NL East

The Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to terms on a four-year, $72 million contract with right-handed starting pitcher Taijuan Walker, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Robert Murray of FanSided initially reported Tuesday that Walker and the Phillies were close on a deal.

Walker went 12-5 with a 3.49 ERA and 1.20 WHIP and 132 strikeouts in 157.1 innings for the New York Mets last season.

The 30-year-old has pitched in the bigs for 10 seasons with the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays and Mets, the last of whom he joined prior to his 2021 All-Star campaign.

Walker joins a rotation that lost two starters to free agency and might lose another.

Zach Eflin signed with the Tampa Bay Rays on a three-year, $40 million contract, and Kyle Gibson inked a one-year, $10 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles.

Noah Syndergaard remains unsigned but recently met with the Baltimore Orioles, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

The Phillies have been big spenders this offseason after previously signing shortstop Trea Turner to an 11-year, $300 million contract. Now they've added Walker, who should slot into the starting rotation alongside Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez.

Philadelphia snuck into the playoffs as the sixth and final team in the National League playoff field but steamrolled its way into the World Series after beating the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres.

The Phils lost a tough Fall Classic to the Houston Astros in six games, but the talent is clearly present for a repeat attempt at the World Series.

A stacked lineup led by Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber only gets stronger with Turner, and now Walker adds depth to a rotation that already features two stars in Nola and Wheeler and an impressive Suárez, who posted a 3.65 ERA in his first year as a full-time starter.

The Phillies begin their NL pennant defense on March 30 at the Texas Rangers.

The Philadelphia Phillies' initial, aggressive offseason push to land Trea Turner paid off on Monday, though he actually turned down a bigger offer from another club.

The San Diego Padres offered Turner a $342 million contract, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

The Athletic's Matt Gelb previously reported San Diego had offered Turner more in "total guaranteed dollars" than the $300 million he agreed to with the reigning National League Champions, with ESPN's Buster Olney adding San Diego's offer would have made Turner the highest-paid shortstop in baseball.

ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel reported the 11-year, $300 million agreement between Philadelphia and Turner.

Gelb noted the Padres' had "legitimate interest" in bringing back Turner, who was their first-round draft pick in 2014. Members of the organization met with the two-time All-Star twice before the winter meetings.

The Padres traded Turner to the Washington Nationals six months after he was drafted as part of a three-team deal that included the Tampa Bay Rays.

Olney added with Turner now off the board, the Padres have pivoted their interest to Aaron Judge, Carlos Correa, Dansby Swanson and Xander Bogaerts.

Almost as soon as the World Series ended, there were rumblings that Turner and the Phillies had strong mutual interest. The Athletic's Jayson Stark told 97.5 The Fanatic on Nov. 9 there were "some interesting rumblings" the 29-year-old wanted to be in Philadelphia.

According to Gelb, the Phillies' pitch to Turner included meetings in Florida with the president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, general manager Sam Fuld and manager Rob Thompson before Thanksgiving to meet members of his family.

Gelb also noted Bryce Harper, who previously advocated strongly for the Phillies to re-sign J.T. Realmuto, began lobbying team officials to pursue Turner during the regular season.

It's not specified what San Diego's offer was for Turner, but general manager A.J. Preller has been as aggressive as any executive over the past two years. He has traded for Yu Darvish, Mike Clevinger, Josh Hader, Juan Soto and Blake Snell since 2021.

The Padres have also spent big money to sign Manny Machado as a free agent (10 years, $300 million) and extend Fernando Tatis Jr. (14 years, $340 million). They have made the postseason in two of the last three years, including losing to the Phillies in the 2022 NLCS.

As aggressive as Preller has been recently, Dombrowski has been the king of aggressive moves dating back to his time with the Detroit Tigers. His desire to add superstar talent paid off in a big way, with Turner set to join a Phillies team coming off a World Series appearance.

The New York Mets reportedly remain in the running to sign free-agent starting pitcher Jameson Taillon, even in the wake of signing Justin Verlander on Monday.

According to SNY's Andy Martino, the Mets tried to sign Taillon before finalizing a deal with Verlander, and they are "still in on" the former New York Yankees hurler.

Martino added that the Mets will "100 percent" add another starting pitcher through free agency or trade, and that the organization is "deep into conversations" with multiple free-agent pitchers.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Monday that the Mets and Verlander, the former Houston Astros ace, agreed to a two-year, $86.66 million contract with a vesting third-year option.

