MLB

As is often the case during the offseason, some MLB teams might be in a holding pattern until the biggest fish in free agency gets reeled in.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Wednesday that "the high-end market could move, perhaps quickly" once Aaron Judge agrees to a contract.

According to Passan, the New York Yankees are prepared to offer around $300 million over eight years and might go higher depending on any competing bids.

Because of his asking price, Judge has a limited pool of suitors. In addition to the Yankees, the San Francisco Giants have met with the American League MVP. The Los Angeles Dodgers could make a run, too.

Even assuming those are the only three teams that are looking to sign the native of Sacramento, California, his decision will carry big implications.

The Giants could set their sights on one of the next best outfielders. Brandon Nimmo, Mitch Haniger and Andrew Benintendi are all available, while Cody Bellinger and Michael Conforto are both intriguing free agents.

Passan speculated the Yankees could take the money they earmarked for Judge and put it toward one of the top-end shortstops on the market, with Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson all likely to get nine-figure offers.

San Francisco could adopt the same approach if it wants to flex its financial muscle after missing out on Judge.

Wherever the 30-year-old winds up, some of the free agents might be waiting to see the final terms of his new contract.

Eight years and $300 million would give the four-time All-Star an annual salary of $37.5 million, eclipsing Mike Trout's $35.5 million average salary and setting a record for a position player.

You wouldn't expect another player to get a bigger contract than Judge, but a record-setting pact could help shape what the likes of Turner, Correa, Bogaerts, Swanson, Jacob deGrom, Carlos Rodón and Justin Verlander demand.

The Boston Red Sox missed out on their top choice in free agency when José Abreu chose to sign with the Houston Astros.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network, the 2020 American League MVP was Boston's "No. 1 outside target" and the team met with him as soon as free agency opened on Nov. 10.

The Astros announced Monday they signed Abreu to a three-year contract. Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle added the deal is expected to be worth around $60 million.

Abreu is also believed to have thought highly of the Red Sox when the free-agent process began.

Bruce Levine of 670 The Score (h/t Adam London of NESN) reported on Nov. 15 that Boston was "high on the list" of potential landing spots for Abreu. The Astros, Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins were also mentioned.

It's unclear what Boston's plan is this offseason coming off a 78-84 record and last-place finish in the AL East in 2022.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal noted Red Sox ownership has indicated "a strong willingness" to spend. Team president and CEO Sam Kennedy recently told Michael Silverman of the Boston Globe they made an offer to Xander Bogaerts and have engaged in extension talks with Rafael Devers.

If the Red Sox had been avoiding spending in free agency recently to avoid the luxury tax, that shouldn't be a problem this offseason. Their payroll is currently $64.5 million, down from $225.7 million last season.

Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez, their two highest-paid players in 2022, are both free agents. They made a combined $39.35 million.

Abreu would have been a natural replacement for Martinez at designated hitter, though he's also capable of playing first base. The 35-year-old hit .304/.378/.446 with 15 homers, 40 doubles and 75 RBI in 157 games with the Chicago White Sox last season.

Boston's designated hitters collectively hit .264/.331/.432 with 19 homers and 70 RBI.

Offense wasn't the problem in Boston last season. The team ranked in the top 10 in MLB in batting average (.258), on-base percentage (.321), slugging percentage (.409) and runs scored (735).

Re-signing Bogaerts would go a long way toward helping Boston stay at that level in 2023. The front office needs to find pitching to make the team a playoff contender. The pitching staff had the sixth-worst ERA in the league (4.53) and Nick Pivetta was the only starter who threw more than 130 innings.

YES Network is open to adding Derek Jeter and Don Mattingly to its New York Yankees broadcasts for the 2023 MLB season.

"You don’t say no to Derek Jeter and Don Mattingly; if there is a place for them in your universe, you find a way to make it work," said John Filippelli, YES president of programming and production, to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. "We haven’t had any in-depth discussion with either. If they are A) available and B) interested, you probably at least have to have a conversation."

Marchand reported Jeter "has shown no penchant for broadcasting" and is thus an unlikely candidate at this stage. Front Office Sports' Michael McCarthy reported in February that ESPN was looking to bring him in, but not much came from that. The legendary shortstop reunited with former teammate Alex Rodriguez for an episode of the "KayRod Cast" in August.

Mattingly, meanwhile, told Marchand he "[has] something else burning fairly hot right now." The 61-year-old left his role as manager of the Miami Marlins earlier this fall and may continue to harbor a desire to coach in MLB.

David Cone has been a fixture in the booth for years, but the five-time All-Star joined ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball team in 2022, which limited how many games he could work for YES Network.

Marchand wrote how YES "delved into free agency with mixed results" for its broadcasts.

Jeter and Mattingly obvious have the requisite qualifications as players. The former is a five-time World Series champion and the defining figure for the Yankees' dynasty across the 1990s. The latter was a six-time All-Star and the 1985 American League MVP during his 14 years in pinstripes.

