Pitchers and catchers report next week, and the free-agent market remains relatively cold. Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are still unsigned as are a handful of other big names. But that means, as free agency heads into the second week of February, there are still plenty of free agent and trade rumors buzzing around.
Follow all of the day's hot stove activity below:
Phillies hoping Realmuto trade helps lure Harper, Machado
Thursday afternoon, the Phillies made one of the biggest moves of the offseason. Philadelphia was nearing the finish line in a deal with the Marlins for catcher J.T. Realmuto -- the most valuable backstop in baseball. All reports indicate the trade will include top pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez. While the deal will drain the Phillies farm system, the team still has deep pockets and it won't change the pursuits of Harper or Machado.
In fact, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies are hoping the Realmuto addition makes Philly an even more appealing landing spot for either of the 26-year-old superstars.
The #Phillies remain optimistic - perhaps even more so now - that they will add Bryce Harper or Manny Machado before the start of the season. Adding J.T. Realmuto would not take them out of that race. https://t.co/iBXuE32BR7
— Matt Breen (@matt_breen) February 7, 2019
And to give Phillies fans even more to dream about ...
Possible Phillies' lineup if they finish the Realmuto trade, and followed up later with the signing of Bryce Harper:
LF McCutchen
SS Segura
RF Harper
1B Hoskins
C Realmuto
CF Herrera
3B Franco
2B Hernandez
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 7, 2019
As Rosenthal notes, the Phillies still have the most-enticing factor of all: money. While some more teams have entered the Harper sweepstakes in recent weeks, the Phillies remain confident that either Harper or Machado will be playing his home games at Citizens Bank Park this summer.
Mets bring back Mesoraco
Elsewhere in NL East catching news, the Mets have reached a minor-league deal with Devin Mesoraco, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Mets announce they have signed C Devin Mesoraco to a minor-league contract and invited him to big-league camp.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) February 7, 2019
Mesoraco was acquired by the Mets last season in a trade that sent Matt Harvey to the Reds. In 66 games with the Mets last year, the 30-year-old Mesoraco hit .222/.306/.409 with a 107 OPS+.
Rangers add Pence
The Rangers on Thursday agreed to terms with veteran outfielder Hunter Pence on a minor-league contract for 2019. Details:
Hunter Pence gets 2M base plus 1.25M incentives on deal with hometown rangers
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 7, 2019
Pence, 35, struggled badly last season but has been quite effective as recently as 2016. If healthy, the Texas native could provide some depth for the Rangers.
Brewers sign Tomlin
The Brewers have agreed to sign free agent pitcher Josh Tomlin to a minor-league deal, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The deal will be worth $1.25 million if Tomlin makes the majors. Tomlin, 34, was good in 2015 and productive enough to take two World Series starts in 2016, but he's greatly declined since then. In addition to the terrible ERA, Tomlin posted a 1.48 WHIP and allowed 25 home runs in just 70 1/3 innings last season. The 3.2 HR/9 rate was the worst in the majors among pitchers with at least 50 innings by a sizable margin (Adam Plutko's 2.47 was the second-highest).
The Brewers rotation will form from Jhoulys Chacin, Chase Anderson, Zach Davies, Brandon Woodruff, Jimmy Nelson, Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta. Tomlin will probably be given a shot as well.