Verlander will essentially serve as the replacement for former Mets ace Jacob deGrom, who signed a five-year, $185 million deal with the Texas Rangers.

The signing of Verlander leaves the Mets with a de facto starting rotation of Verlander, Max Scherzer, Carlos Carrasco, David Peterson and Tylor Megill. In addition to deGrom leaving for Texas, 2022 rotation members Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker are both free agents.

In Taillon, the Mets would be signing a 31-year-old veteran with six years of MLB experience as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Yankees.

Taillon was originally the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 MLB draft by the Pirates, and he appeared in four seasons for the team before getting traded to the Yanks.

He largely stayed healthy in his two seasons in the Bronx, which was a big step forward after missing all but seven starts in 2019 and the entire 2020 season due to surgery on his flexor tendon and UCL.

In his first season as a member of the Yankees in 2021, Taillon made 29 starts and went 8-6 with a 4.30 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 140 strikeouts over 144.1 innings.

Another year removed from his arm injury, Taillon was better last season, tying his career highs in starts (32) and wins (14). He also posted a 3.91 ERA and 1.13 WHIP, while striking out 151 in 177.1 innings pitched.

Taillon also saw the first playoff action of his career last season, appearing in one game out of the bullpen and starting another. He went 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA, although in his start he allowed just four hits and one earned run in 4.1 innings.

Overall, Taillon has made 143 regular-season starts during his career, registering a 51-35 record with a 3.84 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

Taillon has not developed into the ace the Pirates hoped they were getting when they drafted him second overall, but he is a solid mid-to-back-of-the-rotation starter who could fit in well with the Mets.

Slotting Taillon into the No. 4 spot behind Verlander, Scherzer and Carrasco would give the Mets plenty of rotation depth as they look to improve upon last season's result of falling in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

The Philadelphia Phillies got their man.

Superstar shortstop Trea Turner reportedly agreed to an 11-year, $300 million deal with the team on Monday, per multiple reports:

Source: Turner is getting 11 years, $300 million with a full no trade clause https://t.co/mvpDfFLrHb

— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) December 5, 2022

Turner gets $300 million over 11 years with a full no-trade clause, per source.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 5, 2022

Turner gets full no-trade clause as well. https://t.co/sdw743jRXg

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 5, 2022

According to Spotrac, the Phillies will now head into the 2023 season with a projected tax payroll of $217 million.

With the addition of Trea Turner, the #Phillies now carry 5 players with a tax salary of $20M or more.

They currently project to a $217M opening day tax payroll.https://t.co/RwV5iRuIHy

— Spotrac (@spotrac) December 5, 2022

The defending National League champions will have one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball. Here's what the lineup could look like once superstar Bryce Harper is able to return from offseason Tommy John surgery—expected to be sometime around the All-Star break as a designated hitter and later in the season as the right-fielder:

1. Trea Turner, SS
2. Kyle Schwarber, DH
3. J.T. Realmuto, C
4. Bryce Harper, RF
5. Nick Castellanos, LF
6. Rhys Hoskins, 1B
7. Bryson Stott, 2B
8. Alec Bohm, 3B
9. Brandon Marsh, CF

That is arguably the scariest lineup in baseball once Harper returns, assuming the Phillies can stay healthy. The Phillies could already mash, but adding the 29-year-old Turner—who hit .298 with 21 homers, 100 RBI, 101 runs, 27 stolen bases and an .809 OPS—will give the Phillies another dynamic player at or near the top of the lineup.

Add in the one-two punch of Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola atop the rotation, and the Phillies are building a powerhouse.

There will be questions to be answered, like filling out the rotation behind Wheeler, Nola and Ranger Suárez. The bullpen was a huge issue in the World Series against the Houston Astros and needs to be improved. Teams with great pitching tend to fell teams with great hitting come October.

But the Phillies won't have many weaknesses at the plate. Turner's addition makes them a major threat heading into the 2023 campaign, and his addition is one of the signature signings of free agency this winter.

The Philadelphia Phillies have added one of Major League Baseball's most dynamic players in All-Star shortstop Trea Turner.

Per ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan, Turner will sign an 11-year, $300 million contract that includes a full no-trade clause.

Trea Turner and the Phillies have agreed on a 11-year, $300M contract, per @kileymcd and @JeffPassan pic.twitter.com/hTxUIcKFmL

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 5, 2022

Turner has been one of the best players in MLB since his first full season with the Washington Nationals in 2016. He finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting, behind Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager, despite playing just 73 games.

