Major League Baseball's offseason is here, and with it comes a delightful daily heaping of rumors, news, and notes. Below, you can find all of the most notable to surface on Tuesday.
Mets discussing Turner
The Mets are in for a busy winter, and that could include a run at free-agent infielder Trea Turner. According to SNY's Andy Martino, the Mets have discussed Turner internally for a "long time," though they may have to find a taker for catcher James McCann in order to fit him into their budget.
Turner figures to be one of the most sought-after free agents in the class. CBS Sports ranked him as the fourth-best player available this winter, writing the following:
Turner has been the second-best hitting shortstop in the majors over the last three seasons, posting a higher OPS+ than everyone except Fernando Tatis Jr., whose production came in half as many plate appearances because of injury and suspension. He's a dynamic offensive player, an elite-grade runner with above-average raw power who is capable of posting a 20-20 effort each season. Turner does have an aggressive approach at the plate that sees him readily expand his zone, but it hasn't worked against him yet and, besides, mishit balls are an opportunity for him to leg out an infield single. The more concerning matter with Turner's game is his defense. He committed 16 errors last season, by far the most of the top free-agent shortstops. (Correa, Xander Bogaerts, and Dansby Swanson combined for 26.) Errors are an imperfect measure, though it's reasonable to think he may need to slide to the other side of the bag in the future (a position he's already familiar with, having played there out of deference to Corey Seager). Regardless, Turner has been a highly productive hitter throughout his career, and there's no reason to expect that to change soon.
The Mets also have to concern themselves with either re-signing or replacing ace Jacob deGrom and center fielder Brandon Nimmo, among others. They did take care of one piece of business over the weekend, re-signing closer Edwin Díaz.
Yankees to extend qualifying offer to Rizzo
This should not come as a surprise, but Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the Yankees will extend a qualifying offer to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. The qualifying offer, a one-year pact, is valued at $19.65 million this winter.
Rizzo, who re-signed with the Yankees last winter, recently declined his player option for next season on the strengths of a good 2022. CBS Sports ranked him as the 12th-best free agent available this winter, writing the following:
We wrote last winter that Rizzo's strong ball-tracking data indicated he may have had one more big year left in him. A full season later, we can write with the utmost certainty that he did. Rizzo will now attempt to monetize his stellar campaign after declining his $16 million player option. He's a 33-year-old first baseman with back concerns, so there's probably a limit on how far teams are willing to go term- and dollar-wise. Still, is there any doubt that some team will give him a multi-year commitment with the hope that he can produce at least one sequel? We think not.
Presuming Rizzo were to decline the qualifying offer, the Yankees would be in line to gain draft-pick compensation if he were to sign with another club.
Marlins shopping López
Marlins right-hander Pablo López is arguably the biggest name available on the trade market at the moment, again according to Heyman.
López, 26, is under team control through the 2024 season. He's posted a 106 ERA+ and a 3.44 strikeout-to-walk ratio in more than 500 big-league innings. Our own Mike Axisa named him one of the top offseason trade candidates, writing the following:
Among non-Alcantara/Pérez starters, López is the biggest candidate to move because he is only two years away from free agency. The Marlins and Yankees reportedly had talks involving the changeup specialist at the deadline, and those talks could be rekindled this offseason. If not New York, then elsewhere. López has been reliably above-average the last few years and Miami will have no trouble finding trade partners. There's a chance he is the best starting pitcher traded this winter.
The Marlins ranked near the bottom of the majors in runs scored and home runs, suggesting they'll desire some offensive help in return.
