The MLB free agent market officially added eight new names earlier this week, including Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, when qualifying offers were declined on Monday. Second-baseman Neil Walker and starter Jeremy Hellickson both accepted their offers, choosing to stay put with a $17.2 million salary in 2017.
With those qualifying offer decisions now settled, the free agent market should begin to gain more traction. Here are some of the latest rumours…
Beltran drawing interest in AL East
The Blue Jays, Red Sox, Yankees, and Astros are the four teams showing the most interest in veteran free agent Carlos Beltran, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI. The Texas Rangers, who traded for Beltran ahead of the 2016 deadline, are reportedly not interested at this point.
On paper, Beltran’s a puzzling fit for the Blue Jays. He’s showing little sign of regression at 39 after a season where he hit .295 with 29 home runs, but his fit with the Blue Jays becomes more difficult, on a roster that now includes Kendrys Morales. Both players are switch-hitters who rely heavily on their bats to drive their overall value, but with Morales entrenched as the full-time designated hitter for the length of his three-year contract, Beltran would likely be forced to see regular time in right field.
Beltran has graded out negatively in Defensive Runs Saved in each of the past four seasons as a right-fielder, and with poor base-running metrics, he and Morales on the same roster could create a level of redundancy. That’s not ideal for a team that’s spoken about getting younger and more athletic.
With three AL East rivals making up the majority of the reported interested parties, it also remains possible that one or more are being used as leverage against the club that most invested in adding him.
Search for left-handed outfielder continues
Adding a left-handed hitter in the corner outfield continues to be a priority for the Blue Jays, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.
Josh Reddick and the switch-hitting Dexter Fowler are listed as two fits, with Reddick expected to be the more affordable of the two. Reddick did not maintain his high level of play after a deadline move from Oakland to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but still offers free agent suitors a strong bat against right-handed pitchers with the power potential to top 20 home runs. His fielding value is not as strong as it was earlier in his Oakland tenure, but Reddick could still represent an upgrade from Toronto’s 2016 corner outfield defence.
Fowler, on the other hand, hits the market with a draft pick attached to his name after declining his qualifying offer from the Chicago Cubs. The 30-year-old complemented his double-digit home run power and strong athleticism with an on-base percentage of .393 in 2016. Fowler posted a 4.7 WAR last season, and his ability to impact a lineup from the leadoff spot, he will be met with a robust market.
Red Sox willing to risk it with Holland
Boston’s search for an eighth-inning option ahead of Craig Kimbrel has them “among the most aggressive suitors” for free agent reliever Greg Holland, Bradford reports.
Holland underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2015 season and missed the entirety of 2016, but recently held a showcase for interested teams where his velocity sat around 90 mph. The 30-year-old remains a work in progress as he looks to regain the mid-90s fastball he threw before the surgery, but his track record as one of baseball’s most dominant closers should earn him a lucrative deal, potentially over two years.
In 2013 and 2014 with the Kansas City Royals, Holland appeared in 133 games with a 1.32 ERA and 93 saves. Holland’s excellent slider, which he uses nearly 40 percent of the time, led the right-hander to 13.4 strikeouts per nine innings over those seasons, but the pitch could also take some time to round back into form.
Boston’s 2016 bullpen is losing two key pieces in Koji Uehara, the 42-year-old free agent who occupied the eighth-inning role for much of the season, and Brad Ziegler, the effective submariner who is also hitting the open market after coming to the Red Sox in a July trade.
Braves aiming high in their rotation rebuild
The Atlanta Braves continue to be interested in Chicago White Sox starter and five-time All-Star Chris Sale, Jon Heyman reported Monday morning.
Atlanta has already added two veterans to their rotation in Bartolo Colon and former Blue Jays knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Their connection to Sale is longstanding, as David O’Brien reported that “several years” of interest included preliminary talks ahead of the August 1 trade deadline.
Sale has averaged over 200 innings per season since joining Chicago’s rotation in 2012. He’s paired that with a 3.04 ERA as a starter with 10 strikeouts per nine innings, so as one of baseball’s elite left-handers, the acquisition cost for Atlanta or any other trade partner would be significant. Sale is entering the final guaranteed year of his contract but has team options of $12.5 and $13.5 million for the two following seasons, which will only push his price higher.
Atlanta has also made inquiries on Oakland’s Sonny Gray and Tampa’s Chris Archer, according to Mark Bowman.
Giants talked trade with Tigers
The San Francisco Giants have held trade talks with the Detroit Tigers regarding outfielder J.D. Martinez, according to Jon Morosi. Detroit GM Al Avila seems intent on making changes that could include shedding MLB salary, and with Martinez set to hit free agency after earning $11.75 million in 2017, he becomes a valuable trade chip.
Martinez, now 29, hit .307 with a .908 OPS over 120 games in 2016. While his defensive value declined this season in right field, his bat alone should draw interest from several teams.
Last week, Jeff Blair listed Detroit, and specifically Martinez, as a worthwhile situation for the Blue Jays to explore.
