Will it be a slow week in Major League Baseball's hot stove leading up to Thanksgiving? Or will we get more deals after big names like Noah Syndergaard and Justin Verlander inked deals last week? We'll gather the news and rumors right here for you on Monday, and it starts with the Red Sox grabbing the 2023 and 2024 options on the contract of manager Alex Cora.
Let's see what else is out there.
Marlins, Alcantara working on extension
The Marlins are close to a five-year, $55 million extension with starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara, reports Craig Mish of Sports Grid.
Alcantara, 26, isn't anywhere close to free agency. He's in arbitration until after the 2024 season, but a move by the Marlins here would give cost certainty in the next three seasons and then would buy out the first two years of free agency. It would be a big step from Kim Ng's front office to lock up a starter like this.
Alcantara was 9-15 with a 3.19 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 201 strikeouts in 205 2/3 innings last season. He was an All-Star in 2019 and has a 3.48 ERA (122 ERA+) in 72 starts in the last three seasons. He's pretty well established as a quality, front-end starting pitcher.
Dodgers looking at Suzuki
Japanese star outfielder Seiya Suzuki is set to be posted for MLB teams this offseason (scouting report here). The Dodgers appear to be among the interested teams, reports David Vassegh of Sports Net LA.
Right now, the Dodgers could have a full outfield with Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger and A.J. Pollock, but they have a lot of movable pieces and it's unclear if they want to head into next season with Bellinger slotted as the everyday center fielder.
It's also worth a quick mention that the Dodgers will be far from the only team interested in Suzuki. He hit .319/.436/.644 with 38 homers in 131 games in NPB last season.
Giants interested in Cobb
The Giants are "making a strong push" for free agent starting pitcher Alex Cobb, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. She adds that Cobb and the Giants "looks like a match."
Cobb, 34, went 8-3 with a 3.76 ERA (119 ERA+), 1.26 WHIP and 98 strikeouts in 93 1/3 innings last season for the Angels.
The Giants seem to have only Logan Webb as a sure thing in their rotation looking toward 2022. Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood and Johnny Cueto, who combined for 112 starts last season, are all free agents. Sammy Long and Tyler Beede are among the internal candidates to start next season, but it seems likely the Giants will be heavy on shopping for rotation help this offseason.
The Yankees have traded utility man Tyler Wade to the Angels for a player to be named later or cash considerations, the clubs have announced.
Wade, 26, has spent his entire five-year career in the majors with the Yankees, but was designated for assignment last week. In 264 games, he's hit .212/.298/.307 (66 OPS+). He stole 17 bases in 23 chances last season and posted a career-best .354 on-base percentage in 2021. He's spent most of his time on defense at second base but has also played shortstop, third base and all three outfield positions.
Guardians trade outfielder, pitcher
The Guardians have traded outfielder Harold Ramirez to the Cubs for cash considerations, the teams have announced.
Ramirez, 27, has hit .271/.308/.405 (90 OPS+) with 41 doubles and 18 homers in 818 career plate appearances in parts of three seasons. He's spent time in all three outfield positions with the overwhelming majority in the corners. The Cubs are likely not done tweaking their outfield before 2022, but right now the starters appear to be Ian Happ, Rafael Ortega and Jason Heyward with Ramirez joining Michael Hermasillo and Alfonso Rivas as depth.
In a separate move, right-handed pitcher J.C. Mejia has been traded from the Guardians to the Brewers, both teams have announced.
Mejia, 25, was 1-7 with an 8.25 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and 47 strikeouts with 24 walks in 52 1/3 innings last season. He had a 6.75 ERA in 25 1/3 innings in Triple-A and this was his first season past High-A. This is to say, he's essentially a project for the Brewers. They've had success in developing pitchers in this fashion before.
Brewers sign backup catcher
The Brewers and catcher Pedro Severino have agreed on a one-year, $1.9 million deal, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Severino, 28, hit .248/.308/.383 with 11 homers and 46 RBI in 113 games last season with the Orioles. He was worth 0.9 WAR, per baseball-reference.com.
As things stand, the Brewers are set with Omar Narvaez behind the plate, so Severino will serve as the backup.
Angels ink Loup
The Angels on Monday announced that they've signed lefty reliever Aaron Loup to a two-year contract worth a reported $17 million. Loup, who turns 34 in December is coming off a stellar season with the Mets. In 56 2/3 innings, Loup pitched to a 0.95 ERA with 57 strikeouts against 16 unintentional walks. For his career, he boasts an ERA+ of 136 and a K/BB ratio of 3.19.
