MLB

MLB Offseason Round-Up: Rumors Swirl Ahead of Winter Meetings

Published

5 months ago

December 3, 2023

This is one in a series of daily articles highlighting the latest news and notes from the MLB offseason.

Sunday marks the eve of the busiest week of the MLB offseason. Front office executives, coaches, players and agents are all on their way to the 2023 Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn., which officially begin on Monday.

There should be plenty of news throughout the week in both the free agent and trade markets. Until then, the rumors are starting to swirl.

Friars Linked To Burnes

Corbin Burnes is one of the bigger names on the trade market this winter, and the San Diego Padres are interested, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The Padres need to rebuild their rotation from last season. Nick Martinez has already signed with the Cincinnati Reds, while Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo are still out on the open market. Both Wacha and Lugo are expected to generate substantial interest.

Burnes, the 2021 National League Cy Young Winner, has been an All-Star with the Milwaukee Brewers in each of the last three seasons. For his career, the right-hander is 45-27 with a 3.26 ERA.

Dodgers Bring Back Reliever

The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to bring back right-handed reliever Joe Kelly on a one-year deal, according to baseball insiders Rob Bradford and Jon Heyman.

The Dodgers declined their $9.5 million club option on Kelly at the beginning of November. Last year Kelly combined for a 4.12 ERA in 39.1 innings between the White Sox and Dodgers. In 10.1 innings with the Dodgers, he allowed only two runs and struck out a staggering 19 batters.

Other News And Notes

The Toronto Blue Jays are interested in Michael Brantley, Joc Pederson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. Toronto remains in the mix for stars Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto.
The Baltimore Orioles have already been linked to back-end bullpen arms Josh Hader, Jordan Hicks, Craig Kimbrel and Aroldis Chapman. According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, they are also interested in Robert Stephenson.