The Dodgers made Turner and Seager teammates midway through the 2021 season when they acquired him, along with Max Scherzer, from the Nationals in exchange for four players.

While the trade made the Dodgers stronger on paper for the rest of 2021, it was also a shrewd bit of roster management by the front office. Seager was set to become a free agent at the end of the year, while Turner had one more year of arbitration left.

Seager wound up leaving to sign with the Texas Rangers. Turner took over as the Dodgers' starting shortstop in 2022. He turned in an excellent season with a .298/.343/.466 slash line, 21 homers, 100 RBI and 27 stolen bases.

Per FanGraphs, Turner finished ninth among all NL players with 6.3 wins above replacement. He has been worth at least 4.2 fWAR in each of the past four full seasons (excluding the 2020 season that was shortened to 60 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic).

Since the start of 2018, Turner ranks seventh in MLB with 24.9 FanGraphs wins above replacement. The two-time All-Star has a .303/.359/.491 slash line with an average of 20 homers and 29 stolen bases per season during that span.

Turner's combination of speed and power, along with above-average defense at shortstop, makes him one of the most valuable players in baseball every year.

Even if Turner's speed becomes a lesser part of his game as he starts to age, his power and glove will allow him to hold significant value in the latter years of this deal.

The Phillies will be counting on Turner to be a key player as they pursue the postseason in 2023 and beyond. It's an aggressive move for the front office, but one that seems likely to pay huge dividends given his unique skill set.

Fresh off an appearance in the World Series, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski isn't resting on his laurels.

It's not a surprise to see a team run by Dombrowski continue to make aggressive moves. It has been his modus operandi dating back to his time with the Detroit Tigers and again with the Boston Red Sox.

There's no arguing with the results, as his teams have made the World Series four times since 2006, winning with the Red Sox in 2018.

Turner fills a huge need for the Phillies at shortstop. Bryson Stott was a huge upgrade for their defense during their postseason run, but he hit only .234/.295/.358 in 127 games during the regular season.

Among 27 shortstops with at least 450 plate appearances in 2021, Stott tied for 20th in FanGraphs wins above replacement (1.4). Turner was No. 3 (6.3), behind only Francisco Lindor (6.8) and Dansby Swanson (6.4).

The Phillies will enter 2023 with a nucleus of Turner, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Rhys Hoskins. They need more depth in the starting rotation, but that offense is more than capable of letting them compete with the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves atop the NL East.

The New York Mets are "among the teams talking" with free-agent outfielder Andrew Benintendi, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Sherman said the Mets' discussions with Benintendi are "an indicator of the club seriously contemplating life without free agent Brandon Nimmo."

The New York Yankees, Houston Astros and "several other clubs" are also pursuing Benintendi, per Sherman.

The 28-year-old hit .304 with five home runs, 51 RBI, 54 runs, eight stolen bases, a .373 on-base percentage and a .772 OPS in 126 games between the Kansas City Royals and Yankees last season, making his first All-Star Game.

The combination of getting on base and stout defense in left field (2021 Gold Glove winner) should make him a highly sought-after player in free agency. His time in New York after a midseason trade was disappointing, however, as a broken bone in his right wrist cut his regular season short and kept him out of the playoffs.

For the Mets, he wouldn't be the most natural addition since the team has Mark Canha available in left field. If Nimmo signs elsewhere and the Mets add Benintendi, that would mean shifting either Canha or Starling Marte into center field.

Marte has more experience playing that position, though as Sherman noted, shifting either player centrally "has never seemed [to be the Mets'] preference for both defensive purposes and wear and tear, particularly on Marte."

However, general manager Billy Eppler has said the Mets would be comfortable moving Marte into center field if needed.

"Can Starling still play center field? Yeah, we believe he can," he said on Sherman and Jon Heyman's podcast The Show in November (h/t Danny Abriano of SNY). "That opens up some optionality for how we ultimately would fill out that outfield. But that being said, it's not a closed case by any stretch of the imagination."

It seems like a contingency the Mets will need to plan for. As SNY noted Monday, "Nimmo's market is robust, with the Mets, Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners and others having been linked to him."

