It is 2021, but we are still waiting for the first significant free agent hire in the off-season. Only 10 of our 60 top free agents have signed, including only five of the top 25. There were some notable negotiations last week, thanks to the San Diego Padres. Hopefully, this inspires other teams to take action. Here are the latest rumors of hot stoves.
Mets in Sugano
Tomoyuki Sugano, the 31-year-old right-handed Japanese, is expected to make his decision as a free agent in the coming days. If he chooses to make the leap for the majors, it does not look like he will come as a member of the Mets.
According to Jon Heyman of the MLB Network, the main focus of Mets is elsewhere. Joel Sherman of The New York Post confirmed Heyman’s report, suggesting that the Mets are in Sugano. The Giants and Blue Jays are among the teams that continue in pursuit.
Sugano has so far spent his entire professional career with the Yomiuri Giants. In nearly 200 appearances, he recorded an ERA of 2.34 and a streak-to-walk ratio of 4.59. Sugano recovered from a shaky 2019 that was impacted by hip and back problems to post an ERA of 1.97 and a streak-to-walk ratio of 5.24 out of 137 entries in 2020. He won the Sawamura Prize twice, the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young Award.
The Mets are still expected to make a splash this winter, and rumors are that they will be finalists for free agent outfielder George Springer, who entered the off-season rated by CBS Sports as the best player in the open market. This winter, the Mets added catcher James McCann and kept the right hand Marcus Stroman through him accept the qualification offer.
Blue Jays, Dodgers after Hendriks
Closest free agent Liam Hendriks was seen visiting the Blue Jays spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida, according to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi.
Hendriks, 32 in February, entered the winter rated by CBS Sports as the best close-up available. Here’s what we wrote, as we put it in 20th place on our list of the 60 best free agents.
The beauty of fastball relievers is that you never know which one will burst or when. Hendriks is a good example. In the past two seasons, he launched 110 1.79 ERA ball entries, and did so while eliminating 161 and walking 24. Was there any real indication that this was coming? Not much. In the previous three years (all spent with athletics, mind you), he had an ERA of 4.01 and a scratch-to-walk ratio of 3.64. Either way, we hope Hendriks gets the payday he deserves, especially after following in the footsteps of Nathan Eovaldi and Brandon Morrow this postseason, going further and risking getting hurt despite his encounter with the free agency. After all, selflessness must be rewarded.
Hendriks is said to live about three hours away in Fort Myers. He lives much further away from Los Angeles, but the Dodgers are also keeping an interest in him, according to Robert Murray of Fansided.
Puig, Duvall attracting interest
Outfielder Yasiel Puig may not have played in the majors last season, but he is attracting the interest of several suitors this winter, including Red Sox, Yankees, Astros, Marlins and Orioles, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Puig entered the off-season classified by CBS Sports as the 40th best free agent available. Here’s what we wrote at the time:
Puig is not the only individual on this list who did not play during the 2020 season, but he is the only individual who did not play because he did not play. He would have come to terms with the Braves over the summer; this business subsequently failed when he tested positive for COVID-19. There were rumors within the industry that Puig was taking teams’ criticism of his maturity seriously and was making a big effort to change. Assuming there is some validity to it, and assuming it is healthy and does not show much rust from the lost year, then it could prove to be an astute pick-up and a sub-rank.
Puig is not the only right-handed outfielder in which the Marlins are showing interest, by the way. Miami is also eyeing ex-Bravo Adam Duvall, who hit 113 OPS + last season before it closed, by Craig Mish. It stands to reason that some of the other teams mentioned as suitors to Puig could be at stake for Duvall, depending on how the market moves.
Kluber ready to showcase
After making just seven games in 2019 and one in 2020 due to injuries, free-kick pitcher Corey Kluber will launch for teams possibly interested on January 13 in Florida, reports Jon Morosi of the MLB Network. Morosi names the Red Sox as a team with an interest in the right hand.
In 2019, Kluber gave a forearm a stroke, which caused a fracture and ended the season. Last year, he managed only one inning for the Rangers before being closed. It turns out that the cause was a grade 2 tear in the greater round muscle of the right shoulder, which ended its season prematurely for the second consecutive season.
In the previous five years, Kluber finished first, ninth, third, first and third, respectively, in the AL Cy Young vote, so the advantage is obvious. Of course, Kluber is also going for his 35-year season, while recovering from a serious shoulder injury and has amassed a heavy workload in his top five seasons.
Expect something like an incentive-free one-year contract somewhere with a rotation location available.
Giants add depth of capture
The Giants signed a $ 1.5 million one-year contract with free agent Curt Casali, reports John Shea from San Francisco Chronicle. Head catcher Buster Posey chose not to participate in the 2020 season, but will return as a starter in 2021. Excellent prospect Joey Bart made 111 appearances as a 23-year-old debutant last season, although he never played in Triple-A and had only 22 games Double-A experience, which means he seems to have a ticket for one more spice in the smaller leagues.
This leaves the role of reserve collector to Casali. In three years with the Reds, he appeared in 167 games, reaching .260 / .345 / .440 (103 OPS +) with 18 homers and 56 RBI. He scored six goals in 76 strokes last season.