NL West

J.D. Martinez is on the move, as the five-time All-Star has agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, per Robert Murray of FanSided.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network added Martinez will sign a one-year, $10 million deal.

As the Red Sox endured a rough summer in which they fell to the bottom of the American League East standings, Martinez was a popular candidate to be traded before the Aug. 2 trade deadline.

When no deal materialized, Martinez played out the rest of the year with Boston and became a free agent.

Martinez is a DH-only player at this point in his career, but he remains an excellent hitter. He has been named to the AL All-Star team in each of the last two seasons, led the league in doubles (42) in 2021 and has a .345 on-base percentage in 287 games since the start of 2021.

There are some indications that Martinez isn't going to be as valuable with the bat as he has been. His power evaporated after the All-Star break with a .400 slugging percentage.

The Dodgers will be hoping that was just a blip on the radar and that a full offseason to prepare will get things back on track.

Considering Martinez was playing up to his full potential before the All-Star break (.302/.368/.481, 30 doubles in 81 games), there are reasons to be optimistic that he can be an impact bat in the middle of the order in 2023.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts can use Martinez in a platoon role. Even with his second-half struggles last season, Martinez finished with a .998 OPS against left-handed pitching in 119 at-bats.

After declining Justin Turner's option for the 2023 season, the Dodgers had an opening at designated hitter. They can certainly rotate some players already on the roster into that spot, but Martinez gives Roberts another option to choose from.

The San Diego Padres reportedly expect star third baseman Manny Machado to opt out of his contract following the 2023 MLB season.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Padres anticipate Machado will test the free-agent market, which may be why they have been so aggressive this offseason.

Heyman noted the Padres missed out on shortstop Trea Turner and outfielder Aaron Judge despite offers of $342 million and $414 million, respectively, before signing shortstop Xander Bogaerts away from the Boston Red Sox on an 11-year, $280 million deal.

San Diego signed Machado to a 10-year, $300 million contract in 2019, and the move has paid dividends for both sides.

In four seasons with the Padres, the 30-year-old is a two-time All-Star and one-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He finished third in National League MVP voting in 2020 and second in the voting in 2022.

Last season was Machado's best in San Diego, as he hit .298 with 32 home runs, 102 RBI and 100 runs scored.

In seven seasons before joining the Padres (six-and-a-half years with the Baltimore Orioles and half a season with the Los Angeles Dodgers), Machado was a four-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner.

As good as he was in Baltimore, Machado hasn't experienced much drop-off during his time with the Padres. He has played in 519 games with San Diego and slashed .280/.352/.504 with 108 homers, 340 RBI and 317 runs.

Machado has also helped the Padres enjoy their most extensive playoff success in years. They upset the New York Mets in the NL Wild Card Series and the Dodgers in the NL Division Series in the 2022 postseason en route to the National League Championship Series.

While Machado signed a 10-year deal with the Padres, it would likely behoove him to opt out after next season if he enjoys another big statistical campaign.

Machado's average annual salary of $30 million is tied for the 15th-highest in MLB, and he arguably deserves to be higher on the list.

Judge, New York Mets starting pitcher Justin Verlander and Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom have all signed contracts this offseason that exceed Machado's average annual salary.

The Padres are equipped to remain strong offensively if Machado signs elsewhere thanks to the presence of Bogaerts, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Juan Soto.

Still, Machado would be a massive loss, and his potential impending free agency may give the Padres more urgency to win a World Series next season.

The San Diego Padres' decision to sign Xander Bogaerts as a free agent opens up the question about Fernando Tatis Jr.'s long-term outlook with the organization.

Per ESPN's Alden Gonzalez, Tatis has " always been adamant" about playing shortstop.

Bogaerts made it clear during his introductory press conference on Dec. 9 he is still planning to play shortstop.

"I play infield. I play shortstop," he told reporters.

The Padres don't actually have to worry about appeasing Tatis' apparent desire to play shortstop right at the start of the 2023 season. He isn't eligible to play until April 20 as he finishes out the rest of his 80-game suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.

Tatis missed the entire 2022 season recovering from offseason wrist surgery and the suspension. The 23-year-old has experience playing a different position. He was used in the outfield two years ago to ease the physical burden on him due to a shoulder injury.

When it looked like he was going to be a contributor last season, Tatis told reporters he would be open to playing a position other than shortstop.

"Wherever they need me," he said. "We're going to talk. But I've been [rehabbing] mostly at shortstop so far. I've been moving around everywhere, but it's been mostly shortstop so far."

Gonzalez did note Tatis "seemed so lethargic" playing the outfield in 2021 and there is "eroding trust" from the Padres in the All-Star talent.