The Mets have also splashed major cash to bring Justin Verlander aboard, which may factor into what they are willing to offer Nimmo:

Justin Verlander’s deal with the Mets is for two years and $86 million, per source. It includes a vesting third-year option. After losing Jacob deGrom, the Mets replace him with the American League Cy Young Award winner, who will be paired atop their rotation with Max Scherzer.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 5, 2022

Benintendi would be a logical backup plan as the Mets look to shore up the outfield.

The Philadelphia Phillies are in the market for a shortstop, and they're set to meet with some of the best available at the position before winter meetings begin on Monday in San Diego.

The Phillies have set meetings with Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson, per The Athletic's Jayson Stark. The team is expected to meet with Bogaerts and Correa this weekend, while meetings with Turner and Swanson may have already taken place.

The Phillies have emerged as the favorite to sign Turner, per MLB Network's Jon Morosi, and he is expected to land a deal worth at least $30 million per year, regardless of where he ends up.

Turner spent the last season-and-a-half with the Los Angeles Dodgers, earning an All-Star Game selection and a Silver Slugger award in 2022 after slashing .298/.343/.466 with 21 home runs, 100 RBI and 27 stolen bases in 160 games.

While the Phillies are viewed as the favorite to sign Turner, he has no shortage of suitors this winter. The Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants have been mentioned as potential destinations.

Bogaerts has an obvious connection to the Phillies as president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski served in the same role with the Boston Red Sox, the star shortstop's former club, from 2015 to '19.

Bogaerts had spent his entire 10-year career with the Red Sox before becoming a free agent this winter. Like Turner, he also earned an All-Star Game selection and a Silver Slugger award in 2022 after slashing .307/.377/.456 with 15 home runs, 73 RBI and eight stolen bases in 150 games.

Correa, meanwhile, spent the 2022 season the Minnesota Twins after beginning his career with the Houston Astros. He hit .291/.366/.467 with 22 home runs and 64 RBI in 136 games. He opted out of the remainder of his contract with the Twins in search of a more lucrative deal in free agency.

Swanson spent his entire seven-year career with the Atlanta Braves before becoming a free agent. He earned an All-Star Game selection and a Gold Glove award in 2022 after hitting .277/.329/.447 with 25 home runs, 96 RBI and 18 stolen bases in 162 games.

During the 2022 campaign, the Phillies relied on Jean Segura and Bryson Stott at shortstop. Segura is a free agent and Stott, 25, will be entering just his second major league season in 2023. Thus, the Phillies want someone more proven.

After reaching the World Series in 2022, the Phillies could be just one superstar piece away from winning it all in 2023.

Two-time National League Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom is available to sign with any team on the open market, but the New York Mets are confident that the prized free agent doesn't want to go anywhere.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that while the Mets know there's a chance deGrom walks in free agency, the team is prioritizing him this offseason and believes he is interested in staying put as well.

"Mets people seem to think he prefers to return (well, he could have fooled me!), and there's some concern about losing their homegrown uber-talent and watching him win Cy Young awards elsewhere, so he may still be their top remaining target," Heyman wrote.

Heyman also predicted that the Texas Rangers would be the team with the second-best chances to sign deGrom this offseason, but he listed the Tampa Bay Rays as a long shot despite the franchise's proximity to his hometown of DeLand, Florida. He noted that the Rays are not known for big spending in free agency, while deGrom will undoubtedly command a hefty price tag.

The 2022 season didn't go as deGrom had planned, as he was forced to miss the first few months because of a stress reaction in his shoulder. After making his season debut in August, he finished with a 5-4 record in 11 starts. He posted a 0.75 WHIP and 102 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched, but his 3.08 ERA was his first time with a plus-3.00 ERA since 2017.

DeGrom had a particularly tough finish to the regular season when he allowed three or more earned runs in four consecutive starts. However, he had a strong showing in Game 2 of the Mets' wild-card series against the San Diego Padres, allowing two runs with eight strikeouts in a 7-3 win. New York went on to lose the series in an upset after being pegged as a World Series contender earlier in the year.

While deGrom likely has multiple teams courting him in free agency, the Mets have a strong core that can once again contend for a title in 2023 if he decides to stay. Max Scherzer will surely be motivated after his postseason disappointment, and New York was able to retain star closer Edwin Diaz at the start of the offseason. Keeping deGrom in the mix would give the Mets a strong chance at bouncing back next season.

