Dodgers are cagey about Adames, Braves’ Fried competition and Mets spending

The Hot Stove still needs to burn well, but we are getting closer every day. With non-tender decisions out of the way, even more talent has entered the free-agent pool, and the Winter Meetings are just a few weeks away. We’ve already completed one major transaction, and there are many more major moves ahead.

All eyes will be on Juan Soto, who may be about to take a shot at Shohei Ohtani’s historic $700 million mega-deal from last season. But even beyond Soto, big names abound: players like Roki Sasaki, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Teoscar Hernandez have reached free agency, while other stars like Luis Robert Jr., Garrett Crochet, Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and more could be available can be made. through trade. The landscape of competition will look very different by the time next spring rolls around.

Who will end up where in the coming weeks? Here’s the latest from the MLB rumor mill.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers have picked up their team option on Miguel Rojas for next season, but the shortstop remains one of the few major holes left in this lineup. Everyone assumed this would mean L.A. had the only top-tier shortstop available this winter, former Milwaukee Brewers star Willy Adames, whom Dodgers executive Andrew Friedman acquired in a trade while he was a member of the Tampa Bay, would be close behind. Ray’s front office.

But while the fit seems good, we may have jumped the gun here. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Los Angeles may not be willing to engage in what could be a steep bidding war for Adames’ services.

“The demand for him at 29 should be high, and recent free agent shortstops like Corey Seager, Trea Turner And Xander Bogaerts monster deals ordered. While Adames may not be as coveted as those players, he is certainly expecting a significant contract. And the decline in his defensive qualities last season raises the possibility that he will not be short-changed for the duration of his contract.”

LA still has Rojas and Tommy Edman, plus Mookie Betts returning to the infield for 2025. With outfielders like Soto and Teoscar Hernandez available and a rotation that needs to be strengthened, this doesn’t have to be a place where the Dodgers commit a ton of money. Of course, this could also just be Friedman unsettling people.

Another player the Dodgers are known to be involved in: Fried, a Southern California native who, when healthy, was among the best pitchers in baseball. But Los Angeles won’t be the only one making a real run at the former Braves left-hander. Atlanta has very much left the door open for a reunion, and any contender looking for a frontline starter will be able to bid here — including, apparently, the Toronto Blue Jays, who Rosenthal notes are “all three” of chasing the best pitchers. on the Market (Fried, Corbin Burnes and Blake Snell).

Toronto’s finances are apparently on hold until the team hears a decision from Soto. If they are able to land the superstar outfielder, it would likely take them out of the top of the pitching market. However, if Soto signs elsewhere, Toronto will be even more desperate to add impact talent ahead of a make-or-break season, and there are far more attractive options on the mound than in the field in this free agent class. It may be difficult to convince Fried to ditch his hometown and come to Canada instead, but money talks, and Rogers Communication has a lot of it.

Most of the buzz surrounding the Mets season so far has centered on the team’s single-minded pursuit of Soto, with owner Steve Cohen seemingly making it his mission not to take no for an answer with his No. 1 target. But even if Soto does come to Queens, it could be just the start of a very big offseason. It is often assumed that New York’s incumbent free agent star, first baseman Pete Alonso, would likely be forced to move elsewhere given the amount of money the team would have to spend on Soto. But now it seems like signing both is very much on the table.

Alonso still might not be the thing for David Stearns; Stearns is one of the most analytical executives in the game, and right-side first basemen on the wrong side of 30 are not a profile you want to invest in long-term. But the Mets need to address the cold corner somehow, and if Alonso’s market doesn’t develop the way he wants, New York could strike.