Here are your hot stove rumors for Wednesday, Jan. 15
It’s 2025, and most of the biggest free agents – including Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes – are off the board. Still, some notable names and trade targets remain available, and that means a daily supply of rumors as we move deeper into the back half of MLB‘s offseason. Speaking of which, Wednesday’s supply of rumors can be found just below.
Mets holding firm in Alonso talks
Signs point to the strong possibility of a New York Mets-Pete Alonso reunion, in part because the free-agent first baseman’s market has not been especially strong. Speaking of which, SNY reports the following:
“According to league sources, [president of baseball operations David] Stearns and the Mets are holding the line on both the length and dollars of their short-term offer, which includes an opt-out after the first year. The exact dollar figure is not known. Owner Steve Cohen is fully supportive of Stearns’ approach, according to sources with direct knowledge of his thinking.”
Alonso, 30, has been a rich power source for years. Over his six seasons with the Mets, Alonso amassed 226 home runs – a tally that includes his 53-homer campaign as a rookie. While Alonso still hits the ball hard and makes quality contact, he’s seen his production decline from its peak over the last two seasons, and his strikeout rate has crept up. Throw in his sub-par fielding, and it’s fair to wonder how well he’ll age. That risk is being reflected in his soft market, and no doubt informs the Mets’ reported firm stance.
As our own Mike Axisa recently explored, it’s not hard to see how a short-term commitment to the Mets, with whom Alonso has spent his entire professional career, makes sense for both sides.
Yankees seeking lefty relief help
While the Yankees lost Juan Soto to the crosstown Mets earlier in the offseason, they’ve nonetheless enjoyed an active and productive winter, what with the signings of Max Fried and Paul Goldschmidt and the trades for Cody Bellinger and Devin Williams (among other moves). Now the Yanks’ front office seems to be turning its attention to, well, more mundane matters. Here’s this from The Athletic:
“As of Tuesday, the team’s biggest priority seemed to be adding a left-handed reliever, with names such as Tim Hill, Brooks Raley and Andrew Chafin each being discussed, according to a league source.”
One can certainly argue that the Yankees should be emphasizing the search for infield help so that Oswaldo Cabrera or DJ LeMahieu isn’t overstretched into an everyday role, but right now the bullpen seems to be the focus in the Bronx.
Giants talk with Grichuk
The San Francisco Giants have had recent talks with free-agent outfielder Randal Grichuk, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports. Grichuk, 33, is coming off a highly productive season for the Diamondbacks in which he put up an OPS+ of 140 with 12 home runs and 20 doubles in 106 games. That level of production was aided by the fact the Arizona largely used him as a right-handed platoon bat, and that’s his ideal role moving forward. Indeed, for his career Grichuk has a slash line of .274/.324/.509 in almost 1,500 plate appearances against left-handed pitching.
