MLB Rumors

Philadelphia Phillies infielder Jean Segura reportedly is drawing trade interest from multiple teams across Major League Baseball, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman: 

MLB Insider Robert Murray noted the Toronto Blue Jays are among the clubs discussing a move for the 30-year-old.

In two years with the Phillies, Segura has slashed .276/.329/.421 with 19 home runs and 85 RBI. He's under contract through the 2023 season with a club option after 2022. The Phillies are set to pay the shortstop $14.25 million per season each of the next two years. 

It's unclear which other teams are looking at making a move for Segura, but there's been no shortage of interest in the Dominican for the better part of a decade.

After rising through the Los Angeles Angels organization, he was acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2012, spending four seasons in Wisconsin before the Arizona Diamondbacks nabbed him in a 2016 offseason trade. Segura would be dealt to the Seattle Mariners the following November and joined the Phillies two years later.

Now it appears he could be on the move again as Philadelphia re-evaluates its roster just two years into the Bryce Harper era. 

The landscape of the National League East has quickly shifted since 2019, with the Atlanta Braves becoming the division's dominant franchise shortly after the Washington Nationals won the World Series. With the Miami Marlins surging and the New York Mets ready to spend top dollar under new chairman Steve Cohen, the Phillies are at risk of falling to the bottom of the division.

With a playoff drought that goes back nine seasons—second-longest in MLB—Philadelphia is at a point where it must evaluate every option it has. Trading Segura is certainly one of them. 

As former Cleveland Indians star Corey Kluber searches for a new home in free agency, the Boston Red Sox are reportedly showing interest, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

Kluber was dealt to the Texas Rangers ahead of last season, but the 34-year-old appeared in just one inning and was later diagnosed with a torn teres major muscle in his right shoulder. The latest setback followed Kluber's injury-riddled 2019 campaign, when he fractured his right arm in May and was limited because of abdominal tightness in his return. 

Per Morosi, Kluber is "said to be progressing well" in his rehab from the torn muscle and is expected to start throwing bullpen sessions this month.

Kluber, a two-time Cy Young Award winner and three-time All-Star from 2016-18, had his best season in 2017. He led the league with 18 wins (a year before tacking on 20) and an 81.8 win-loss percentage, while posting a league-best 2.25 ERA. He pitched five complete games and three shutouts, leading the league in both categories, and paced pitchers with a 0.869 WHIP, earning the American League Cy Young Award one season after finishing third in voting, and three seasons after winning his first. 

In 2018, his last full campaign before two seasons lost to injury, he went 20-7 through 33 games with a 2.89 ERA and a league-best 215.0 innings, in which he struck out 222 batters. He finished third in Cy Young voting again that season. 

The Red Sox could use help on the hill this season given the uncertainty with their starting rotation.  

Eduardo Rodriguez missed the 2020 season after he developed myocarditis related to COVID-19. The Boston Globe's Alex Speier reported earlier in November that the 28-year-old, who Boston signed to a one-year, $8.3 million contract Tuesday, is hoping for "a regular offseason" before throwing "200 innings." 

But the outlook isn't as bright for seven-time All-Star Chris Sale, who was lost in 2020 due to Tommy John surgery, isn't projected to be ready until mid-summer, according to Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald.

Without two of their centerpieces, the 24-36 Red Sox ranked third-worst in the league with a 5.58 ERA and gave up a league-high 98 home runs and 252 walks. Even if Kluber is still rebounding from injury, he would provide a facelift for Boston, even if on a short-term basis. 

As lifetime St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina explores free agency, a number of teams have expressed interest. 

On Twitter, MLB insider Hector Gomez shared Laura Bonnelly's interview with Molina on Mas Que Pelota in which the 38-year-old said that while the New York Yankees, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels "have shown interest," he wants to stay with the Cardinals. 

Though he's been hanging around the big leagues since 2004, much of Molina's success has come more recently, with his nine All-Star nods coming since 2009—including two as recently as 2017 and 2018. Molina is also a nine-time Gold Glove award winner and boasts four Platinum Gloves in addition to a Silver Slugger, and of course a pair of World Series championships.

In 2020, he slashed .262/.303/.359, with 38 hits, 16 RBI and four home runs through 145 at-bats, appearing in 42 games for St. Louis.

But for all the interest that Molina says is expressed by multiple teams, one report suggests the Cardinals hold the upper hand in this sweepstakes. 

