MLB rumours: Max Scherzer expected to sign soon and Mets look to be the favorites

The collective bargaining agreement between the owner of Major League Baseball and the players is set to expire on Wednesday night. It is assumed that a deal will not be reached in the coming days, meaning talks on trade and free agency will be completely closed and a lockdown will be in place later this week. In the meantime, it looks like we’re gearing up for a flurry of moves, as there may be some players who don’t want to go weeks (months?) without knowing where they’ll be playing in 2022.

A contract arrived on Sunday morning, because Light ray touched Corey Kluber (Full story here). And then brooding again in a late afternoon. Summary:

As for the rest, let’s dive into the gossip of the day.

Scherzer’s decision is coming soon; Finishing?

Max Scherzer is heading into his 37th season, but he’s also nearing the end of a season where he finished third in the Cy Young vote. Three-time winner Cy Young and future Hall of Famer remains an ace. Thus, there is no shortage of suitors despite what could be a multi-year deal with a really high average annual value.

He is expected to decide on a new home before the expected lockdown, reports Jon Heyman of the MLB . Network, with Mets, Dodgers, Giant and Angel mentioned as top suitors.

According to a report around 10:30 p.m. ET from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Mets are lovers. Minutes later, there was a report that the Mets and Scherzer were close to finalizing a deal. However, nothing seems to have been completed by 8 a.m. ET Monday morning, and Heyman tweeted that the Mets remained “on standby”. The full story of Scherzer is here.

The market is strong for Ray, but it will take time

The market for AL Cy Young Robbie Ray winners includes Tigers, Twins, Giants, Angels and Rangers, According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Before Sunday, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Blue Jays not there, but with Gausman’s signing, they’ve filled in the vacancy left by Ray’s freelancing. Ray’s adjustments appear to be realistic, meaning that one of the interested teams is likely to get a trump card. Surprised to not see the Mariners’ names, but Sherman didn’t say the list was complete.

A later report from MLB Network’s Jon Morosi takes note that Ray has yet to meet the Angels, so unlike Gausman and possibly Scherzer, there won’t be an imminent decision here.

Mariners show interest in Bryant

The Mariners are one of the teams that have shown interest in signing a third free agent/utility man. Kris Bryant, Report Robert Murray of Fansided. However, in contrast to Scherzer and Gausman above, Bryant is not expected to sign before the expiration of his CBA contract, Murray reports. Given that Bryant’s agent is Scott Boras, who loves to woo the free agent in search of the best possible offer, this shouldn’t be too surprising.

The Mariners and Bryant fit very well. He can handle third place on a daily basis, but he can also play any of the three outfield positions, if needed. They added Adam Frazier, capable of taking over the second facility and We’ve shown before that they need at least one midfielder plus another big bat.

Rangers fail with big moves and extra OF

Seven years and $175 million for Semien could mean nothing more than a big season for Rangers. They lost 102 games last year, there was little hope of internal improvement and wages were extremely low for a team in a large market with the ability to spend as much as most. Semien is also 31 years old, so for sure the Rangers plan is to spend a lot this season.

Right on the signal, Jeff Passan of ESPN reporting that Rangers are no longer just in the All-Star free agency Trevor’s story, but they are also after the pitch begins. If they land Story, Rangers will have the choice to leave Semien at second base, where he played last year in Toronto, or move him down and ask Story to play second (his arm already has marks on it). weakened in recent years). Rosenthal also mentioned that Rangers continue to negotiate with the free agent Corey Seager.

They then added to the rotation with the Gray signing. Be aware that even after signing Gray, the connection between Robbie Ray (see above) and the Rangers was made, so they appeared serious about continuing to spend.

Additionally, they made what qualifies as a small move after the signing of Semien broke down. Rangers have agreed to sign a free agency contract Kole Calhoun, by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Calhoun, 34, is a left-hander who hit 33 goals in 2019. Last season in Arizona, he hit 0.235 / .297 / .373 (81 OPS+) with eight doubles and five own goals. home in 182 appearances. He was dealing with knee and hamstring injuries that both required surgery. In 2020, Calhoun has 130 OPS+ and 16 home players in 54 games.

Red, Angels talk Castillo; Angel added Lorenzen

The Red Devil and the Angel discussed a possible trade with Luis Castillo towards LA, Morosi . report, although he also notes that the parties are “far apart.” This aligns with the message from Cincy this season that it will take a huge package to pry right-handed Castillo away.

The bigger lesson here is the signed Angels Noah Syndergaard and are actively promoting a frontline initiator whether through trade or their involvement in the above Scherzer rumours.

Although he was not the frontline initiator, the Angels signed Michael Lorenzen with a one-year contract, worth $7 million, Report Robert Murray of Fansided. According to reports, the plan was for Lorenzen to join the Angels rotation, and previous reports had said that Lorenzen wanted to sign with a team that would allow him to play off the field on the days he wasn’t on the field.

We know the Angels don’t mind the two-dimensional stars, because how they allowed it Shohei Ohtani to pursue his craft both on the mound and in formation.

Will they really have two-way players? That would certainly be fun.

Lorenzen, 29, has a 4.09 ERA (107 ERA+) career, though most of his work with the Reds has been a relief. At the disc, he was a career .233/.282/.429 hitter with seven hosts in 133 shots.

Blue Jays add reliever

The Blue Jays have agreed to sign Yimi García’s agent free of charge to a two-year, $11 million deal that also includes a club option for a third year, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi report.

García, 31, has made 39 appearances with Marlins last season before being traded with Astros and there are 23 appearances for them. In his 57 2/3 innings, he throws to 4.21 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 60 hits versus 13 unintentional walks. He’s the mid-depth relief for the Jays.

Altherr looking to return to MLB

Midfielder Aaron Altherr is a free agent after two years at the Korea Baseball Organization and wants to return to the Junior Baseball League – and a move to Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball is also possible – MLB . Trade Rumors report.

Altherr, 30, spent six seasons with Phillies before playing a single game with the Giants and 26 with the Mets in 2019. In his 1,156 MLB appeared plate, he reached .219 / .307 / .401 (88 OPS +). He’s shown good rallies, most notably in 2015 and 2017 – after that, he hit .272/.340/.516 with 19 hosts in 372 bats.

During Altherr’s two years in Korea, he scored .276 / .354 / .529. He’s had more than 30 home hits and more than 20 steals each season. We’ve seen MLB players coming to KBO and back improving before, with Eric Thames‘ Brewer remains the most prominent recent example.