The first month of the MLB offseason is the most crucial because it generally establishes which teams are going to be players and which teams are going to sit most of the winter out.
We’ve now come to roughly the one-month mark, and many teams have already indicated the roles they’ll play in the coming weeks. The rumors have swirled since before the World Series ended, but they’ve now picked up with no more baseball to play. The focus is solely on free agency and the trade market.
There seem to be daily updates on the top names on the market. In order to keep up with some of the more pertinent rumors, read up on some of the latest buzz below.
Miguel Montero
The free-agent catching market is essentially depleted following Toronto’s signing of Russell Martin. That makes players like Miguel Montero very valuable.
That said, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports that there hasn’t been much traction in talks with the Arizona Diamondbacks backstop: “According to a source, talks regarding Montero have not picked up significantly in the days following the Toronto Blue Jays’ signing of catcher Russell Martin. Among the teams the Diamondbacks have spoken to about Montero are the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox.”
The White Sox are a particularly interesting fit for Montero. The team has been aggressive this offseason, signing Zach Duke and Adam LaRoche already. They’ve also been linked to Pablo Sandoval, per CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. It appears as if they’re done being cellar-dwellers.
Tyler Flowers, the team’s primary catcher in 2014, hit 15 homers in his first go-around as an everyday backstop, but he slashed just .241/.297/.396.
Montero was better at .243/.329/.370, but his first-half numbers are what really kept his yearly marks respectable. He posted an OPS of just .596 after the All-Star break.
Regardless, Montero‘s veteran know-how and history of success at the plate make him a good fit in Chicago.
Arizona must be realistic in what it asks for. He’s still owed $40 million over the next three years and is coming off a miserable half at the plate. The desperation teams have for catching help should drive his interest up, however.
Yasmany Tomas
A handful of teams are interested in Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomas. The outfielder has already drawn plenty of serious interest, as Peter Gammons tweeted:
But what has teams going crazy over the next possible Cuban phenom? Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports writes that his power is something special:
And seeing as nothing excites executives more today than a power hitter, they want to believe that Tomas hit a home run during a workout in the Dominican Republic that went so far over a fence it smashed into a ladder on which a fence-painting man stood. Just like they want to believe he really did hammer a home run into a faraway laundry facility at the Philadelphia Phillies’ complex. Or that he really did park a home run over the scoreboard at Estadio Quisqueya, also in the Dominican Republic, or hit another from one team’s facility into another team’s that sits catty-corner, or that he hit a ball 550 feet. That last one is probably not true. Probably.
That kind of power is hard to come by, especially in a game in which right-handed power bats are at a minimum.
The Seattle Mariners seem like a logical landing spot given their strong presence in the left-handed batter’s box. There isn’t much pop from the other side of the plate, though.
Adding Tomas to the lineup would be huge for Seattle. He’s not a guarantee, but we all witnessed how Jose Abreu produced in his rookie campaign. The two players have similar power. That’s making teams excited about the newest Cuban defector.
It goes without saying that a surprise team in the mix for Tomas is the San Diego Padres. Not known for spending big money in free agency, the Friars are perhaps finally looking to add some power to spacious Petco Park. If there’s anybody on the market who can hit it out anywhere in that park, it’s Tomas.
At this point, any number of teams—even ones not listed by Gammons—could emerge and land arguably the top young hitter on the market.
David Robertson
The Houston Astros made great strides in 2014, but the one thing they lacked was some oomph coming out of the bullpen. Ken Davidoff of the New York Post reports that they’re apparently looking into the issue: “The Astros have communicated with [David] Robertson’s agent Scott Leventhal to express their interest in the Yankees’ closer, an industry source said.”
Easily the top closer on the market, David Robertson is seeking a big contract. Brian Cashman, the general manager tasked with deciding if he wants to re-sign his closer from 2014, spoke about whether or not Robertson is deserving of a lucrative deal, per ESPN’s Andrew Marchand:
Clearly, as a free agent, he is going to maximize his value, period, whatever that turns out to be, but I wouldn’t characterize it other than the fact to say he is helluva pitcher that did it in the toughest environment after the greatest player of all-time and he did it with ease. I would suspect that would command top dollar.
Robertson actually pitched to his highest ERA (3.08) since 2010 (3.82) last season, but he did save 39-of-44 and strike out 96 in 64.1 innings. That makes him worth the money.
Houston would make headlines by signing Robertson, as it would represent the first significant signing for the Astros in some time. If nothing else, it would show that the organization thinks it is close to contention and that a few smart signings in key areas could push them into the playoff hunt.
Seeing as the Astros will likely play in many close games given their so-so starting staff and decent offense, having a closer capable of shutting the door is crucial. Robertson is the best available, making him a fit.
Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @kennydejohn
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