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote that Molina is looking for a two-year deal. The Cardinals are aware of his wishes, and while they haven't made an offer, his long history with the franchise will play into any contract negotiations, per Goold: 

"From the outside looking in, other teams see the Cardinals as the most likely to mix emotions with financials to sign Molina, and that other teams aren't. [Owner] Bill DeWitt Jr. told me this past week that he hopes they can bring back both Molina and Adam Wainwright, and [president of baseball operations John] Mozeliak has said that the negotiations with Molina are going to have to include both an emotional/legacy element and a financial element."

To other teams, a two-year deal that ties a franchise to a player until after his 40th birthday may be a breaking point, but Molina's connection to the Cardinals may help him get his wish to play for another two seasons.

The Toronto Blue Jays are reportedly among the teams expected to pursue catcher J.T. Realmuto in free agency this winter.

Craig Mish of SportsGrid reported the Blue Jays will be "involved throughout the process" for the game's best catcher.

Realmuto hit .266/.349/.491 with 11 home runs and 47 runs batted in last season, finishing second behind Salvador Perez for the highest wins above replacement among catchers, per FanGraphs. Yasmani Grandal is the only catcher to outperform Realmuto by FanGraphs' WAR formula over the last five seasons.

The free-agency process for Realmuto will likely be interesting, given the increased platooning of the catcher position around baseball. The 29-year-old has been a relative ironman in that regard, missing no more than 37 games in a season.

Analytics overwhelmingly caution against giving catchers long-term contracts that take them deep into their 30s. The San Francisco Giants (Buster Posey) and Minnesota Twins (Joe Mauer) serve as recent cautionary tales in that regard. Despite both remaining solid players, their production as they aged did not justify the length and scale of their deals.

Aside from Posey, no catcher in baseball has a contract worth more than $73 million in total. Grandal and Posey are the only catchers who currently have deals with average annual values of more than $10 million per season. 

The San Francisco Giants have Jon Lester on their radar as they look to bolster their starting rotation, according to MLB.com's Jon Morosi. 

San Francisco was a finalist for Lester when the veteran left-hander was a free agent ahead of the 2015 MLB season.

The Chicago Cubs declined Lester's $25 million option for 2021, allowing him to hit the open market again.

Morosi posited the 36-year-old Georgia resident might have liked to join the Atlanta Braves. However, Atlanta announced Tuesday it signed Charlie Morton to a one-year, $15 million deal after having added Drew Smyly for one year and $11 million.

The Braves' rotation looks set, leaving little room for Lester.

The five-time All-Star struggled this past season, going 3-3 with a 5.14 FIP in 12 starts, per FanGraphs. 

His 6.2 strikeouts per nine innings were a career low, and his fastball averaged 89.87 mph, according to Brooks Baseball. That was his second-most frequently used pitch (27.28 percent), and opposing hitters slugged .619 against it.

Lester wasn't a dominant strikeout pitcher in his prime, and his diminishing velocity is shrinking his margin for error on the mound.

Drawing any conclusions based solely on 2020 is unfair because of the circumstances surrounding the year. Perhaps Lester's performance would've leveled off a bit more in a traditional 162-game campaign.

His days as a starter you insert at the top of your rotation are over, though. He probably wouldn't be any higher than No. 4 or 5 in San Francisco's staff.

Coming off a surprise playoff appearance in 2020, the Toronto Blue Jays could be looking to make a big splash in free agency.

Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Blue Jays are pursuing free agents at a "breakneck pace," with DJ LeMahieu, Justin Turner, George Springer and Michael Brantley among the players they have interest in.

The Blue Jays are in a prime position to sign at least one marquee free agent, as their core is built around young players coming off mostly strong seasons and under team control for multiple years.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Rowdy Tellez and Teoscar Hernandez are all going to be 28 or younger at the start of next season and posted an OPS+ of at least 115 in 2020.

It's not surprising to see Toronto's front office looking at third basemen, as the Blue Jays only got a .210/.281/.347 slash line from the hot corner.

LeMahieu is the best hitter from that group of free agents, as he led MLB with a .364 batting average and had an AL-high .421 on-base percentage for the New York Yankees. It could be difficult for the Blue Jays to lure him away, though, as Ken Davidoff of the New York Post noted the 32-year-old "prefers to remain in the New York area."

Turner could come with a lower price tag than LeMahieu or Springer as a 36-year-old free agent, and he posted an excellent .307/.400/.460 line in 42 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

Springer is arguably the best free agent available, as he's a capable defensive center fielder who has hit .270/.361/.491 with an average of 25 homers per season since 2014. 

