It's February, and spring training is just around the bend. Until players start showing up in Arizona and Florida, however, offseason rumors remain the priority item. Speaking of which, Thursday's supply can be found just below.
Twins may keep Kepler
Thanks in part to the addition of Joey Gallo this offseason, the Twins right now have a surfeit of lefty-swinging corner outfield types. That glut led to widespread speculation that Minnesota would shop Max Kepler. However, Dan Hayes of The Athletic now reports that a trade of Kepler is becoming less and less likely. In large measure, that's because the Twins haven't gotten what they consider to be a compelling offer for Kepler.
Kepler, who soon turns 30, enjoyed a breakout season in 2019, but since then he's generally failed to repeat that level of production. In the three seasons since then, he's put up an OPS+ of 98, which is below average by the standards of corner defenders. He's under contract for $8.5 million for 2023, and his deal includes a $10 million club option/$1 million buyout for 2024. As things stand now, it seems likely Kepler will be headed to market next winter. For now, though, he's still a Twin.
The Seattle Mariners have agreed to terms with utility man Dylan Moore on a contract extension that will pay him $8.875 million over the next three seasons, ESPN reports. The deal also includes incentives that could push the total value to more than $9 million. In essence, the extension buys out one of Moore's free agent years.
The 30-year-old Moore is coming off a 2022 season in which he slashed .224/.368/.385 (122 OPS+) with 21 stolen bases in 104 games and time spent at seven different defensive positions. For his career, he owns an OPS+ of 97 across parts of four major-league seasons, all with Seattle.
