MLB

Veteran starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw has been a staple of the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation since he made his MLB debut in 2008, but it appears there's a chance he's in a new uniform for the 2023 season.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported Tuesday that the Texas Rangers are "among the options" for Kershaw, who is a free agent this offseason.

The 34-year-old could be nearing the end of his Hall of Fame-worthy career. After the Dodgers fell to the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series last month, Kershaw said he was leaning toward returning in 2023 but didn't rule out the possibility of retirement.

A Dallas native, Kershaw lives in Texas during the offseason. The prospect of playing near home could be appealing at this stage in his career. Morosi also noted Kershaw has a strong relationship with Rangers general manager Chris Young, who is a former MLB starting pitcher.

Joining the Rangers would also reunite Kershaw with former Dodgers teammate Corey Seager, who signed with Texas last offseason. They would play under former San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who was hired by the Rangers to replace interim manager Tony Beasley after Chris Woodward was fired in August.

Kershaw is one of the best pitchers ever to take the mound for the Dodgers. The nine-time All-Star helped lead them to a World Series championship in 2020. He's a three-time National League Cy Young Award winner and was named NL MVP in 2014, when he became the first pitcher to win the award since 1968.

Morosi pointed out that the opportunity to remain a lifelong member of the Dodgers could be appealing to Kershaw. However, he still called it a "two-team conversation," affirming that the Rangers have a chance to land the legendary lefty.

Miami Marlins right-hander Pablo López is available in trade discussions this offseason, per MLB Network's Jon Heyman.

Miami nearly dealt López to the New York Yankees at the Aug. 2 trade deadline for a package that included Gleyber Torres, according to Heyman. It's unclear if the Pinstripes have reengaged the Marlins in negotiations.

López has spent his entire five-year career with the Marlins and put together an impressive 2022 campaign, finishing 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in 180 innings across 32 starts.

The 26-year-old has been consistent over his career. He has started 94 games since 2018, posting a 3.94 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 489 strikeouts across 510 innings.

In addition, López is under team control through 2024 with two seasons of arbitration eligibility before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2025. With his consistent play and the term on his contract, he is a prime trade candidate this winter.

The Marlins desperately need hitters after batting .230 in 2022, tied for the third-lowest average in baseball. Only the Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics were worse.

With a rotation that includes Sandy Alcantara, Trevor Rogers, Jesús Luzardo, Edward Cabrera and Braxton Garrett, the Fish can afford to lose López in order to acquire a bat to put alongside Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Bryan De La Cruz.

The Marlins had a rough 2022 campaign that saw them miss the playoffs for the 18th time in 19 seasons after finishing 69-93, fourth in the NL East. Bringing in at least one more hitter should be a priority.

However, it's unclear who the club might target.

Some good hitters are available on the free-agent market, including Anthony Rizzo, Josh Bell, Jean Segura and Xander Bogaerts. It remains to be seen whether Miami, which had a $96.3 million payroll in 2022—the fifth-lowest in baseball—would be willing to spend the kind of money it would take to bring in a marquee hitter.

Jorge Soler will return to the Miami Marlins after exercising his $15 million player option for the 2023 MLB season, according to Craig Mish of SportsGrid.

The veteran outfielder caught fire with the Atlanta Braves in the second half of the 2021 campaign, slugging .524 and hitting 14 home runs in 55 games. He carried that form into the postseason and was crowned World Series MVP after his three home runs and six RBI helped propel Atlanta to a title.

Unfortunately for the Marlins, Soler fell back to earth in a big way this year. In 72 games, he had 13 homers, 34 RBI and a .207/.295/.400 slash line. Per FanGraphs, his .305 wOBA and 98 wRC+ were his lowest since 2017.

Soler's season ended in mid-July. The Marlins placed him on the injured list July 23 because of lower-back spasms, and he never returned to the field.

It continued a trend for the Cuban. He has played a full 162-game season once in his career and eclipsed 100 games on only two other occasions since arriving in the majors in 2014.

Speaking to reporters Sept. 12, the 30-year-old said he and his agent hadn't yet given much thought to whether he would trigger his option or become a free agent. He did, however, reference the improvement he and the Marlins would need to make in 2023.

"It was not the ideal season for any of us, not for me, not for the whole team," he said. "We didn't prove the expectation that everybody was actually waiting for. We just have to keep working hard and work for the next season."

From a financial perspective, staying in Miami is the sensible decision. It's difficult to envision another team gives Soler a $15 million salary in 2023 on the back of such an underwhelming season.

