It's March 7 with spring training games in action, and most of the top free agents have signed. The season has never felt closer. Yet free agents such as Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel remain unemployed. To give you an idea of what's out there on Thursday, we're here to round up all the notable trade and free agency rumors. As always, our Free Agent Tracker is a great way to catch up on what's already happened on that front. Now let's jump in ...
Keuchel, Astros remain in touch
As mentioned, Keuchel remained unsigned despite being an above-average arm with ample playoff experience. It seems like there's some momentum building toward him landing a deal, however, as both the Astros and the Phillies have been connected to him in recent days.
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reports that the Astros have made both one- and two-year offers to Keuchel, but the offers weren't in the range that he was seeking. Rosenthal adds that Keuchel's desired terms are not known. ESPN's Buster Olney noted that no deal is close between the Astros and Keuchel.
MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported on Wednesday that the Phillies would prefer a short-term arrangement.
Keuchel posted a 3.74 ERA in 204 innings last season. His low-velocity, low-spin fastball is a departure from what baseball values in pitchers these days.
Maldonado in play for a few teams
Martin Maldonado entered the winter with a lot of hype. It hasn't resulted in a job yet, but that seems certain to change in the coming days.
Maldonado is drawing interest from multiple teams, including the Royals, who recently lost starting backstop Salvador Perez to Tommy John surgery.
Royals have insurance on Salvador Perez (it’s believed to kick in after 90 games). They are in talks with Martin Maldonado, who remains a free agent. Mariners, Rockies among other teams with interest in MM but KC has greater need for 2019.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 7, 2019
Last season, Maldonado posted a 73 OPS+ while splitting the season between the Angels and Astros. Baseball Prospectus had his framing worth six runs. He's graded as an above-average defender in each of his seven full big-league seasons.