Some of the trust issues may stem from Tatis' durability. He missed 78 games as a rookie in 2019 and 32 games in 2021. But there are also potential issues off the field. His wrist injury last year was the result of a motorcycle crash.

Tatis seemed to indicate when asked about the crash during spring training that it's happened more than once.

Probably not a great thing, when Fernando Tatis was asked when his motorcycle accident happened, he responded, 'which one.'

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) March 14, 2022

Padres manager Bob Melvin made it clear Tatis won't be riding motorcycles anymore.

Even though the Padres currently have a logjam on the left side of their infield, there are reasons to think that signing Bogaerts to an 11-year contract doesn't necessarily mean they will be trying to move on from Tatis.

Bogaerts has generally been a below-average defensive player throughout his career. It seems unlikely he will get better as a shortstop now that he is 30 years old.

There's also the possibility 2023 will be Manny Machado's final season with the Padres. The six-time All-Star has an opt-out in his contract. Given how much money teams have been spending this offseason, there's no reason he can't cash in with one more big contract while he's in his prime.

San Diego also has to think about trying to re-sign Juan Soto, who can become a free agent after the 2024 season.

For all of Tatis' flaws, he is still an incredible offensive player. The two-time Silver Slugger winner has a .292/.369/.596 slash line in 273 career games.

San Diego's spending spree over the past three seasons makes it seem unlikely the team would try to move Tatis. He significantly increases the team's chances of making the World Series when he plays.

The Padres reached the National League Championship Series last season for the first time since 1998.

San Francisco Giants veteran Brandon Crawford is arguably the greatest shortstop in franchise history, but the arrival of star free agent Carlos Correa presents a different challenge for the 35-year-old.

The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly reports that Crawford was informed he will be switching positions this offseason and Correa, who signed a 13-year, $350 million deal on Tuesday, will be San Francisco's everyday shortstop.

Per Baggarly, Crawford received a phone call from team president Farhan Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler "less than 15 minutes" after news broke of Correa's signing. Prior to that, there were no discussions of the four-time Gold Glove winner switching positions.

Despite his surprise, Crawford seemed to take the news in stride in a text to Baggarly:

"With the signing of a player as good as Carlos, our team definitely got much better. He's been one of the better players in the league for years, and it's obviously exciting to get a player of his caliber to San Francisco. That being said, he is a shortstop and since the signing the other day, I've been told that that's where he'll stay, so that puts me in a much different situation than I've ever been faced with in professional baseball. So, the rest of this off-season, spring training, and during the season, I will be working my hardest to be the best I can be at a different position and help us get back to the postseason."

While Crawford is likely better suited to moving to second or third base to facilitate the addition of Correa, Baggarly wrote that Crawford "declined to address what his role could be or what position would represent the easiest transition, saying he has been given a rough outline but conversations are still in the beginning stages."

Crawford has spent his entire 12-year major league career with the Giants. He's a three-time All-Star and helped lead San Francisco to two World Series titles in 2012 and 2014. His 1,525 games exclusively at shortstop trails only Derek Jeter (2,674), Luis Aparicio (2,581), Ozzie Smith (2,511), Elvis Andrus (1,906) and J.J. Hardy (1,544).

The 2023 season is the final year on Crawford's contract, and Baggarly noted that there's a chance he considers retirement next winter.

The left-handed hitter is coming off a down year in 2022, hitting .231 with nine homers and 52 RBI. He hopes to return to the 2021 form that saw him hit .298 with 24 home runs and 90 RBI to finish fourth in NL MVP voting.

Carlos Rodón is one of the top free-agent pitchers left on the market, but at least one team has been deterred from paying the hefty price tag for the veteran.

The St. Louis Cardinals are unlikely to "shell out the years and money" that Rodón is seeking on his next deal, according to The Athletic's Katie Woo.

Rodón is seeking a deal in the range of seven-plus years and worth at least $200 million, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Dec. 12. It's not surprising the Cardinals are hesitant to cough up that much cash.

St. Louis has never signed a player for that kind of money. While Nolan Arenado is the highest-paid player on the roster, he signed his eight-year, $260 million deal when he was still a member of the Colorado Rockies.

Paul Goldschmidt's $130 million extension signed in March 2019 is the largest the franchise has ever handed out. Adam Wainwright's $97.5 million extension signed in March 2013 is the largest the Cards have ever dished out to a pitcher.

Further, the Cardinals are set to have a 2023 rotation that includes Wainwright, Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery and Matthew Liberatore. While Rodón would undoubtedly improve the rotation, he's not a necessity.