Brantley continues to quietly put up great numbers no matter where he plays, as the four-time All-Star hit .300/.364/.476 in 46 games for the Houston Astros last season.

The Blue Jays made the playoffs in 2020 with a 32-28 record but finished behind the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees in the AL East. Since both teams figure to remain contenders next season, Toronto knows it can't coast in the offseason.

The Tampa Bay Rays are open to trading former Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. 

The Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Angels reportedly are interested in pursuing the 27-year-old, who has played the entirety of his five-year career with the Rays. 

Snell is owed $42 million over the next three seasons, which are part of a five-year, $50 million deal he previously signed. That payout comes in the form of $10.5 million next season, followed by $12.5 million in 2022 and $16 million in 2023, per Spotrac. 

In a season that took the Rays to the World Series, Snell appeared in 11 games, allowing 42 hits, 18 earned runs and 10 home runs in 50.0 innings, striking out 63 and walking 18 for a 3.24 ERA. 

"I'm guessing they think this is the best chance to kill it on the market," an American League executive told Feinsand. 

This offseason, the Rays have made it clear that they're looking to add some more room financially. They declined options for starting pitcher Charlie Morton and catcher Mike Zunino, which were worth $15 million and $4.5 million, respectively, and designated Hunter Renfroe for assignment.

But the team still has a number of major contracts on the books, in addition to Snell's: centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier is owed $23.5 million over the next two seasons, and leftfielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo is in the last season of his contract with a $7 million payout. 

If Snell were to hit the trade market, he would certainly garner interest from any teams looking to add strength in their rotation that aren't able to land National League Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer, who is exploring free agency. 

The Washington Nationals appear to be looking at hitters this offseason, with Kris Bryant reportedly on their radar as a trade option.

Per MLB.com's Jon Morosi, the Nationals are "considering a trade" for the 2016 National League MVP. 

Morosi noted that Bryant is "among numerous hitters they're currently monitoring on the market," including free agent DJ LeMahieu. 

It's clear why the Nationals are looking at players capable of playing at second base or third base. Carter Kieboom had a disappointing rookie season at the hot corner. He hit .202/.344/.212 with no homers in 33 games. 

Luis Garcia was Washington's primary second baseman in 2020. He posted a .276/.302/.366 slash line with two homers in 40 games. 

Bryant is heading into his final year of arbitration with the Chicago Cubs, but it's unclear at this point what direction the organization will go this offseason. Jed Hoyer, who was promoted from general manager to team president after Theo Epstein stepped down earlier this week, will be tasked with figuring things out. 

One potential complicating factor in a Bryant trade is figuring out his value. The three-time All-Star battled injuries last season while posting a career-low .644 OPS in 34 games. He's projected to earn $18.6 million in arbitration, per Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors. 

A healthy Bryant is one of the best players in Major League Baseball. He had a .284/.385/.516 slash line and averaged 28 homers per season from 2015-19. 

Speculation about Theo Epstein's future has picked up in the wake of Ron Fowler reportedly stepping down as executive chairman of the San Diego Padres. 

Per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Fowler has stepped down and Peter Seidler will take over as the team's control person. 

USA Today's Bob Nightengale noted Epstein "has told friends he'd love to be involved in ownership and has had eyes on San Diego."

On Tuesday, Epstein stepped down as president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs. Jed Hoyer, who has been the team's general manager since October 2011, will take over Epstein's role. 

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Epstein told family and friends in a letter that he plans to sit out the 2020 season with a plan to get back in Major League Baseball at some point. 

"I do plan on having a third chapter leading a baseball organization someday, though I do not expect it to be next year," Epstein wrote.

According to Ken Rosenthal and Jayson Stark of The Athletic, Epstein could attempt to form an ownership group "with like-minded people and/or longtime associates, then attempt to purchase a club."

There have been increased rumors that teams with an opening in their front office, including the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, could make a play for Epstein now that he's a free agent. 

One executive told Rosenthal and Stark that Epstein is "the obvious name" for both teams.

The New York native, who grew up in Massachusetts, is one of the most highly regarded front-office executives in Major League Baseball. The 46-year-old was the chief architect in building the rosters for the World Series-winning Boston Red Sox in 2004 and 2007 as well as the 2016 Cubs team that ended the franchise's 108-year title drought. 

During his nine-year run with the Cubs from 2011-20, the franchise made the playoffs five times.