Cactus and Grapefruit League play is underway, and Manny Machado and Bryce Harper are at long last off the board. That said, even though we're into March we've got a handful of name free agents still looking for work, which means we've still got a healthy supply of buzz.
To give you an idea of what's out there on Saturday, 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 ...
Nats eyeing Kimbrel
The Nationals, even though they've bid adieu to Bryce Harper, have been among the most active teams this offseason. They've put up $140 million to sign Patrick Corbin, and they've also brought in Yan Gomes, Brian Dozier, Kurt Suzuki, Kyle Barraclough, and Trevor Rosenthal, among others. You can even make the case that they're preseason NL East favorites despite all the activity elsewhere in the division.
And they may not be done. GM Mike Rizzo would still like to fortify the bullpen, and he reportedly has eyes for the biggest bullpen fish still out there. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports ...
But the Nats, according to major-league sources, maintain interest in signing free-agent closer Craig Kimbrel, a move that would cap off their efforts to construct a powerhouse bullpen and further escalate the competition in the NL East.
While there's good reason to think Kimbrel will never again be a true dominator, he still projects as being quite good in 2019. As such, he'd be a sensible addition for almost every contender. The issue for the Nats is that they're closing in on the luxury-tax threshold. If they sign Kimbrel, they'd either need to get him at miraculously cheap rates, shed some salary elsewhere in short order, or live with going into penalty territory for a third straight year. Bet on the latter.
As Rosenthal notes, the Braves still maintain some interest in Kimbrel, but the Nationals this offseason have been more motivated than Atlanta, to say the least.
Harper possibly hints at Trout one day playing in Philly
The Phillies introduced Bryce Harper on Saturday, not long after he signed a record $330 million contract that will span 13 years. While the focus on the press conference was obviously on Harper and the Phillies' aggressive work toward contention in 2019, they did take a moment for some forward-looking speculation ...
“I know there’s another guy in about two years who comes up off the books. We’ll see what happens with him.”
Bryce Harper elaborates on how his record-setting contract still allows the Phillies financial flexibility to bring in other players. pic.twitter.com/hC17HFbxGc
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) March 2, 2019
While we don't want to put words in Harper's mouth, this is likely a reference to Angels superstar Mike Trout, who barring another extension will be eligible for free agency after the 2020 season. Trout, of course, is a New Jersey native who's also a Philly sports fanatic, and he's long been the subject of long-term Phillies rumors.
As for Trout himself, he said he was happy about Harper's contract, but, per MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger, he demurred when asked about his own free agency timeline:
"I haven't even thought about it," Trout said. "Obviously, you guys [the media] bring it up a lot and I appreciate you asking me all these questions, but right now is not the time to think about it. I still have two years."
Suffice it to say, Harper's not-especially-veiled reference means those questions are still going to be asked.
