The annual MLB Winter Meetings are just a few days away. The offseason has been pretty slow to date, but the Winter Meetings are typically the busiest days of the offseason, and this year will be no different. Until then, here are Thursday's hot stove rumors.
Guardians interested in Murphy
Athletics catcher Sean Murphy is a popular name on the trade market, drawing continued interest from the Guardians among other teams, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
Murphy's availability is no surprise. Our Mike Axisa mentioned him as the top trade candidate at the start of the winter. Here's part of what he wrote at the time:
Murphy is the top prize. He is one of the game's very best all-around catchers and he will remain under team control through 2025. The 28-year-old provides power and hard-hit ability without striking out excessively, and he rates exceptionally well as a pitch-framer. Murphy is not J.T. Realmuto but similarities exist. He's a really good player on both sides of the ball and a cornerstone type with long-term control. The Athletics will demand a haul for Murphy and they should get it.
The Athletics, who started a rebuild last offseason, have Shea Langeliers (part of the return on Matt Olson) ready to take over behind the plate. The Guardians, meanwhile, relied heavily on a tandem of Austin Hedges and Luke Maile. Hedges is a free agent while Maile has already signed with the Reds. Murphy would represent a huge offensive upgrade over both, all the while maintaining a high level of competence defensively.
Estévez in demand
Right-hander Carlos Estévez, formerly a member of the Rockies, has drawn interest from at least seven teams, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic.
Estévez was recently named by CBS Sports as one of the top under-the-radar free agents available. Here's what we wrote:
It stands to reason if you can pitch well in Colorado, you can pitch even better elsewhere. Estévez is a big, broad righty with a delivery that looks like someone tried to recreate Ernesto Frieri's from memory. He generated more than 20 percent whiffs on all three of his pitches last season: an upper-90s fastball, a gyro slider, and a changeup. Even so, the Rockies had him chucking his heater more than 70 percent of the time. A different organization would likely ask that he spread the love to his offspeed pitches more frequently, a change that could lead to a performance uptick.
Estévez, 29 years old, has a career 4.59 ERA (108 ERA+) and 2.64 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 321 appearances.