The Marlins presumably expected this outcome as well and slotted him into their lineup as the starting left fielder or designated hitter.

Getting back to full health and having a clean slate may help Soler rebound next year. Some of his underlying metrics raise cause for concern, though.

Soler has struck out at a high volume across his career with a 27.2 percent strikeout rate.

In 2019, he offset that by leading the American League in home runs (48) and slugging .569 with the Kansas City Royals. As he ages and his power starts to wane, his strikeouts will become a bigger problem because when he does make contact, what used to be home runs will start to stay in the park.

There are signs the shift is happening.

Soler's isolated power hit a peak of .304 and has declined each year since then, hitting .193 in 2022. According to Baseball Savant, his hard-hit percentage has fallen from a high of 51.1 percent in 2020 to 47.0 in 2021 and 43.6 in 2022 as well. His home run to fly ball rate across the last two years (16.7 and 17.8 percent) is below his career average of 19.4 percent, per FanGraphs.

If he can stay healthy, Soler's production could tick back upward, but Miami might find itself having to work around his limitations even more at the plate.

The Boston Red Sox are already considering backup plans in case veteran shortstop Xander Bogaerts departs the club in free agency this winter.

They are exploring the market for a second baseman and have begun reaching out to teams to see who might be available, "hoping to figure out Plan B in the likely event" Bogaerts signs elsewhere, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

"It doesn’t seem like they're going to spend big on a shortstop," a source told Feinsand. "They knew this was a possibility when they signed [Trevor] Story last year."

However, Sean McAdam of Boston Sports Journal reported last month that Red Sox owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner had met with Bogaerts to reiterate that re-signing him is their "top priority."

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom also said last month, per MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo:

"That's no different than where we've been. Our position hasn't changed on that. I've said this before, but nothing I say really matters unless there's a deal. But our position has been the same, that we want to keep him here for a long time and we want him here on a deal that we're going to look back on and say, 'This was great for everybody.'"

If Bogaerts exits in free agency, which opens Thursday, the Red Sox would reportedly move Story back to shortstop, his natural position. The 29-year-old played second base for Boston last season after signing a six-year, $140 million deal with the franchise.

Before joining the Red Sox, Story served as the Colorado Rockies' No. 1 shortstop for six seasons.

Seeking a lower-priced second baseman would make financial sense for the Red Sox, especially considering Bogaerts—one of the premier shortstops on the market this winter alongside Carlos Correa, Dansby Swanson and Trea Turner—should receive a significant raise from the $20 million per year he was earning in Boston.

However, seeing Bogaerts depart would be a tough blow for the Red Sox in more ways than one. The 30-year-old is the team's longest-tenured player and one of its biggest leaders in the locker room.

In addition, he is one of Boston's best hitters and is coming off a season in which he slashed .307/.377/.456 with 15 home runs, 73 RBI and eight stolen bases in 150 games. He hit .300 or better in three of the last four seasons.

Bogaerts has helped Boston win two World Series titles, has four Silver Slugger awards and has been named an All-Star four times over his 10-year career.

Losing that production would be devastating for a team that went 78-84 in 2022, finishing last in the AL East and missing the playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons.

It's unclear which second basemen the Red Sox might be targeting as a backup plan.

The New York Yankees are expected to give Anthony Rizzo a $19.65 million qualifying offer, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

The first baseman will have until 4 p.m. ET Nov. 15 to accept the offer, which would keep him with the Yankees on a one-year deal, or decline it and become a free agent. If he declines, New York would receive compensation in the draft.

Rizzo appeared in 130 games for the Yankees last season, totaling a career-high-tying 32 home runs and 75 RBI with a .224 batting average and .817 OPS.

The veteran was especially valuable in the playoffs, hitting .276 with a .432 on-base percentage in nine games, adding two home runs and eight RBI. He was one of just two Yankees, along with Harrison Bader, to hit a home run as they were swept in the American League Championship Series by the Houston Astros.

Rizzo spent the majority of his 12-year career with the Chicago Cubs, totaling three All-Star selections, four Gold Glove Awards and a World Series title in nine-plus seasons before he joined the Yankees in a midseason trade in 2021. He signed a two-year, $32 million extension with New York, but the second year featured a player option and he declined it.

The 33-year-old is an important piece for the Yankees to retain, especially with slugger Aaron Judge also in free agency. Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres were the only other players to hit more than 15 home runs last season.

DJ LeMahieu could play first base if Rizzo leaves, but there would be a significant drop-off in offensive power to the lineup.

The New York Mets are reportedly "most worried" about the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers as they attempt to re-sign starting pitcher Jacob deGrom, who opted out of his contract to become a free agent.

