As we wait around in hopes of a deal coming together between the owners and players for a new collective bargaining agreement -- since the owners won't lift the lockout, as they could -- we can still look ahead for the completion of the offseason flurry of transactions. There was a bevy of moves just before the old CBA expired, but the offseason player movement to this point has only been partial and it'll likely be furious once the lockout ceases to exist.
As such, let's check in on the latest rumors. As implied above, nothing can happen under the lockout, so this is only stuff to file away for future reference.
Add Padres (and Braves?) to list of Olson suitors
A's first baseman Matt Olson is likely to be one of the most sought after players on the trade market once the lockout ends. Prior to the lockout, the list of teams most connected to Olson in trade rumors included the Yankees, Mariners and Rays. Nearly anyone who plans on contending in the near term and has a need at first base or designated hitter should be interested. Olson is a game-changing slugger.
With the rumor earlier this week that it seems increasingly likely Freddie Freeman won't re-sign with the Braves, they are absolutely one of the top suitors for Olson (though there are other options).
It appears we can also add the Padres. From a mailbag on The Athletic:
The Padres would love to have Olson. That's especially the case now that they employ a manager who oversaw Olson's development into an All-Star. As is Preller's wont, the Padres, before the lockout, checked in with every team regarding potentially attainable players. That includes the A's, who appear likely to deal Olson. I expect the Padres to be in the mix.
Now, the Padres already have Eric Hosmer rostered and he's got four years left on his deal. It's worth noting that it was front loaded, however, and though he's making $21 million in 2022, he's due $13 million per year from 2023-25. Meantime, the Padres have been rumored to be attempting to attach Hosmer to top prospects in trade talks and let's not forget about the impending addition of the full-time DH to the NL.
That is to say, there are avenues for the Padres to make a move or series of moves to add Olson.
They won't be even close to alone in their pursuit, though. Once the lockout is finally lifted, we'll hear a lot about Olson until he's traded.
Cardinals look to Moran (for DH?)
The Cardinals have interest in free agent first baseman Colin Moran, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch mentioned in his weekly chat.
They already have an excellent first baseman in Paul Goldschmidt and Moran likely isn't going to sign to be an everyday bench player, so this is another good illustration of how we'll need to adjust our thinking with the universal DH very, very likely on its way.
Moran, 29, hit .269/.331/.419 (101 OPS+) in his four seasons with the Pirates while posting 162-game averages of 26 doubles, 16 homers and 77 RBI. He's a left-handed hitter and has slashed .280/.341/.440 against righties in his career. Conceivably, the Cardinals could DH him against righties and use someone like Tommy Edman (switch hitter) or Paul DeJong (right) as a DH against left-handed starters. That's down the road, though, since there are more moves to be made once the lockout is lifted -- and DeJong is a trade candidate.