Additionally, not many pitchers have earned $200 million or more on a single contract. Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, David Price, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer and Zack Greinke are the only arms to hit the $200 million mark in their careers.

Rodón has been impressive in each of the last two seasons, but he doesn't match up with some of those elite pitchers.

The 30-year-old spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Chicago White Sox. He didn't break out until the 2021 campaign, when he went 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 185 strikeouts in 132.2 innings across 24 starts en route to his first All-Star Game selection.

Rodón went on to sign with the San Francisco Giants ahead of the 2022 campaign. He went 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 237 strikeouts in 178 innings across 31 starts, earning his second straight All-Star Game selection.

The lefty has also topped more than 170 innings in a season just once—2022—and has been limited by injuries for much of his career.

If Rodón's price drops, then the Cardinals would likely continue to express interest. For now, it seems like pursuing him has been put on the backburner.

The Los Angeles Dodgers added to their starting rotation on Wednesday, signing veteran pitcher Noah Syndergaard, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported it was a one-year deal, with Heyman adding it was for $13 million plus incentives. That should bring the team's projected total payroll to around $215 million.

As ESPN's Alden González noted, Syndergaard will join a rotation that already includes Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin. A number of intriguing prospects, including Ryan Pepiot, Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone, are also waiting in the wings.

Walker Buehler will also be under contract with the team after his arbitration is settled, though it's unclear if he'll pitch at all next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August, the second time in his career he's required the procedure.

Syndergaard, 30, went 10-10 last season for the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies, compiling a 3.94 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 95 strikeouts in 134.2 innings. He also made four appearances (two starts) for the Phillies in the postseason, going 0-1 with a 3.24 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with eight strikeouts in 8.1 innings.

He is no longer the caliber of pitcher who finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2015 and was an All-Star the following season.

Injuries are arguably the biggest reason. He made only 32 starts between the 2017 and '18 seasons, as he had a partially torn lat muscle and a strained ligament in his right index finger. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020.

As Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com noted, Syndergaard's dip in velocity since those injuries has limited his effectiveness:

Before his elbow injury, Syndergaard could light up the radar gun like few others. From 2015-19 (including playoffs), Syndergaard threw 1,241 pitches at 99 mph or faster, second in MLB only to Aroldis Chapman. He averaged 98.0 mph on sinkers and four-seamers in that span. Syndergaard's fastest pitch during the 2022 regular season was 96.4 mph, and his two fastballs collectively averaged 93.8 mph. On average, he also threw his slider, changeup and curveball slower than he did in his heyday.

The velocity drop coincided with a sharp decrease in whiff rate and strikeout rate. Syndergaard not only finished 2022 with career lows in both departments, his 20.1 percent whiff rate and 16.8 percent strikeout rate were both well below the MLB average.

That makes him a back-of-the-rotation option at best, though in Kershaw, Urias and Gonsolin, the Dodgers have an excellent top three, while Dustin May spent much of the 2022 season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery but was has largely been excellent when healthy.

So Syndergaard very likely will be the No. 4 or 5 option in this rotation. The Dodgers have some major questions after losing Trea Turner, Cody Bellinger and Tyler Anderson in free agency, among others, but the pitching staff isn't one of them.

The San Francisco Giants finally made their free-agent splash Tuesday night by reportedly signing Carlos Correa to the largest-ever contract for a shortstop in terms of total dollars.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Giants inked Correa to a 13-year, $350 million deal, giving them the big fish they were seeking after losing out on their pursuit of outfielder Aaron Judge to the New York Yankees.

Given their market size, the Giants had a fairly modest payroll before the Correa signing, with Spotrac listing it at $112.9 million. When adding in Correa's projected yearly salary of $26,923,077, San Francisco's payroll jumps up to $139,823,077.

The move also beefed up the Giants' offensive firepower significantly, giving them a projected lineup that could look like this:

1. Mike Yastrzemski - CF
2. Carlos Correa - SS
3. Mitch Haniger - RF
4. Joc Pederson - LF
5. Brandon Crawford - DH
6. J.D. Davis - 3B
7. Wilmer Flores - 1B
8. Thairo Estrada - 2B
9. Joey Bart - C

While president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi likely still has some work to do, the acquisitions of Correa and Haniger in free agency should help the Giants improve on their 81-81 record from last season.

While San Francisco was only an average team that failed to reach the playoffs last season, it posted an MLB-best 107-55 record the previous season, beating out the rival Los Angeles Dodgers to win the National League West.

The current team is far different from that 2021 squad, however, as catcher Buster Posey is retired, first baseman Brandon Belt and third baseman Evan Longoria are free agents, and starting pitcher Kevin Gausman is with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Also, veteran shortstop Brandon Crawford was the Giants' best offensive player that season, hitting .298 with 24 home runs and 90 RBI, and following the acquisition of Correa, it is possible he could be traded before the start of the 2023 campaign.