Excelling in a given sport doesn't mean somebody can succeed when talking about it for a living. Jeter in particular would be an odd fit since he went out of his way to be mostly uninteresting when he played in the Big Apple.

Based on Marchand's report, the idea might be a nonstarter anyway.

The Seattle Mariners have shown interest in free-agent outfielder Michael Conforto, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

The Athletic's Will Sammon reported on Nov. 9 the New York Mets might be open to reuniting with Conforto, who spent his first seven seasons with the team.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post listed the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs as having weighed a move as well.

The 29-year-old missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing shoulder surgery. His value had already taken a hit before that following a down year in 2021. He had 14 home runs, 55 RBI and a .232/.344/.384 slash line to go along with a 100 OPS+, per Baseball Reference.

Assuming he takes a short-term contract to leave himself free to collect a bigger payday in 2024 or 2025, Conforto would be a worthwhile gamble this offseason. Between 2015 and '20, he had an .843 OPS and a 128 OPS+, so a team might be getting an impact hitter at a fraction of the cost.

The Mariners are well positioned to take just such a risk.

Seattle will have reigning American League Rookie of the Year Julio Rodríguez patrolling center field, and it already acquired Teoscar Hernández to be the everyday right fielder. Assuming he rebounds at the plate, Conforto would be a clear upgrade over Jarred Kelenic.

Since he's still only 23, it might be too early to write Kelenic off altogether, but a .168 average and a .338 slugging percentage illustrate how much he has struggled through his first two seasons.

After winning 90 games and ending their lengthy playoff drought, the Mariners will want to keep making progress in 2023. Whether it's Conforto or another option, finding a veteran outfielder to take Kelenic's place in the lineup is an obvious way to fortify the offense for that pursuit.

The Chicago White Sox have agreed to a deal with free-agent starting pitcher Mike Clevinger, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Clevinger was up and down in his return to the mound in 2022 after missing all of 2021 because of Tommy John surgery.

The right-hander finished the season with a 4.33 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 114.1 innings, tallying a 7-7 record for the San Diego Padres. He allowed seven earned runs in two postseason starts, totaling just 2.2 innings.

San Diego first acquired Clevinger in a July 2020 trade with Cleveland that included nine players. He performed well in his new location, producing a 2.84 ERA in four starts, but he was limited by an elbow injury.

After pitching just one inning in the postseason that year, Clevinger was shut down and eventually underwent Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career. He also had the procedure in 2012 while in the minors with the Los Angeles Angels system.

The 31-year-old has been a frontline starter in the past, posting a 2.96 ERA across 88 appearances from 2017-20, adding a 1.153 WHIP with 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

He appeared in seven postseason games with Cleveland, including three in the World Series in 2016.

The experience and past production could make Clevinger a high-upside addition in free agency if he can stay healthy and return to his previous form.

Chicago went 81-81 last season, but the talented roster could be dangerous with another top starter alongside Dylan Cease.

New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton will face more pressure to stay healthy and carry the club's offense if Aaron Judge departs in free agency.

The Yanks can only wait as Judge, who set the American League record with 62 home runs this year, goes through his free-agent process. Nothing indicates he's leaning toward leaving the Bronx, but tension will remain until he announces his decision.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants remain the "biggest threats" to lure away the superstar outfielder, though the Yankees continue to hold the edge in the high-profile pursuit.

While New York appears to remain in a strong position to retain Judge, the question of what happens if he leaves is still part of the equation.

Some additions, either via trade or free agency, would be necessary to fill the massive void, but a healthy year from Stanton would also provide a massive boost.

The 33-year-old five-time All-Star made 158 appearances during his first season with the Yankees in 2018 but hasn't reached that number over the subsequent four years:

• 2019: 18 games played
• 2020: 23 (60-game season)
• 2021: 139
• 2022: 110

That equates to 53.1 percent of the Yanks' games since 2019.

Stanton's power numbers were strong in 2022. His 31 home runs equate to a 45.7-homer pace over a full 162-game campaign. His other numbers were underwhelming, however, including a career-low .297 on-base percentage.

It'll be important for the 2017 National League MVP to post an OBP closer to his career average (.354) should he slide up the order, likely to the No. 3 spot, if Judge exits. Paired with continued pop, that would help the Yankees offense remain afloat.

New York ranked second in runs scored (807) and fourth in OPS (.751) in 2022.

The Yanks would have no way to directly replace Judge if he lands in L.A., San Francisco or elsewhere. It'd require a team effort to make up for his MVP-level production. That effort would start with a monster campaign from Stanton.

The Yankees will hope it's a storyline they never have to explore and that Judge is back in pinstripes to open the 2023 season.

Coming off four consecutive losing seasons, the Colorado Rockies are trying to find answers for a quick turnaround in 2023.

Per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, the Rockies are interested in former National League MVP Cody Bellinger on a one-year deal.