The MLB Players Association reportedly requested a league investigation to determine whether there was "improper communication" between the New York Yankees and New York Mets regarding the potential free-agent pursuit of outfielder Aaron Judge.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported Wednesday the union referenced a Nov. 3 article by SNY's Andy Martino, which said the Mets wouldn't engage in a "high-profile bidding war" with the Yankees because of a "mutually respectful relationship" between team owners Steve Cohen and Hal Steinbrenner.

"The only way people involved can see the Mets changing course and pursuing Judge would be if the Yankees somehow declared themselves out of the bidding," Martino wrote.

If the Players Association can prove the Mets' reluctance to bid directly against the Yanks damaged Judge's free-agent market, it would be a violation of MLB's collective bargaining agreement, per Rosenthal.

The Mets have emerged as one of the league's biggest spenders since Cohen purchased majority control of the franchise in November 2020. Their current projected payroll for 2023 ($184.7 million) is the highest figure in MLB by more than $20 million, per Spotrac.

So it's important for top-tier free agents like Judge to at least have the threat of a Mets bid as part of the process to maximize their leverage. If the New York teams aren't willing to battle each other, it limits the upside of the slugger's likely nine-figure contract.

Judge, who set the new American League record with 62 home runs in 2022, hasn't shed much light on his free-agent foray throughout the year.

"That's all going to run through my agent," Judge told reporters in October after the Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs. "I haven't even thought about the next step yet. But like I said, we've got time to figure it out. I've never been in this spot before."

Along with the Yankees and Mets, Jim Bowden of The Athletic listed the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox as the other potential suitors, saying it's hard to see any of the other 25 teams having a "legitimate chance" in the sweepstakes.

If there's only five clubs seriously involved, taking the Mets out of the equation represents a 20 percent drop in interest for Judge's representatives to work with on the market.

Should a formal grievance be filed by the Players Association, an arbitrator would hear the case, and Judge could be awarded "triple damages" if collusion is proved, per Rosenthal.

The Judge situation will likely make or break the Yankees' offseason. He carried the team's offense for extended stretches during the 2022 campaign, and there's no option, internal or external, who can replace his production barring a massive blockbuster trade.

So there's a strong chance Steinbrenner's club was likely to match any offer given to the 30-year-old four-time All-Star regardless of the surrounding circumstances, but more limited competition could prove quite valuable in terms the final contract cost.

It makes the collusion case an interesting subplot to what's already one of the winter's top stories.

Houston Astros star Justin Verlander won his third American League Cy Young Award on Wednesday, while Sandy Alcantara became the first Miami Marlins pitcher to win the National League honor.

Alcantara earned all 30 first-place votes to secure the trophy over finalists Max Fried and Julio Urías.

UNANIMOUS 🏆

Sandy Alcantara received all 30 first place votes for the NL Cy Young Award! pic.twitter.com/LOV7gFKUyW

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 16, 2022

Verlander also unanimously beat out finalists Dylan Cease and Alek Manoah.

Justin Verlander UNANIMOUSLY wins the AL Cy Young Award, receiving all 30 first place votes! pic.twitter.com/yP4GNk6q74

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 17, 2022

Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani finished fourth in AL voting.

Alcantara led all pitchers with 8.0 wins above replacement, per Baseball Reference, thanks mostly to his impressive durability, highlighted by a major league-best 228.2 innings. He tallied 23.2 more innings than anyone else, while his six complete games doubled the next-best number.

No team in baseball posted more than five complete games this year.

The 27-year-old was lights-out, finishing 14-9 with a 2.28 ERA and 0.98 WHIP plus 207 strikeouts.

Though Urías had more wins (17) and an NL-best ERA (2.16), Alcantara's ability to consistently carry his team made him the top choice.

Verlander also stood out for his incredible season, finishing 18-4 while leading the majors with a 1.75 ERA and 0.83 WHIP. He added 185 strikeouts in 175 innings, while his 220 ERA+ was easily the best of his career.

Only twice in 28 starts did the right-hander allow more than three earned runs.

The 39-year-old has been one of the best pitchers in baseball throughout his career, but few gave him the chance to bounce back at this level after he underwent Tommy John surgery and made just one appearance over the last two years. He proved all doubters wrong with an outstanding regular season and then helped the Astros win the World Series.

Cease had a strong case for the award, including his 227 strikeouts and memorable hot streak during the summer (11 GS, 65.2 IP, 0.82 ERA, 0.96 WHIP from June 14 to Aug. 11), but he wasn't as consistent as Verlander.

Verlander is now one of only 11 pitchers with three Cy Young Awards, adding to his Hall of Fame résumé.