Good morning Mets fans, hope you’ve had a good holiday season. Here’s the latest rumors from what has been a quiet week in baseball.
Twins “Not Ruling Out” Established Hitter
According to Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Twins’ Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey told him that the team will not rule out signing a big bat to insert into an otherwise futile lineup.
Souhan says “Will he sign a designated hitter despite the presence of Austin and Cron? “It’s a trade-off,” he said. “There’s some long-term benefit of seeing some young players play and developing them, and there are times when you feel like you have good fits in terms of your club — a really good bat, an established bat, one that takes pressure off other guys in the lineup.”
The Twins have been previously linked to Nelson Cruz this off-season, but nothing more than rumors at this point.
Indians Uncertain If Freed Up Money From Trades Will Be Reinvested
According to Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com, the Indians are unsure whether or not recently saved money from trades will be reinvested into the club’s payroll.
The team saved considerable money on the trades of Yan Gomes, Yonder Alonso, and Edwin Encarnacion. As Hoynes says “The Indians need serious help in the bullpen and outfield, but when Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, was asked if the money the Indians saved from their recent trades would be put back into the team this year, he said that had yet to be decided. If that money is not used to improve the 2019 roster, and the Indians still expect to win the AL Central and be competitive in the postseason, then more trades are coming. At the moment, it seems that the Indians are going to keep Kluber and Bauer, but this offseason rests on shifting sands.”
Padres Focus Shifting From Pitching To Third Base
As per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune, the Padres have held “hundreds of discussions” this winter, but their priorities seem to be different from the original perception.
Acee tweets “Among hundreds of conversations Padres have had with other teams are ones about deals that would include Corey Kluber and Marcus Stroman. While the Padres could still add a starting pitcher for 2019, it won’t be one of those two. Priority is third baseman.”
The Padres and Mets have talked this winter regarding Noah Syndergaard, but those talks fell flat when the Padres wouldn’t include prospects such as MacKenzie Gore, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Luis Urias.