Scott Boras, Bellinger's agent, told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal earlier this week that his client has already received multiyear offers, but "most likely, because of his age," they will seek a one-year deal to help him rebuild his value and hit the market again after the 2023 season.

Bellinger became a free agent on Nov. 18 when the Los Angeles Dodgers declined to tender him a contract. The move came after a three-season stretch from 2020-22 in which he .203/.272/.376 in 295 games.

Prior to the 2020 season, Bellinger looked like he was going to be one of the best players in Major League Baseball and a foundation piece for the Dodgers for years to come. He was named NL Rookie of the Year in 2017 after hitting .267/.352/.581 with 39 homers in 132 games.

The 2019 season was the apex of Bellinger's career. He was named NL MVP after posting a .305/.406/.629 slash line and 47 homers in 156 games.

Bellinger is one of the most intriguing free-agent options because of his upside. He's only 27 years old and has played through injuries recently. He had offseason shoulder surgery before the 2021 campaign, suffered a hairline fracture in his leg early in the regular season and had a hamstring issue.

All of those problems combined to limit Bellinger to 95 games in 2021. He played 144 games last season but was bothered by a left adductor strain in the first half.

The Rockies have been caught between trying to compete in the NL West and rebuild. They paid Kris Bryant $182 million over seven years last offseason, but he only played in 42 games last season because of injuries.

Colorado finished last in the NL West in 2022 with a 68-94 record. The team hasn't made the postseason since getting swept in the NLDS by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager is viewed as the player who could benefit the most from MLB's ban on infield shifts beginning in 2023.

Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated provided detailed analysis of the upcoming change Monday, noting no hitter in the league had more hard-hit ground-ball outs into the shift (71) than the Rangers infielder last season.

Seager faced a shift 93 percent of the time in 2022, a jump of 16 percentage points from 2021, and his .176 batting average on hard-hit grounders was a career-low mark, per Verducci.

The analysis also showed he was one of the most unlucky players when it came to line drives that turned into outs because of the shift along with the Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber.

Seager signed a 10-year, $325 million contract with the Rangers last December after spending the first seven seasons of his MLB career with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 28-year-old North Carolina native hit a career-high 33 home runs, but his OPS dropped to .772, his worst full-season mark since reaching the majors in 2015. His OPS across his final two years in L.A. was .926.

He was a 4.5-win player (via FanGraphs) despite the significant impact of the shift on his ability to get on base.

The ban on the shift creates a lot of intrigue about what level of production Seager can provide. The new rule mandates two infielders on each side of second base and forces the infielders to line up on the infield dirt.

The three-time All-Star could end up in the MVP conversation if his power and defensive numbers remain strong to pair with a likely increase in his batting average and on-base percentage.

That's great news for the Rangers, who own a fearsome top half of the order with Seager, Marcus Semien, Nathaniel Lowe, Adolis García and Jonah Heim.

The rest of the lineup could use upgrades before the 2023 campaign gets underway, though.

Toronto Blue Jays star Alek Manoah called out Gerrit Cole in a video published Monday, reviving accusations of cheating during the latter's career.

Appearing on Serge Ibaka's How Hungry Are You? (starts at 11:19 mark), Manoah named the New York Yankees ace for his alleged use of sticky substances in response to a question about "the worst cheater" in Major League Baseball history.

"He cheated," Manoah said. "He used a lot of, like, sticky stuff to make his pitches better. And he kinda got called out on it."

This isn't the first time a fellow player has accused Cole of using sticky substances to improve his arsenal.

Josh Donaldson, who is now Cole's teammate, threw out an accusation while speaking to The Athletic's Dan Hayes in June 2021.

"Is it coincidence that Gerrit Cole's spin rate numbers went down [Thursday] after four minor leaguers got suspended for 10 games?" Donaldson said. "Is that possible? I don't know. Maybe. At the same time, with this situation, they've let guys do it."

Donaldson was referencing four minor league pitchers who were suspended for using foreign substances during games.

In response to the accusation, Cole didn't deny that he had used something on the grounds of "customs and practices that have been passed down from older players to younger players."

Midway through the 2021 season, MLB did increase its efforts to crack down on pitchers' use of substances during games. Umpires now check a pitcher in between innings or if they get removed from a game to make sure they are on the up and up. Starting pitchers usually get checked multiple times per game.

Per Baseball Savant, the spin rates on Cole's fastball, curveball and changeup have decreased in each of the past three seasons. His fastball went from a peak of 2,530 rpm in 2019 to 2,505 in 2020, 2,452 in 2021 and 2,428 in 2022.

Cole's slider did tick up from 2,582 rpm in 2020 to 2,600 in 2021, but it dropped to 2,569 last season.

Of course, declining spin rates don't necessarily mean Cole was using a substance and stopped when MLB began enforcing its rules. It could be a natural function of aging and arm speed, as he's now 32 years old.

If nothing else, Manoah's comments will add fuel to the Blue Jays-Yankees rivalry as the two teams prepare to fight it out in the American League East next season.