MLB Free Agency

Yadier Molina is reportedly keeping his options open, as the nine-time All-Star continues to seek a contract for the 2021 season.

Per MLB Network's Jon Heyman, Molina has the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres among his list of potential "fallback options." Heyman also noted that "it makes sense" for Molina and the St. Louis Cardinals to agree on a new deal, "but in free agency you never know."

Molina has spent his entire career with the Cardinals since being selected by the organization in the fourth round of the 2000 Major League Baseball draft. 

While both sides have expressed a desire to remain together next season, there does appear to be a difference in how much Molina wants and what the Cardinals will offer. 

Per Mark Saxon of The Athletic, Molina's camp recently rejected an offer from St. Louis that they deemed to be "ridiculous."

Saxon noted that Molina is "believed to be seeking at least a one-year, $10 million deal with a 2022 option."

Other potential suitors that Heyman mentioned include the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees. 

Molina, 38, has won nine Gold Glove awards in 17 seasons. He remains a solid hitter at this stage of his career, posting a .262/.303/.359 slash line in 42 games last year. 

The Nationals and Padres both have playoff aspirations in 2021. Yan Gomes is a free agent this offseason, leaving an opening for a starter in Washington. The Padres have Austin Nola capable of playing catcher, but he can also handle multiple infield positions. 

Didi Gregorius has been in contact with the Cincinnati Reds through his agent and is "open to anything," the shortstop told host Lance McAlister of 700 WLW radio.

Gregorius originally signed as a free agent with Cincinnati in 2007 after a Reds scout saw the Netherlands native playing in a tournament at The Hague a year earlier. A logjam in the Reds infield, however, kept him from sticking in the major leagues with the team that brought him to the United States.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported December 2 that shortstop is a "priority" for Cincinnati this winter.

Gregorius signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies last year after spending the previous five seasons with the New York Yankees.

The 30-year-old slashed .284/.339/.488 with 10 home runs and 40 RBI in 60 games with the Phillies before returning to free agency. That would be a significant upgrade over the Reds' shortstop in 2020, Freddy Galvis, who slashed .220/.308/.404 with 16 RBI and had his 2020 club option declined.

Spotrac.com estimates Gregorius' market value at $10.3 million per year.

As Heyman noted, the Reds expect shortstop prospect Jose Garcia to reach the majors in the "not-too-distant-future," which is likely to play a role in any negotiations with Gregorius.

Garcia, 22, is the No. 6-rated prospect in Cincinnati's farm system who has already impressed scouts since coming over from Cuba.

Per MLB Pipeline:

"After a slow start in 2018, he's been as advertised from their scouting and showing what he can do both offensively and defensively.

"Turning 22 as the 2020 season begins, Garcia is already viewed as someone who has a chance to become an everyday Major League shortstop. He has more than enough arm, enough range, above-average athleticism and plenty of agility for a bigger prospect. Garcia isn't known for taking plays off but has occasionally lost focus on the field. Standing at 6-foot-2, he could eventually add strength and weight from his current 175 pounds to between 200-215 pounds."

A number of likely cheaper options at shortstop remain on the free-agent market, including Ehire Adrianza and JT Riddle, should the Reds find themselves looking for a stopgap until Garcia's arrival.

The San Francisco Giants announced they have agreed to a one-year deal with pitcher Anthony DeSclafani.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the contract is expected to be in the range of $6 million. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported the two sides were nearing a deal Wednesday.

The 30-year-old is coming off a miserable 2020 season in which he produced a 7.22 ERA in nine appearances for the Cincinnati Reds. He had 25 strikeouts with 16 walks in his 33.2 innings.

DeSclafani was much better in 2019 over a full season, finishing 9-9 with a 3.89 ERA and a career-high 9.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

The right-hander has a 4.29 career ERA and has been a reliable back-end starter, which could make him a sleeper in this class despite a disappointing last season.

R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports also noted the pitcher changed his slider last season with plenty of success, causing swings and misses on 36 percent of pitches while opponents hit just .190 against it.

If DeSclafani can get his fastball back on track, he could be set for a bounce-back season in 2021.

This could be a nice addition for a San Francisco team that has a lot of question marks about its pitching staff going into next season.

Johnny Cueto had just a 5.40 ERA last year, while Tyler Anderson and Trevor Cahill are both free agents. Logan Webb also hasn't proved he can handle a starting role in the majors. 

It leaves Kevin Gausman and a lot of unknowns for a 29-31 team seeking a return to the postseason after falling short in four straight seasons.

Veteran outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. is reportedly drawing interest from multiple teams in free agency this offseason.

According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays have all expressed interest in the longtime Boston Red Sox center fielder.

The 30-year-old has spent his entire eight-year MLB career with the Red Sox after they selected him in the first round of the 2011 MLB draft.

Bradley is best known for being one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball, winning a Gold Glove award in 2018, which is also the year he helped lead Boston to a World Series title after winning the American League Championship Series MVP.