San Francisco has been busy this offseason with the signings of Correa, outfielder Mitch Haniger and starting pitchers Ross Stripling and Sean Manaea, but it can be argued that the team's overall improvement is negligible if Belt, Longoria and starting pitcher Carlos Rodón all leave in free agency.

Correa gives the Giants an established star at the shortstop position, though, and someone with plenty of winning experience.

In eight MLB seasons with the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins, Correa is a two-time All-Star, one-time Gold Glove Award winner and one-time World Series winner. He has also taken part in the playoffs in six separate seasons.

Correa hit .291 with 22 home runs, 64 RBI and 70 runs scored in his only season with the Twins in 2022, and for his career, he is hitting .279 with 155 homers, 553 RBI and 508 runs in 888 games.

Signing Judge likely would have made a far bigger impact and given the Giants a true anchor for their lineup, but Correa was arguably the top position player available outside of Judge, and the 28-year-old veteran should be a key player for a long time to come.

The addition may not be enough to knock the Dodgers from their perch in the NL West, but the Giants do at least seem to be inching closer to playoff contention compared to where they were last season.

And then there was one.

Shortstop was a central focus of Major League Baseball's offseason with Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson all hitting free agency, but only the latter remains unsigned after Correa agreed to a massive 13-year, $350 million deal with the San Francisco Giants, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Swanson will have no shortage of suitors and potential top landing spots, as ESPN's Buster Olney pointed out the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves are all looking to fill the shortstop position.

Swanson is in an ideal bargaining position given the need for shortstops across the league and some of the contracts that have been handed out.

Turner agreed to an 11-year, $300 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, while Bogaerts joined the San Diego Padres on an 11-year, $280 million contract. Swanson may not land those types of contracts given he doesn't quite have the same track record as his colleagues, but he is surely in line for a massive deal at this point.

He is coming off the first All-Star campaign of his career that saw him slash .277/.329/.447 with 25 home runs, 96 RBI and 18 stolen bases.

Throw in his first career Gold Glove, and it is clear how Swanson can impact the game in a number of ways. He was responsible for nine defensive runs saved above average in 2022, per FanGraphs.

Minnesota, Boston and Atlanta all make sense as possible landing spots for the Vanderbilt product given what has unfolded this offseason. The Twins lost Correa, the Red Sox lost Bogaerts and the Braves are somewhat in limbo with Swanson as the incumbent player at the position.

Then there is Chicago, which has been connected to seemingly every shortstop in the market at some point as it looks to bounce back from two straight losing seasons and perhaps move Nico Hoerner to second base to form a dominant defense up the middle.

It would be difficult to classify the Cubs' offseason as anything but a failure if they are unable to land any of the four top shortstops after some early secondary moves that saw them add Cody Bellinger and Jameson Taillon.

Swanson has all the leverage in this situation with a big-market team that could be desperate to close the gap on the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central, so don't be surprised if he ends up in Chicago blue before the end of the offseason.

Even though the San Francisco Giants have been linked to several high-profile free agents this offseason, they continue to make smaller additions for 2023.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Giants have agreed to a two-year, $25 million deal with right-handed pitcher Ross Stripling that includes an opt-out after next season.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday, after the Giants agreed to a deal with Sean Manaea, they were still pursuing Carlos Rodón. Per Slusser, the team remains in pursuit of Rodón after signing Stripling.

It's unclear if the addition of Stripling impacts San Francisco's interest in Rodón.

The contracts for Stripling and Manaea are identical. Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network reported Manaea's deal is for two years and $25 million with an opt-out after 2023.

Neither player is receiving a salary that would seem to preclude the Giants from making a big splash in free agency. They were heavily linked to Aaron Judge and extended an offer to him of around $360 million, according to Heyman.

Judge ultimately agreed to return to the New York Yankees on a nine-year deal worth $360 million.

Per MLB Network's Steve Phillips, the Giants and Minnesota Twins are considered the favorites to sign Carlos Correa.

Adding Manaea and Stripling to their rotation on team-friendly deals could suggest the Giants prefer to add a high-level position player in free agency. Correa would fill that void with a .279/.357/.479 career slash line as a shortstop.

Stripling is coming off arguably the best season of his career. The 33-year-old posted a 3.01 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 32 appearances (24 starts) for the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Giants know Stripling very well from his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Dodgers before being traded to Toronto midway through the 2020 season.

Stripling was named to the NL All-Star team in 2018 and finished the year with a 3.02 ERA in 33 appearances.