-agent class, including the fact he has more 30-plus home run seasons than Nick Castellanos, Michael Conforto and Carlos Correa combined.

He is known for his bat, but he also led all left fielders in assists in 2018 and 2019.

Schwarber is just 28 years old and is someone who can play designated hitter, first base or left field. Boston apparently wants to bring him back, but those attributes that make him appealing to the Red Sox also stand out to other teams around the league.            

Free-agent pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez is receiving interest from the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi. 

The news comes after the Boston Red Sox extended an $18.4 million qualifying offer to the left-hander last week. He has until Nov. 17 to accept or decline that offer. If he declines, the Red Sox will receive draft compensation.

Morosi reported Nov. 9 that the Angels were showing interest in Rodriguez as they aim to upgrade their rotation this winter. L.A. has also reportedly been linked to Robbie Ray, Marcus Stroman and Noah Syndergaard. 

The Angels had one of the worst pitching staffs in MLB last season, recording a 4.69 ERA, the ninth worst in MLB, and a 1.38 WHIP. 

Shohei Ohtani, Jose Suarez and Patrick Sandoval figure to be atop L.A.'s rotation in 2022. However, the Angels need replacements for Dylan Bundy and Alex Cobb, who struggled in 2021 and are now free agents. 

As for Toronto, the Blue Jays actually had one of the better pitching staffs in baseball last season, finishing with a 3.91 ERA (10th in MLB) and a 1.23 WHIP (eighth in MLB). However, with Ray now a free agent, the team could very well need to replace him this winter.

As it stands, the Jays' rotation includes Hyun Jin Ryu, Jose Berrios, Alek Manoah and Thomas Hatch. 

Like the Angels, Detroit's pitching staff was subpar in 2021, finishing with a 4.32 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. The Tigers have a relatively young rotation with Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning onboard for 2022, and they could benefit from adding a veteran like Rodriguez. 

However, Rodriguez struggled in 2021 after missing the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign due to myocarditis related to his COVID-19 diagnosis. The Venezuelan went 13-8 with a career-worst 4.74 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. 

The 28-year-old's best season came in 2019, when he finished sixth in American League Cy Young voting. He went 19-6 with a career-best 3.81 ERA, in addition to a 1.33 WHIP and 213 strikeouts in 203.1 innings across 34 starts. 

Despite his struggles, Rodriguez is a solid candidate to have a bounce-back season in 2022, and he's among one of the best free-agent pitchers available this winter.  

Aaron Judge has one year of arbitration remaining before he can become a free agent, but the three-time All-Star would love the opportunity to spend his entire career with the New York Yankees. 

In an interview with Fanatics (h/t RealGM.com), Judge said "there's no better place to play" than in the Bronx as a member of the Yankees. 

"No other place I'd really ever want to play, just based on how the fans have embraced me, how they brought me in and treated me as one of their own," he added. "It's incredible."

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was asked earlier this week at the GM meetings if the two sides have talked about a long-term contract extension:

We have not. But, obviously, there’s a lot of time. Right now, I’ve been in human resource mode for the most part dealing with coaching interviews…and stuff like that. But all in due time we’ll clearly have to have a conversation with Aaron Judge’s agent, whether it’s on a one-year arbitration [agreement] or whether it’s a multiyear [deal]. We’ll have to just work through it all.

An extension for Judge could be a difficult thing to navigate. He's played at a high level in the big leagues when healthy, but injuries have been an issue. 

The 2021 season marked the first time since his rookie campaign that Judge hadn't missed at least 32 games. 

You would never know based on Judge's stat lines that he's ever been hurt. The 29-year-old has a .280/.391/.563 slash line in 545 games since 2017. He's averaged 31 homers per season during that span. 

Judge has been the face of Yankees baseball for the past five seasons. He's arguably the most popular player the franchise has had since Derek Jeter retired. He's a homegrown star who was a first-round draft pick in 2013. 

There's still time for the Yankees to talk with Judge about a long-term deal, but it's been made clear through his performance that he can lead the franchise now and in the future. 

Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, two of the top players on the MLB free-agent market, are reportedly "increasingly likely" to sign contracts before a potential lockout begins Dec. 1.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Friday there's a growing sense at least some high-profile deals will come together before the collective bargaining agreement expires given the future uncertainty, and he noted it's possible Seager and Semien headline the early deals with both infielders generating interest from the big-spending New York Yankees.

Players and teams face a unique dilemma with the free-agent market open for business but very little optimism a new CBA agreement will come together before Dec. 1, which would lead to a lockout that could last for months.

In turn, agents and front offices are beginning to engage in a game of cat and mouse, trying to determine whether it's better to lock in key contracts now or deal with uncharted waters when countless players are trying to find deals when the lockout ends—something that is expected around February, per Passan.

Seager and fellow shortstop Carlos Correa are generally considered the top two players available this offseason. If one of them signs before the lockout, it could set the market for whenever the negotiations resume ahead of the 2022 season.

The 27-year-old two-time All-Star missed a significant portion of the 2021 campaign while recovering from a fractured hand, but he was one of the league's top players down the stretch with a 1.153 OPS and eight home runs across 93 September at-bats for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Seager, who posted a .943 OPS during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season, backed that up with a .915 OPS across 95 appearances this year.

"Yeah, absolutely," Seager told reporters. "I grew up here. I've spent a lot of time here. I believe in what these guys do. I believe in how we go about it. Absolutely."

Meanwhile, Semien hit the open market at a perfect time. His .873 OPS in 2021 was the second-highest mark of his career and he set new career-high totals in homers (45) and stolen bases (15).

The 2021 All-Star can also provide positional versatility with experience at second base, shortstop and third base, having earned a Gold Glove for his work at second for the Toronto Blue Jays this season.

If the Yankees can sign either Seager or Semien before the impending lockout, it would make the front office's job a lot easier when action resumes later in the offseason.