SNY's Andy Martino reported Tuesday the Mets are expected to make a "strong" offer to bring back deGrom early in free agency but aren't planning to stay in a long-term bidding war with the Braves, Rangers and other interested clubs if that's how the situation plays out.

Martino also noted the two sides have had "preliminary contact":

The top of New York's pitching staff is the main point of concern as free agency gets prepared to open Thursday, especially after the team was able to re-sign closer Edwin Diaz to solidify the back end of the bullpen.

There are a lot of question marks behind Max Scherzer, which means multiple additions could be necessary if Carlos Carrasco and Chris Bassitt also depart.

DeGrom coming back would provide a major boost, but it doesn't sound like the Mets' front office is willing to meet or exceed any offer to keep him.

The club is willing to pay fair market value or "perhaps go a bit higher" but will otherwise attempt to fill the void in another way, per Martino.

Watching the two-time Cy Young Award winner, who's pitched his entire nine-year career with the Mets, land with the NL East rival Braves would be a tough pill to swallow, though.

Atlanta already features one of MLB's best rotations with Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Kyle Wright and Charlie Morton, and picking up a starter with a 2.52 ERA across 209 career starts would give the Braves the best starting group in baseball.

Meanwhile, deGrom represents a bigger need for the Rangers, who have more talent on their roster than their 68-94 record in 2022 would indicate. One of the missing pieces is a true ace.

In October, Texas general manager Chris Young didn't hide his intention to enter free agency with an eye toward improving the rotation.

"We will be active on the free-agent market with the intention of signing multiple starting pitchers," Young told reporters.

Landing deGrom would be a massive step in the right direction toward rebuilding that area of the roster.

All told, it's hard to imagine the Mets won't do everything in their power to keep their longtime ace, but all signs point toward ample competition on the market.

Houston Astros owner Jim Crane will formally offer contracts to both manager Dusty Baker and general manager James Click for the 2023 season, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Baker, 73, said Tuesday he plans to return to the team.

"I'll be back, but we're working on it," he told reporters. "It's as simple as that."

The Astros took home the 2022 World Series by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. It was Baker's first title after 25 seasons as a manager in MLB.

Baker previously agreed to a one-year deal to remain the Astros manager for the 2022 season, his third with the team. In that time, Houston has gone 230-154 in the regular season with three trips to the ALCS, two World Series appearances and one championship.

Click also joined the organization in 2020 as part of the organizational restructure after Houston fired manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow for their roles in the team's sign-stealing scandal.

The 44-year-old had spent the previous 15 years with the Tampa Bay Rays, working his way up to vice president of baseball operations.

Though most of the Astros' contributors this season have been in the organization for more than three years, Click made aggressive moves to bolster the roster ahead of the Aug. 2 trade deadline, acquiring Trey Mancini and Christian Vazquez.

Crane praised the team's leadership in helping to bring home another championship.

"I appreciate all the hard work they've both done," Crane said of Click and Baker. "They've done a good job."

Houston has work to do in the offseason—notably, starting pitcher Justin Verlander will be a free agent—but the Astros are set up well to contend for a title in 2023.

Veteran first baseman Eric Hosmer has exercised his $13 million contract option with the Boston Red Sox for the 2023 season, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

He's now locked into the next two years of the deal before holding another player option for 2025, per Spotrac.

Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reported Boston will only be on the hook for paying the MLB minimum salary for the duration of the contract, while the San Diego Padres will pay the rest.

The Red Sox acquired Hosmer from San Diego at the Aug. 2 trade deadline in exchange for minor league left-hander Jay Groome. The deal came after he declined to be sent to the Washington Nationals in the Juan Soto trade.

Hosmer, who has failed to live up to expectations since signing an eight-year, $144 million deal with the Padres in 2018, was expected to opt in to his contract as he likely would not have been paid more if he became a free agent.

In 14 games with the Red Sox, he slashed .244/.320/.311 with no home runs and four RBI. It was a disappointing second half of the season for the four-time Gold Glover, though he didn't have the best year as a whole.

Between the Red Sox and Padres in 2022, he slashed .268/.334/.382 with eight home runs and 44 RBI in 104 games.

That said, the Red Sox as a whole were disappointing, finishing last in the AL East with an 78-84 record and missing the postseason for the third time in the last four seasons.

Now that he's returning to Boston for 2023, Hosmer should serve as the team's top first baseman, anchoring a unit that also includes Bobby Dalbec and rising star Triston Casas, the club's No. 2-ranked prospect, per MLB.com.