We are only a month away from spring training, baseball fans. Here is each team's spring training reporting date. Now here are Monday's hot stove rumors as you await baseball's return in a few weeks.
Red Sox interested in Andrus, Profar
The Red Sox have interest in free agents Elvis Andrus and Jurickson Profar, reports USA Today. Boston lost Xander Bogaerts to free agency and Trevor Story may miss the season with elbow surgery, creating a major need on the middle infield. Profar is No. 28 on our list of the top 50 free agents and the highest unsigned player. Andrus did not make the top 50.
Andrus, 34, had a fine season with the Athletics and White Sox a year ago, and could easily step in at shortstop. The soon-to-be 30-year-old Profar is a full-time left fielder now. He hasn't played the left side of the infield since 2018. The Red Sox could sign Profar, put him in the outfield alongside Alex Verdugo and Masataka Yoshida, and move Enrique Hernández from center field to shortstop.
The Cardinals and Marlins have had preliminary trade discussions involving right-hander Pablo López, reports The Athletic. Miami is said to want young position players in return. Assuming Lars Nootbaar is off-limits, St. Louis has infielder Nolan Gorman, catcher Iván Herrera, and outfielders Alec Burleson, Dylan Carlson, and Tyler O'Neill to offer. López is an obvious trade candidate.
Reigning NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara is untouchable and the Marlins signed Johnny Cueto earlier this month. Miami's other starters -- López, Edward Cabrera, Jesús Luzardo, Trevor Rogers -- are all reportedly available as the club looks to improve an offense that ranked 28th in runs and 24th in home runs in 2022. López is under team control through 2024 and the Cardinals could use a controllable starter because Adam Wainwright will retire after 2023, and Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, and Jordan Montgomery will all become free agents.
Brinson signs in Japan
Outfielder Lewis Brinson has signed with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan, according to a Hochi News report. Brinson, 28, went from the Rangers to the Brewers in the Jonathan Lucroy trade and then from the Brewers to the Marlins in the Christian Yelich trade. He has been held back by chronic plate indiscipline and is a career .198/.246/.328 hitter in over 1,100 big-league plate appearances. Brinson played with Miami from 2017-21 and made a brief cameo with the (San Francisco) Giants in 2022.