Although defense is his specialty, Bradley has some offensive ability as well, and he is coming off one of his best seasons at the plate.

During the coronavirus-shortened season of 2020, Bradley appeared in 55 games and compiled a .283/.364/.450 slash line with seven home runs, 22 RBI, 32 runs scored and five steals.

While the sample size was small compared to a normal season, the left-handed hitter turned in his best offensive performance since 2016 when he hit .267 with a career-high 26 homers, 87 RBI and 94 runs scored en route to his only All-Star nod.

Bradley has some pop with double-digit home runs in five seasons and 20 or more homers twice, including 21 in 2019.

Getting on base has been an issue for Bradley for much of his career as evidenced by his .239 batting average and .321 on-base percentage, but he has 98 home runs, 376 RBI and 435 runs in 873 games.

Any of the aforementioned teams could benefit from having Bradley patrol center field in 2021 and beyond given their other options at the position.

Roman Quinn and Adam Haseley split time in center field for the Phillies last season, but they combined for just two home runs and 20 RBI.

The Cubs primarily used Ian Happ in center last season, but with Kyle Schwarber becoming a free agent, Chicago could improve its defense significantly by signing Bradley and moving Happ to left.

Toronto started Randal Grichuk in center last season, and while he is a solid player overall, he is far from a plus defender and would likely be better off at a corner outfield spot or at designated hitter.

Bradley's all-around game makes him a major asset on the free-agent market, and it appears he will have no shortage of options even with free agency getting off to a slow start this offseason.

Fans are eager to meet the new Mets, Steve Cohen's New York Mets. The Mets that aren't afraid to spend money in free agency and make bold moves. The Mets that are better known for baseball than baseball-related disasters. 

But there's one problem: The new Mets have yet to materialize.     

They have been linked to most of the top free agents through rumors and reports all week, but the virtual winter meetings came and went without any big free-agent signings or trades. Numerous reports have them eyeing outfielder George Springer, and the club has been linked to catcher James McCann for a week. Rachel Luba, Trevor Bauer's agent, told Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News that the 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner likes the idea of going to the Mets. 

Yet, so far there have been only two Mets signings: Former Minnesota Twins reliever Trevor May and minor league journeyman reliever Sam McWilliams. 

The hot stove season hasn't been what it was over the past three winters. Typically, the biggest free agents set the market, but in recent years, some of the biggest names haven't signed with new teams until a few months into the season. Dallas Keuchel became a free agent on November 12, 2018, but didn't sign with the Atlanta Braves until June 7, 2019.

Things felt a lot more normal last year when the New York Yankees signed the premiere pitcher on the market, Gerrit Cole, to a megadeal worth $324 million. But nothing is normal in 2020. 

What's really holding up the market is the uncertainty of the 2021 season, front-office sources told B/R. The league has yet to set a start date. It's unclear when or if fans will be allowed to attend games in 2021, which makes it difficult for cash-strapped teams to project their revenue for next season and beyond. The revenue decisions don't even begin to take into account the whole DH debacle. 

Even with a vaccine expected soon, the country has been hit hard by another wave of coronavirus cases, and as many of our lives remain on hold, major roster and payroll decisions do as well. 

However, the Mets have the power to light that stove. Cohen is not facing the same financial issues as other owners since he didn't own the team last season. He lost nothing. The sale of the Mets officially closed Nov. 6, with Cohen taking over control from the Wilpon and Katz families. A lifelong Mets fan, the billionaire hedge fund manager isn't afraid to infuse some cash into the club in order to turn it into a contender. 

By that logic, Cohen and the Mets might be holding all of their cards in their hands. 

Without a general manager, former GM and current team president Sandy Alderson is leading the baseball operations department, and according to SNY's Steve Gelbs, the Mets are talking with "everybody." Now that Alderson finally has some money to work with, it looks as though a plan is taking shape: Sign McCann—a good-hitting catcher—to a moderate, multiyear deal, reshape the bullpen and then go after Springer or Bauer, which would then set the market for the rest of the top free agents. 

The Mets seem destined for one of the two, though which one is unclear. Bob Klapisch of NJ.com said Alderson and Cohen seem to be split on which of those players to pursue. 

The Mets need starting pitching help with Steven Matz coming off a dismal season and Noah Syndergaard possibly set to miss part of next season while he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Throwing Bauer into the mix with Jacob deGrom—the pitcher who won the last two before he did—as well as Marcus Stroman, Seth Lugo and David Peterson would give the Mets quite a formidable rotation. 

Springer would bring a big bat with a long track record of postseason success to an already formidable lineup, plus he would improve their outfield defense. Their need for starting pitching may be greater than their need for another outfielder, but there isn't a wrong move here. 

The only wrong move would be not making one at all. Mets fans are desperate to put the disastrous Wilpon years behind them. The Mets were amazin' for all the wrong reasons; now they're arguably the most interesting team in baseball for the right ones. 

And if the Mets, one of few teams actively trying to spend money, wait out the market, then baseball could be facing an even longer, even colder winter than it already is.

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