Teoscar Hernandez favored, race for Sasaki, Mets enter Crochet

Right now, the MLB offseason is in full swing. Although no groundbreaking steps have been taken yet, the GM Meetings are behind us and the MLB rumor mill is in full swing.

All eyes are obviously on where Juan Soto will go next, and understandably so. That being said, his market will be quite limited, and he won’t sign immediately either. In the meantime, there are other intriguing free agents and trade candidates worth discussing.

With that in mind, the latest MLB rumors involve some of the best available players not named Juan Soto.

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One of the big surprises of the 2024 trade deadline was that the Chicago White Sox declined to trade All-Star lefty Garrett Crochet. This felt like an odd decision considering the team was on the cusp of a monstrous return for a young star with team control, but part of the reason they postponed it was presumably because they wanted to wait until the offseason – when there would be more potential was. suitors would join the mix, driving the price up even further.

It’s true that this winter has attracted other suitors who weren’t said to be involved at the deadline. The Boston Red Sox are reportedly heavily involved with Crochet, and now it’s being reported by Jon Heyman and Matt Ehalt of the New York Post that the New York Mets are also involved.

“The Mets are among the teams discussing Crochet, according to The Post’s Jon Heyman, while the Dodgers and Padres made trade offers this summer and the Yankees are well-known fans.”

The list of teams competing in Crochet is extensive, but only a handful of teams can meet Chicago’s steep asking price. On paper, the Mets fit the bill as one of those teams, especially considering the White Sox are looking for position players in return.

According to MLB Pipeline, six of the top seven prospects in the Mets system are position players. Four of those six – Jett Williams, Drew Gilbert, Ryan Clifford and Carson Benge – are all in the top 100 overall. The Mets definitely have enough ammunition to get something done.

Haken would be a great fit for this Mets team. He was an All-Star for the White Sox this past season, has top potential, is only 25 years old and is under club control through the 2026 season. With Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana all in free agency, the Mets need reinforcements, and it’s hard to do much better than Crochet in that regard. It would take a lot for the White Sox to part ways with him, but the Mets have the potential capital and the need to get a deal done. The fact that they are showing interest is encouraging.

Shockwaves rippled around the MLB world early Saturday when top Japanese player Roki Sasaki was posted by his team, the Chiba Lotte Marines. This decision allows Sasaki to be signed by all 30 teams, and since he is only 23 years old, he may only sign a Minor League contract with a signing bonus. He will follow the path Shohei Ohtani took when he signed with the Los Angeles Angels, not the path Yoshinobu Yamamoto chose when he signed a $325 million contract.

That small price tag means that all 30 teams realistically have the same chance to sign him. It really all depends on where Sasaki wants to go at this point. While virtually every major market team has been linked to the right-hander, a National League executive told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand that this could be a two-horse race between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres.

“It’s not really a two-horse race,” said a National League executive. “But those two are probably the most logical landing spots.”

These landing spots make a lot of sense for Sasaki. The Dodgers are a team that is ready to win every year and Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are assured for the next decade. The Padres are also competitive and have Sasaki’s friend and mentor Yu Darvish under contract. Logging out west makes the most sense geographically, and both the Padres and Dodgers have a lot going for them that Sasaki would love.

Other teams could potentially swoop in and interest Sasaki, but since money won’t be an object, it will be difficult for teams other than the Dodgers and Padres to find a way to get him.

A down year in 2023 meant that Teoscar Hernandez’s free agency market wasn’t where he expected last season. With that in mind, he eventually signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers to try to win and rebuild his value at the same time. It couldn’t have turned out better.

Not only did Hernandez win the World Series with the Dodgers, but he also had one of his best seasons individually. He slashed .272/.339/.501 with a career-high 33 home runs and 99 RBI in 154 games played. An All-Star for the second time, he also set a career-high with 4.3 bWAR. By the time the postseason arrived, Hernandez was third and fourth for the eventual World Series champions.

After a dream season, it’s time for Hernandez to cash in. That’s important for Hernandez, but according to Will Sammon and Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic ($), he’s also eyeing a return to Los Angeles. A reunion with the Dodgers is his preference.

“In addition to the Los Angeles Dodgers, four other teams have expressed some level of interest during preliminary discussions with free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernández, league sources said. However, Hernández’s preference remains with the Dodgers.”

This comes as no surprise as Hernandez was very vocal about his desire to stay with the Dodgers immediately after the World Series ended. It’s hard to blame him for that. Hernandez thrived in Los Angeles and gets a chance to win every year.

The Dodgers will likely show interest in signing Juan Soto, but knowing that an elite backup plan for Soto is very interested in returning is great. Hernandez was a crucial player for the Dodgers last season and will continue to be if a longer-term deal is agreed to.